Council Tax Penalties

Council Tax penalties are issued for failure to notify or supply information.

We may impose a penalty of £70 where a person:

• fails to notify the Council within 21 days, without reasonable excuse, on any matter which affects entitlement to a Council Tax discount
• fails to notify the Council within 21 days, without reasonable excuse, on any matter which affects entitlement to a Council Tax exemption
• fails to notify the Council within 21 days, without reasonable excuse, on any matter which affects entitlement to a Council Tax reduction
• fails to supply relevant information requested within 21 days in order to establish Council Tax liability
• fails to supply relevant information requested after the issue of a Liability Order has been obtained. Failure to supply could lead to a criminal prosecution and a fine

Where a £70 penalty has already been issued and a further request to supply the same information is made, an additional penalty of £280 may be imposed for each subsequent failure.

Penalties are recovered in the Magistrates Court.

Appeals

If you disagree with a penalty imposed you are encouraged to contact us in the first instance.

Alternatively you can lodge an appeal to the Valuation Tribunal Service within 2 months of the penalty being charged. Further information can be found on the Valuation Tribunal Service website.

Contact us

Email: ctax@southend.gov.uk or complete the General Enquiry form.

Tel: 01702 215001

Please quote your 8 digit Council Tax account number when contacting us.