Council tax woman, 85, risks jail

Council tax woman, 85, risks jail

Beryl Pearce has four grandchildren and a great-grandchild on the way

A former RAF nurse protesting against "unfair" council tax bills for older people says she is prepared for jail.

Beryl Pearce, 85, has refused to pay two months of her annual £941 bill and owes Test Valley Borough Council £145.

The Hampshire grandmother, a nursing orderly during Word War II, believes the government has ignored calls to make the tax fairer for the elderly.

Mrs Pearce, who will go before Andover Magistrates Court on Tuesday, said: "It's a case of heat or eat."

I'm not really worried about prison, I have been through worse things in my life Grandmother Beryl Pearce

The mother-of-two, from Andover, who will be 86 next month, said: "We have had petitions to Parliament, marches. They have taken absolutely no notice.

"With the prisons being full - there's a lot of us doing this - they will have a problem and will have to think about what they are doing.

"I think it really is unfair. We are all paying the same for accommodation, for people on a pension it's a struggle.

"It's a case of heat or eat - where's the justice in that?

"I have worked since I was 14 and I have served my country.

"I have nursed in old people's homes since the war."

'Custodial sentence'

The widow, who has four grandchildren and a great-grandchild on the way, added: "I'm not really worried about prison.

[Barrie's comment: Thugs, bullies and criminals are given community service orders - some are going to be released early to free up the jails - presumably so that we can lock up 85 year old grandmothers.]

"I have been through worse things in my life.

"I'm not worried about going to jail. I think it would only be for a month.

"Some people are rich and it's a small amount they are having to pay out of their income, and yet a little old lady is paying nearly all her income in tax."

Test Valley Borough Council is seeking a liability order to give it additional powers to pursue the debt.

A council spokeswoman said: "A custodial sentence is a last resort and we would hope to resolve it before it got to that stage." Barrie runs the parking ticket appeal website AppealNow.com™
Remember you can fight back against illegally issued parking tickets.
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© 2006 & 2007 Barrie Segal - All Rights reserved

Barrie Segal is the founder of AppealNow.com™ and is a regular radio broadcaster in the UK.
Barrie is the author of The Parking Ticket Awards: Crazy Councils, Meter Madness and Traffic Warden Hell publishing date 1st August 2007 - click on the title to order

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