How You Can Help the Campaign

Independent surveys have shown that up to 90% of those questioned want Council Tax replaced by an income-related tax. If you are new to the Isitfair campaign you will soon find many other people who share your view that Council Tax is a grossly unfair tax and should be scrapped. As you will see, there are so many different ways in which you can help the campaign, and it costs nothing to join.

Many campaigners have decided to fight the battle against this iniquitous tax by their steadfast refusal to pay the inflation-busting increases that have been imposed over recent years. Their personal battles, many of which have involved Court action, have raised the profile of the campaign against the unfairness of Council Tax. Also, in January 2005 the petition presented to the European Parliament by Isitfair campaigners was a success. The UK Council Tax protest will now go forward to the European Committee on Social Affairs.

We are indebted to the many people who continue to campaign and work so hard in support of Isitfair's main aim - to get the existing system of Council Tax scrapped. Taxation to pay for local services should be related to everyone's income - the services are used by the people, not by the properties.

So what can YOU do to help the campaign?

EVERYONE can help, and YOUR own actions will make a difference.
It doesn't have to be time consuming - you can do as much as you feel you want to.
The many and varied ways in which you can help are listed below.

• LOBBY YOUR MP. Lobbying your MP is the most important thing you can do. There will soon be a general election and your MP will be hoping that he / she can count on your vote. Scrapping Council Tax will require legislation, and therefore the support of the majority of MP's. For this reason it is particularly important to raise the issue with your MP and ask for his / her support. If you are unsure of your MP's contact details, look at Contact Your MP.

  You may already know exactly what you want to say to your MP. If not, here are a few guidelines that may be of some help:
  
  

• Ensure that "Council Tax" appears in the subject line of your letter or email.
  
  
• You could start with something like "I wish to complain about ....." or "I wish to draw your attention to ......"
  
  
• Ensure you ask one or more questions, e.g. "What do you consider to be a reasonable percentage of income that anyone should have to pay in Council Tax?", or "What are you going to do to ensure there is a fairer system of taxation to pay for local services?", or "How do you justify a tax for local services that bears no relationship to your income?", or "How do you justify Council Tax more than doubling since 1995?" etc.
  
  
• Ask if they believe in fair taxation. "Are you aware that people can have to pay up to 30% of their income in Council Tax. How can that be a fair tax - what are you going to do about it?"
  
  
• Ask about their policy & plans, e.g. "Are you satisfied that a tax based on property value is a fair basis to pay for local services - if not, what are you going to do about it?"
  
  
• Draw attention to the inflation-busting increases that you have been obliged to pay over recent years.
  
  
• You may wish to include information about your personal circumstances, such as "My Council Tax is now ..% of my income" or "I now pay more Council Tax (£xxx) than Income tax (£yyy)" or "How can you justify people having to pay more in Council Tax than in Income Tax?"
  
  
• If you're in Wales, draw attention to the effects of the property rebanding exercise.
  
  
• Ask for a reply, e.g. "I look forward to receiving your reply"

Remember that it is important to ASK QUESTIONS AND ASK FOR A REPLY.

WHEN YOU RECEIVE YOUR REPLY - ensure that your questions have been answered to your satisfaction - if not, write again. Be persistent, don't be fobbed off - your MP is your elected representative. Although your questions will have been clear and to the point, the answers you receive, in many cases, will not be.

Be suspicious of their reference to "reform" of Council Tax - the word "reform" has started to become politician-speak for retaining the existing system based on property value and just tinkering with it.  The fundamental reason for the unfairness of the present system is that the tax is based on property value, which of course bears no relationship to your income from which you have to pay the tax.

IF YOU'RE NOT SATISFIED. If you believe that your questions and concerns have not been satisfactorily answered by your MP, please contact Christine ( email c@Isitfair.co.uk ).

• WRITE TO THE GOVERNMENT MINISTER.  The Government Minister responsible for Local Government in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) is Phil Woolas. You can email him at phil.woolas@odpm.gsi.gov.uk or write to: Phil Woolas MP, Minister for Local Government, ODPM, Eland House, Bressenden Place, London SW1E 5DU. Phil Woolas' boss is David Miliband david.miliband@odpm.gsi.gov.uk , Minister of Communities and Local Government. David Miliband's boss is John Prescott john.prescott@odpm.gsi.gov.uk , Deputy Prime Minister.
  
