Friday, June 13, 2008

Families face £1,000 'bedroom tax' before councils give permission to extend homes

Source: The Daily Mail
 

Homeowners who want to build extensions on their houses are being charged £1,000 per room by council planners.

The charges - dubbed a 'bedroom tax' - must be paid before town halls give permission for home improvements.
The officials behind the scheme justify it by saying the money is needed to maintain public transport and roads.
But last night critics said it is unfair to further penalise homeowners already struggling under soaring council tax bills.
The charges were trialled in the village of Purbeck in Dorset and may be copied by cash-strapped councils across Britain.

The 'bedroom tax' has been brought in under laws which allow councils to ask for money from developers such as supermarkets in return for granting them planning permission.

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