Press
Council Tax dodgers face bankruptcy
By Nicolette Botbol
Date: 25-Jun-2007
A local council has warned that home owners who dodge Council Tax bills could be made bankrupt.
Vale Royal Borough Council has issued a bankruptcy order in Crewe County Court against a resident from Lostock Gralam after his Council Tax avoidance amounted to £5,472.45.
The council is also filing for bankruptcy in two further cases where residents have failed to make payments.
Keith Musgrave, councillor for business management at Vale Royal Borough Council, says: "Facing bank- ruptcy is not a good position to be in. It makes it difficult to get future mortgages or loans of any sort."
James Carter, principal at Independent James, says: "If someone refuses to pay their Council Tax I think the punishment should fit the crime.
"But bankruptcy will affect their credit history and increase the costs of getting a mortgage dramatically."