COUNCIL tax shirkers are being warned that Luton Borough Council is “coming down hard on those who choose not to pay”.
The authority currently has a council tax debt of more than £17.5 million, and says it is “completely focused on identifying and maximising the recovery of council tax debt”.
It even has a team dedicated solely to collecting older debt, but says some of this cash may be simply unobtainable.
A spokesman said: “The council tax debt we currently have goes back to 1993 and the older the debt is the more difficult it is to trace and recover because the individuals liable have often moved out of the area or have died.
“So we are initially focussing on the debt that is more readily recovered.”
A report going before the council’s executive on Monday (December 12) says that while efforts must be made to collect unpaid tax, the council does not wish to target those who genuinely cannot pay and should be provided with support.
In the past three years the authority has upped its collection rate from 93.8 per cent to 96 per cent, an all time high.
Deputy council leader Robin Harris said: “This is a great success story as we can truly demonstrate that the council is making inroads into its council tax collection.
“The income that the council raises from council tax is crucial for the delivery of services so we have absolutely no tolerance for, and will pursue, anyone who simply refuses to pay.
“At the same time we understand that some people are in real financial difficulty so we encourage anyone in this situation to get in touch with us early so we can help them to manage their council tax responsibilities.”