Categories: uncategorized
Date: 14 March 2006 21:52:13
Open your Council Tax bill. After glancing at the bill itself, flick through the accompanying information booklet. Find the table of valuation bands (the rate of Council Tax payable depends on the value of the property you live in). See the rate payable at the value you saw a similar flat next door on sale for a couple of months ago. Think 'noooo!' and plan hysterical phone call to council offices to ask them if they have any idea what London property (and rental) prices are in comparison with London wages. Then read the note at the top of the table
and discover that the bandings are based on the valuation in 1991, and so you are in a banding fairly near the bottom. Calm down and find yourself rejoicing for a moment that house prices have gone up around fourfold in the last 15 years. Then figure out that your salary has only gone up around twofold.
Why was I at home at 10am when the post arrived you ask? Well, you don't ask since you didn't know till I told you, but hey. Because I was off to the dentist later this morning, following a rather alarming falling-apart of one of my corner teeth last week (up till now, I didn't have a filling to my name and had not had any dental treatment, apart from being scoured by the hygienist, for as long as I can remember). I'd already had an x-ray taken, after which the dentist uttered the scary words 'root canal' (and 'estimated cost', also scary, what have you done to the NHS, Mrs Thatcher, Mr Major and, dammit, Mr Blair?).
Well, I survived the dentist! In fact she kept asking me if it hurt, and I kept making a negative kind of grunt such as you do when one side of your face is numb, but I really hardly felt a thing. I still have a hole in my tooth, but it is filled with a temporary dressing (which tastes rather medicated, but it could be worse), and I have to go back to the dentist on Wednesday for the filling. The hole which is to come in my wallet is just short of three figures, less than I was afraid it would be. So, bit of a result I think.