News / Poll tax arrears
SHETLAND Islands Council has confirmed that it has no outstanding poll tax debts on its books because they were written off more than ten years ago.
Earlier this week, the Scottish government announced they would legislate to stop councils pursuing people with historic poll tax debts.
The move came amid calls for the electoral register – currently at record high levels as a result of the independence referendum – not be used to identify and pursue poll tax arrears.
An SIC spokesman said on Friday that the local authority had no such plans because there were no poll tax debts left on its books.
The community charge was first introduced in Scotland in 1989 and, following unprecedented protests, was abolished four years later in 1993.
During that four year period a net amount of £7.6 million was levied in Shetland.
The spokesman said: “Shetland Islands Council currently has no outstanding debts from the community charge, known popularly as the ‘poll tax’.
“By 1 April 2004, the residual outstanding balance was written off.
“The total sum from the four year period that was written off was approx. £225,000, amounting to approximately three per cent of the overall sum levied.”
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