  You can, of course, write directly to the Prime Minister, 10 Downing Street, London SW1A 2AA and you may feel better having done so! But you'll get a standard letter of acknowledgment from 10 Downing Street saying that your letter has been forwarded to, and will be dealt with by, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
  
  The Conservative party spokesperson on Local Govt. is Caroline Spelman. You can email her at caroline@carolinespelman.com or write to: Caroline Spelman MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
  
  The Liberal Democrat party spokesperson is Sarah Teather. You can email her at teathers@parliament.uk or write to Sarah Teather MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
   

• CONVERSATION. Everyone can raise awareness of the campaign through day to day conversation. Talk to your family, friends, neighbours, work colleagues, fellow club members, etc about the unfairness of Council Tax. Council Tax is a hot topic and will continue to be so on the run up to the general election. Raise awareness of the campaign at every opportunity - Spread the word - tell them all about the Isitfair Campaign.

• PUBLICITY. Publicise the campaign at every opportunity. Always mention the Isitfair campaign when you speak to people, write to your MP, newspapers and magazines. Mention Isitfair.co.uk so that more people will join the campaign via the website. Display a car sticker, see Web Downloads.

• NEWSPAPERS & MAGAZINES. The letters page of your local newspaper is a good place to let off steam about CT. In doing so you will also encourage other people to get involved in the campaign. Don't be discouraged if your first attempt doesn't get published - keep trying. Look out for other people's letters in your newspapers and send a reply or follow-up. Try writing a protest letter to a national newspaper.

• LOCAL RADIO. Your local radio station may occasionally feature the issue of Council Tax and ask for listeners to phone in. Take part and try to mention Isitfair.

• REGIONAL TV. If you have a good Council Tax story with local interest, contact your regional TV station and ask to speak to a journalist who covers Council Tax items.

• SIGN THE PETITION. Over 85,000 people have signed the Isitfair petition. You can still return completed Isitfair Petition forms to Christine Melsom, Willow Cottage, Church Lane, Headley, Hampshire, GU35 8PJ.
  There is a new online petition which you can sign at Sign The Online Petition.

• JOIN THE MAILING LIST. For the latest Isitfair Campaign news by email you can subscribe to our mailing list.  Join Mailing List

• JOIN THE Isitfair FORUM. If you want to have your say about Council Tax on this website you can join in with the discussions on the User Forum. Anyone can read the discussions, but if you wish to post your own views on any topic, or start a new topic, then you need to register and get a user name. You can find details here on how Register. 

• FORM A LOCAL PROTEST GROUP. There are many Isitfair protest groups around the UK. If you are interested in forming a new group in your area, please contact Christine ( email c@Isitfair.co.uk ) for advice.

• WRITE TO YOUR LOCAL COUNCILLOR if you wish to draw attention to any aspect of the way in which your Council is run, or the manner in which your Council Tax is spent. However, if you want to demand that the present system of Council Tax should be scrapped and be replaced with an income-related tax then you should write to your MP (see above).

• LOCAL COUNCIL MEETINGS. Many Councils hold consultation meetings to invite the views of residents of the Council's budget. You can attend and express your views. You can arrange a "deputation" at your Council meeting to have your say on local Council issues - please contact Christine ( email c@Isitfair.co.uk ) for advice.

• CANCEL YOUR DIRECT DEBIT. Stop paying by Direct Debit, and pay by some other means. Councils prefer everyone to pay by DD because they're in control! You could register your protest by paying in loose change (as has been done by some IIF campaigners) - tell your local newspaper and ask them to cover the story.

• WITHHOLD PAYMENT. If you are considering taking this action please refer to 'to pay or not to pay', 'the legal implications' or 'national pensioners convention'  for further information and the legal implications of doing so.

• DONATE TO Isitfair. The Isitfair campaign is run on a voluntary basis and has no formal funding. The people who are actively involved in running and helping with the campaign freely give their time. If wish to support the campaign by making a donation please see How To Donate.

As you can see there are a variety of ways that everyone can get involved in the Isitfair campaign.

The biggest hurdle to overcome is apathy. People are rightly outraged by the relentless hikes in Council Tax. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of those who feel outraged will actually protest.

DON'T BE ONE OF THE SILENT MAJORITY - join the Isitfair protest against this grossly unfair system of taxation. YOUR actions will make a difference, and you will enjoy getting involved.

Do not assume that your elected representatives have your best interests in mind when they make decisions.

DON'T BE ONE OF THE SILENT MAJORITY - join the Isitfair protest against this grossly unfair system of taxation. YOUR actions will make a difference, and you will enjoy getting involved

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You can help support Isitfair by purchasing an Isitfair tee-shirt. Each costs £10 and all profits go towards campaign costs.  Isitfair envelope stickers are also available for which we ask a small donation or stamps.
E-mail your order or enquiry to: c@Isitfair.co.uk.