Closed petition Abolish Council Tax for State Pensioners
We want the Government to abolish Council Tax for everyone in receipt of the State Pension.
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After a lifetime of paying tax, National Insurance is abolished at retirement age. We believe Council Tax should also be abolished at Retirement.
Some pensioners have to spend around 30% of their State Pension on council tax, which can be an enormous outgoing.
This petition is closed All petitions run for 6 months
Government responded
This response was given on 27 April 2023
The Government requires each council to have a council tax support scheme in place under which low income pensioners receive council tax discounts of up to 100%.
The paying of tax is a necessary part of society – one that ensures that the state can support the most vulnerable, educate our children, support our health service, and look after those who have worked for a lifetime. Our aspiration as a Government is to keep tax as low as possible – but we do acknowledge its necessity.
Pensions acknowledge the important contribution that older people have made to our country for many decades. At the same time, pensioners still use many of the services provided by local authorities – from bin collection, to highways, to, in some circumstances, adult social care. We believe it reasonable that those who can pay do so for these services, as part of the social contract that binds our society together.
Council tax support is available for households in financial hardship, and for low income pensioners a discount of up to 100% discount is available. A 100% reduction is provided for all households that receive pension guarantee credit.
Since 2010, the Government’s commitment to the triple lock has ensured that the state pension rises annually in line with earnings, prices, or 2.5%, whichever is the highest. As a result, the New State Pension is over £10,000 per year, and the Basic State Pension is over £3,000 higher per year than in 2010.
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities