Quote:
Originally Posted by SnoopZ
I find the way they do it in Scotland very strange.
How much is your monthly water bill including sewage if it's listed separately on your council tax bill?
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The charging system in Scotland is more similar to England and Wales than you might think.
If you don’t have a water meter in England your bill is based on rateable value. If you don’t have a water meter in Scotland (and very few do) your bill is based on council tax bands. Council tax valuation and rateable value are just two different ways of valuing your property. Council tax bands are derived from a sale valuation while rates are (more or less) an estimate of your property’s rental value.
AFAIK the difference is because water in England and wales was privatised before council tax was introduced, so rates were the only figure available for charging based on property value. In Scotland water is not privatised and bills are collected by councils on the council tax bill, so they have to use council tax as a the basis for the water bill.