16 - New year amnesty on false council tax discount claims

 

Dudley Council is now offering a temporary amnesty from prosecution to those incorrectly claiming a single person discount ahead of new measures coming into place to track them down.

 

There are currently 42,000 council taxpayers in the borough who claim to live alone and receive a 25 per cent discount off their council tax bill.

 

While the vast majority of these claims are genuine, there may be cases where the council has not been told of a change in household occupancy which affects the discount or a false claim has deliberately been made.

 

Where an incorrect claim is identified, as well as reclaiming the overpaid discount, the council can impose a fine or prosecute fraudsters for theft in the magistrates court.

 

The amnesty now gives residents receiving a discount to which they are not entitled until February 28 to notify the council.

 

After this, the council, in conjunction with the Government, will carry out a computerised matching exercise to compare household occupancy details held on various computer systems.

 

Any discrepancies identified will then be investigated.

 

 

‘We encourage residents to claim their correct discount entitlement. However, anyone who is falsely claiming a council tax discount is not paying their fair share and could face serious consequences.

 

If people come forward during the amnesty period, they will not be fined or prosecuted. We will calculate their correct liability and agree a repayment plan.”

 

To notify the council of a change during the amnesty period or if you want to check whether a current discount award is correct, call the council tax helpline on 01384 818000 or visit www.dudley.gov.uk