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Local Government: Debt Collection

Volume 495: debated on Wednesday 8 July 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much and what proportion of the absolute monetary value of each local authority's net collectable debt has not been collected in each year since 1997-98. (283775)

Details of the amount of council tax and national non-domestic rates uncollected in cash terms in England in each year since 1997-98 are shown in £ millions in the following table. The data relate to the non-collection of council tax and national non-domestic rates within the year to which it relates. The table also shows the amount of uncollected council tax and national non-domestic rates as a proportion of the total amount of council tax and national non-domestic local authorities expected to collect if every taxpayer paid the full amount for which they are liable after discounts and benefit.

Council tax not collected within year (£ million)

Council tax not collected as percentage of net collectible debit

National non-domestic rates not collected within year (£ million)

National non-domestic rates not collected as percentage of net collectible debt

1997-98

428

4.5

394

3.4

1998-99

463

4.4

387

3.3

1999-2000

501

4.4

350

2.8

2000-01

517

4.2

352

2.6

2001-02

518

3.9

316

2.1

2002-03

531

3.6

281

1.9

2003-04

582

3.5

266

1.7

2004-05

590

3.4

249

1.7

2005-06

592

3.2

269

1.6

2006-07

613

3.1

229

1.3

2007-08

601

2.9

215

1.2

2008-09

636

3.0

423

2.2

Collection of council tax and national non-domestic rates continues once the financial year to which the tax relates has ended. This means that the final amount uncollected is somewhere between the figures shown here and zero.

The data are derived from data reported on QRC4 forms submitted annually by all billing authorities to Communities and Local Government and its predecessor Departments.