Council tax dodger jailed

8 February 2011, 16:23 | Updated: 18 February 2011, 14:57

A man from Hanslope was sent to prison for 22 days at Milton Keynes Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, February 3 after six years of dodging paying his council tax.

Mark Arnold, 41, of 6 Vicarage Park Road, Hanslope, had failed to pay arrears totalling £5,741.07 from two properties going back to 2004 and was sent to prison for non-payment of Council Tax under regulations of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

The court heard how, despite numerous attempts by Milton Keynes Council to make arrangements for him to make payments easier, he had never paid any money towards his council tax without legal action being taken.

In April last year he was ordered to pay £200.00 per month but failed to maintain the payments.
 
The Magistrates found at committal proceedings on Thursday that he had neglected to give sufficient priority to payment of his Council Tax in relation to his other bills.  They sent him to prison for 22 days.

A council spokesman said: “The Council does not take this action lightly but where people choose not to pay their Council Tax the Council will use the powers given by the legislation to enforce payment.

“The vast majority of Council Taxpayers pay their Council tax each and every month and it is not fair on everyone who pays whatever their circumstances if others do not pay on time.

“It is really important that people contact us immediately they start to find themselves in debt – we may be able to help them -  but if they don’t get in touch we can’t help them.”