Council Tax Single Discount Review

Gwynedd Council will shortly be carrying out a review to ensure that only those households who are entitled to a Council Tax single discount receive a 25% reduction in the amount they pay. This is a regular exercise, with a similar exercise carried out during 2014. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

At present, almost 18,000 Gwynedd households are in receipt of a 25% Council Tax discount which is awarded when there is only one adult living at a property. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

In order to ensure that all discounts awarded are correct, Gwynedd Council will be working with Datatank, a leading service provider who specialise in these types of reviews. The review will confirm the discount for genuine claimants and identify those people who are claiming a 25% single persons discount on their Council Tax when they are not entitled to it. Where incorrect claims are identified, the Council will be ending the claims and seeking to reclaim the discount received. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Councillor Peredur Jenkins, Gwynedd Council Cabinet member for Resources said: ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“We believe that most Council Tax discounts are claimed honestly and legitimately. Sadly not all of the claims made are genuine and some people are receiving undue reductions in Council Tax. Like a number of other councils, Gwynedd is about to carry out a review of all single person discounts in the county to confirm the validity of claims and identify those claims that appear unfounded, or have been made falsely. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“As a Council, we intend to ensure that those people who receive a Council Tax discount have a genuine right to receive it. It is a legal requirement for taxpayers to tell us if they believe they no longer qualify for a discount. We will amend any records found to be incorrect back to the date of the change, so that householders will not benefit from withholding information from the Council, in order to make the system fair for everyone. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Whilst we want to ensure that nobody is receiving a reduction when they are not entitled to it, Gwynedd Council remains committed to ensuring that anyone who is entitled to a discount does receive it. We would therefore urge anyone who believes that they could be eligible to receive a reduction to contact the Council’s Taxation Service.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The Council would urge any Gwynedd resident who believes that they qualify for a discount or exemption in their Council Tax bill to contact the Council’s Taxation Service on 01286 682700 or email: trethcyngor@gwynedd.llyw.cymru ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​