Council Tax

Stockton High StreetTo pay your Council Tax online click here to be redirected to our online payments page

An Overview

The 1992 Local Government Finance Act introduced Council Tax from the 1st April 1993; it replaced Community Charge or Poll Tax, as it was more commonly known. The tax has both a property and personal element which, are used to determine the correct council tax charge.

The council tax is based on a 50% property element and 50% personal element which means that not every property and every person is subject to the tax.

A billing authority for example Stockton Borough Council is responsible for the setting, levy, collection and recovery of the council tax. Generally the bigger the property is, the more tax will be charged.

Council Tax is collected in the Stockton area in order to pay for the services provided throughout the borough as a whole. Council Tax is levied to pay for many services including the police and fire services, education, social services, libraries, refuse collection, development and regeneration, leisure facilities and environmental matters.

The council tax includes separate elements of the charge to pay for the fire and policing functions and for individual parish charges. These are detailed separately on the council tax bill.