Loan sharks and council taxes

I can't really say much more than what pumpkin said, I do agree with you and with her. I've had several problems with our local council and the council tax. I didn't go to a loan shark, I went to 'Provident', although I think a loan shark might have been cheaper. So basically I got a loan to pay off the council tax that I couldn't afford to pay. The annoying thing about the council tax is that you're always paying in advance, which is something not many people seem to realise so I don't see how they can say we're in arrears with it when the year hasn't even ended yet. It doesn't make any sense, but then again, what government deparments do?

Here, here to that. The council trying to prevent loansharks operating would be like a credit card company trying to stop people using banks. It's ridiculous. The council themselves are far worse than many loan sharks and, youare right, it is almost always down to problems with the council which result in people having to go to loan sharks. I've just had a court summonds because I haven't paid my council tax. Now, I'm not going to go to a loan shark but it would be the only way of paying the money. The council do make things difficult for low income families. We've tried everything from applying for benefit (which was turned down because the council think we have more money than we actually do) to trying to tell the council that we don't have the money (which they obviously don't understand because they just ask for more and more) so what choices are there? If the council want to stop loan sharks operating then maybe the council should be stopped from operating or at least from trying to squeeze blood from a stone, If the council would accept that people can not pay them if they are to be able to pay their proper bills then this would, no doubt, reduce the necessity for use of loan sharks.