Witney News - Council Tax Amnesty offered to residents

Council Tax Amnesty offered to residents

West Oxfordshire District Council is offering a temporary amnesty from prosecution to residents incorrectly claiming single person discount on their Council Tax.

The Council is urging residents who are wrongly claiming the discount to get in touch before it starts a major check that will identify people who are currently claiming discounts that they are not entitled to.

At present, 12,632 residents – one in four households - claim the single person discount in West Oxfordshire, which gives them a 25% reduction in their Council Tax bill. While the vast majority of these residents are claiming the discount correctly, there may be cases where the Council has not been informed about a change in household occupancy, which affects the reduction, or a false claim has deliberately been made.

Where an incorrect claim is identified, the Council will seek to reclaim the discount that has been overpaid and it can impose a penalty or prosecute offenders.

The amnesty gives residents receiving a single person discount to which they are not entitled until 31 January 2011 to contact the Council.

Anyone who thinks they may no longer be entitled to a Council Tax discount should call 01993 861030 or email [email protected].