Question time
Q: I’m paying by standing order. Why does the bill say my payment method is cash?
A: Standing Orders show on the bill as cash. You need to set up a new standing order with your bank each year once you get your bill (see details on the back of the bill).
Q: There is a brought-forward balance on my bill. Why?
A: The brought-forward balance is the amount you still owe from previous financial years as at 23 February 2012. If you’ve made a payment after this date it will not show on your annual bill.
Q: I’ve made a payment. Why isn’t it showing on the bill? A: Please see previous answer.
Q: I paid by Direct Debit last year, will it continue? A: Yes
Q: If I am waiting for a council tax discount or an exemption, what should I do?
A: You should carry on making payments as per your annual bill until your query is sorted.
Q: What if I fail to pay?
A: If you miss an instalment,we’ll send a reminder asking for your payments to be brought up to date within seven days. If you do not do so, you will be asked to pay the full balance. If you then don’t pay the full balance, the council will take steps to recover the amount you owe.
6.30pm on 16 and 19 March, and from 9am until noon on 17 March.
Here are some of the most frequent questions that people ask the Council Tax Section after they get their bills.
Q: When do I start paying? A: April 1 if you pay by cash or standing order. If you use Direct Debits, your payments will start on your chosen dates i.e. 1st, 8th, 15th or 22nd of the month. If you pay twice yearly, payment should reach the council by 1 April and 1 September. Q: Can I pay weekly? A: Yes, so long as you pay the monthly total in full by the instalment date.
Q: Don’t I have until the end of March to pay? A: Everyone has to pay the instalments on the bill on or before the due date.
Q: I put in a claim for benefit recently. What do I do?
A: The benefits section will assess your claim as soon as possible. In the meantime you should make the payments in accordance with the bill. If you can’t afford to do this, we advise you to pay as much as you can, as soon as you can. Once your benefit has been assessed, you will receive
a new bill. You will then need to make payments as set out on the new bill. You must tell us of changes in circumstances without delay.
Q: I don’t pay council tax. Why have I received a bill?
A: It is a legal requirement that we issue the bill even if it is for your information only.
Non-domestic rates If you have a query about your bill, Council Tax customer services (01724 296093) will stay open until
Non-Domestic Rates, or business rates, collected by local authorities are the way that those who occupy non-domestic property contribute towards the cost of local services. Except in the City of London, where special arrangements apply, the rates are pooled by central government and redistributed to local authorities as part of the annual formula grant settlement. The money, together with revenue from council tax payers, revenue support grant provided by the Government and certain other sums, is used to pay for the services provided by the council and other local authorities in North Lincolnshire. You’ll find further information about the business rates system, including transitional and other reliefs, at
www.businesslink.gov.uk
Rateable value Apart from properties that are exempt from Business Rates, each non-domestic property has a rateable value which is set by the valuation officers of the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), an agency of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs. They draw up and maintain a full list of all rateable values, available on their website at
www.voa.gov.uk. The rateable value of your property is shown on the front of this bill. This broadly represents the yearly rent the property could have been let for on the open market on a particular date. For the revaluation that came into effect on 1 April 2010, this date was set as 1 April 2008. The valuation officer may alter the value if
circumstances change. The ratepayer (and certain others who have an interest in the property) can appeal against the value shown in the list if they believe it is wrong. Further information about the grounds on which appeals may be made and the process for doing so can be found on the VOA website or from your local valuation office. Their address is Non-domestic Rates North East, Valuation Office Agency, Cathedral Court, Second Floor, 1 Vicar Lane, Sheffield, S1 1HD, Telephone 03000 501501, e-mail ratingnortheast@
voa.gsi.gov.uk
National Non-Domestic Rating Multiplier The council works out the business rates bill by multiplying the rateable value of the property by the appropriate multiplier. There are two
multipliers; the standard non-domestic rating multiplier and the small business non-domestic rating multiplier. The former is higher to pay for small business rate relief. Except in the City of London where special arrangements apply, the Government sets the multipliers for each financial year for the whole of England according to formulae set by legislation. Between revaluations the multipliers change each year in line with inflation and to take account of the cost of small business rate relief. In the year of revaluation the multipliers are rebased to account for overall changes to total rateable value and to ensure that the revaluation does not raise extra money for Government. The current multipliers are shown on the front of your bill.
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