What is council tax?

Council tax explained

The council tax is a locally set tax that is payable on all domestic property. In Hertsmere we have over 40,000 domestic properties raising over £67 million to be collected in the current financial year.

The tax helps pay for local services such as schools, libraries, police, fire and rubbish collections. The full amount of tax that is to be paid is based on two factors:

• The property value, and 
• The assumption that there are two or more adults in residence (aged over 18)

There are eight bands of property values (A to H) and the tax incurred by each property increases in increments from band A to band H.

In certain circumstances the amount of tax payable may be reduced. An explanation of how the council tax bill may be reduced can be found under the Discounts and Exemptions section of the council tax web pages.

Find out how your money is spent by downloading your council tax 2010-2011 .