People flocking to the official council tax checker have forced the site to freeze, with Brits being greeted with a screen telling them there is ‘a problem with the service’
There ‘is a problem’ with the Government’s council tax band checker
The Government’s council tax checker went down in the wake of Chancellor John Healey’s major Budget announcement that struggling families would be given a £100 cash infusion.
Around 20 million households will get £100 from the Government this winter to help with energy bills. The Chancellor said households in council tax bands A to D will get the payments into their bank accounts, with the support costing £2.6 billion. Mr Healey said money would be given to devolved administrations and called on them to “do the same and give people of all nations in the UK breathing space on their energy bills this winter”.
Brits have however reacted to the announcement by taking to the Government’s official tax checker, which informs people of which band they fall into, and by extension whether they would be eligible for the cash infusion.
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Brits trying to log in to check their banding this afternoon will be greeted with a screen telling them the service is experiencing difficulties. The webpage reads: “Sorry, there is a problem with the service. Try again later.” The outage comes after Healey told the House of Commons the Government would give families “a bit of breathing space”.
He told the chamber: “Let me say this to families at home. I know that with the conflict in the Middle East, rising energy bills are a real worry.
“I know that people look to Government at times like this, not to solve all their problems, but to give them a bit of breathing space. So today I’m taking one further step. This winter, for 20 million households in council tax bands A to D, I am announcing a £100 energy payment for households, paid directly into people’s bank accounts to deal with rising energy bills.”
“That’s a £2.6 billion scheme to take the pressure off in the coldest months and see people though to the spring.” Families looking to understand which band they fall into have multiple ways to check.
What are the council tax bands?
The amount Brits will pay for their council tax varies across the country, but they range from A to H depending on how much the home would have sold on an open market on April 1, 1991.
The bands are currently as follows:
Band A: Up to £40,000
Band B: £40,001 – £52,000
Band C: £52,001 – £68,000
Band D: £68,001 – £88,000
Band E: £88,001 – £120,000
Band F: £120,001 – £160,000
Band G: £160,001 – £320,000
Band H: Over £320,000
How else can you check your council tax?
With the official site down, people can also look on their local council website, which should lay out where properties fall based on their overall value. They can also do so by looking through emails or letters containing their council tax bills, which should come complete with a small passage outlining the band in which they fall.
What other bills assistance did the Chancellor announce?
People who don’t qualify will receive help from other avenues, with the Chancellor also having announced that the cut to VAT on electricity will be extended to July, taking £50 off the annual price cap.
He told the Commons: “In the first week of this new Government, we took VAT off electricity for 29 million households, today I’m extending that VAT cut through the winter and spring to July, taking £50 off the annual price cap. For business, our new British industrial competitiveness scheme will take 25% off electricity bills for 10,000 firms at the heart of British industry.
“It will go live in April, and I confirm that we will make backdated payments for energy costs this year too.”
