Cheshire East Council residents can now view their Council Tax and Business Rates bills 24/7.
If you are a person or business liable to pay Council Tax or Business Rates, a Citizen's Account lets you view your accounts and bills online, whilst landlords can access information about Housing Benefit payments made to them in respect of tenants. You also get email notification when bills are issued.
Depending on which service you access, you will be able to view: a full statement of account; a list of your payments; the instalments to be paid; discount or exemption details and an Adobe PDF formatted version of your bills.
Councillor Peter Raynes, Cheshire East Council Cabinet member in charge of finance, said: "This is an excellent online service that does away with the hassle and extra cost of paper bills and lets people see their accounts 24/7 and take more control.
"Using the online service is quick, convenient and costs the Council and Council Tax payers far less to administer. Not only that, but if you sign up by May 31, you have a chance of winning a state-of-the-art iPad tablet.
"As a Council our revenues department receives more than 8,000 telephone queries and another 9,000 written communications each month. We also send around 350,000 paper bills and 60,000 reminders each year – with 18,000 court summonses issued.
"Going online will help make communication, simpler, faster and more cost effective. The average face-to-face revenues transaction costs the Council £7.40 – while web transactions cost us just 32p. Going online is clearly the way forward for the benefit of all taxpayers. I would urge all Council Tax payers to register to start saving time and hassle!"
To start your Citizen's Account register online at: www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/citizensaccount
Residents who apply to join the service by May 31 will be automatically entered into a prize draw with the chance to win an Apple iPad.
Comments
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“Going online is clearly the way forward for the benefit of all taxpayers.” ALL taxpayers? As they no longer offer council tax benefit to residents claiming benefits (poor and/or disabled residents) I fail to see how ‘going online’ will benefit them.
This is on top of the “bedroom tax” that many residents on benefits will now have to pay, they will need so much more money to cover their rent and now their council tax. These are people on the breadline already.
What’s my prediction? This year there will be many more than “18,000 court summonses issued” last year.
I meant to say that the reduced Council Tax exempt time for all landlords with temporarily empty properties when tenants have vacated and property needs renovating, will prob mean monthly rents will increase and more tenants will default on rent.
The Local Housing Allowance (HB) payable to private tenants has been based on the number of bedrooms legally required, for the last 2(?) years.
So many changes came into effect today that no-one can foresee all the ramifications, but those who could barely afford it yesterday are going to find it much harder tomorrow.