Nosing around the criteria for the above refund, I have noticed that for those claiming GPC who would automatically get 100% Council Tax Support (thus nothing to pay) could not have their £150 being sent direct to their bank as they would have no need to have a DD in place.
Then I read that the following:
Getting the money to council taxpayers without direct debit
arrangements takes longer, according to the Local Government Association (LGA),
as councils will need to attempt to contact them about the rebate scheme and
undertake pre-payment checks.
The Independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) warned
that could only be an 80 per cent take up rate among those that do not pay via direct debit.
This is why people were urged to ensure that they switched to
direct debit so that they could be paid as promptly as possible in the weeks
leading up to April.
The Government are seemingly accepting that for that category of people (GPC claimants) only up to 80% will claim the £150.
Given that up to 1.5m are claiming GPC, that would mean that the poorest in society -pensioners living on low income - some 300,000 claimants would not receive this help.
Seems to me that only those pensioners that have a good income thereby not being eligible to claim GPC and pay Council Tax are guaranteed to get the £150.
