British Government To Use Space Satellites To Track Home Improvements

"Nonsense"? Must be nice to have been so blissfully unaware of what was a notable, ubiquitous practice ... or else you just lived in a more genteel town than Hounslow in the mid 60's.

He is talking about the property taxes for the house, not the price paid for the house.

Brian Elfert

AIUI some US states are even worse with families on hard times being thrown onto the street and having their homes seized by the state for taxes.

In this country I've always advocated a local income tax collected through general taxation and distributed to LAs under a formula based on voter numbers and area. Property taxation should only happen when the property changes hands either at sale or inheritance.

However, only today I read in our local shopper that due to an alleged mix up over a missed payment in 2003, a woman has been threatened with the bailiffs, or even prison. Threats which we know that local councils are not averse to carrying out, as a couple of elderly pensioners who have recently wound up in prison have found out.

Go to Google and type the URL into the search box. One of the options you'll get is Google's archived copy. It's intact for this page.

Thanks for that. /cynical mode on I can see why the account was suspended. /cynical mode off

Heard a lady adamantly claim she was censored on CSPAN by a convienently placed EAS broadcast. She was railing against Bush at the time and we all know Colin Powell's son was head of the FCC. Coincidence? I think not. She was obviously silenced.

Blissfully unaware, my foot! It has NEVER been REQUIRED to display a TV licence as you stated. A few people might have done it where you lived, but I can't comment on that. I checked with my 91-year-old mother and she confirmed my recollections. We lived in a few different areas in the 40s, 50s and 60s so it was nothing to do with where *I* lived.

LOL ... first it "NEVER" happened, then a "few might have done it", but, obviously being the know-it-all you make yourself out to be, you "comment" anyway, even after professing that you can't?

I made it up just to aggravate you, you reckon?

What's wrong with you? Your first post said one "had to have" a TV licence displayed. This implies legal requirement. When I refuted this you said a few people in your street did it. I said I can't argue with that. Can't you tell the difference?

I don't make myself out to be any sort of authority, but I've lived in England for almost all of my 65 years and I would know if there had ever been any such requirement - there hasn't. I lived in the USA for a year (1970) but I wouldn't presume to argue with an American about what was and what wasn't the norm in that country.

Eh? ... It was _you_ who said that.

You also mentioned something about your "foot" ... removing it from your mouth will begin your path to a more enlightened and humble existence by learning to read before "commenting", particularly since you've already admitted to not being qualified to do so.

Then quit doing so.

OK, I think I've realised the source of your confusion. All motor vehicles are subject to an annual tax, variously called the road tax or the vehicle licence. Proof of payment is a paper disk, about 4 inches in diameter, which has to be clearly displayed in the vehicle's windscreen. Is this your "front window"?