(Title Image: Wales Online)
The Welsh Government have announced that, following a public consultation, people will no longer be sent to prison for non-payment of Council Tax from April 2019.
“The payment of council tax is vital to maintaining the local services which we all rely upon every day. However, it is also right that those who are less able to contribute are treated fairly and with dignity. The sanction of imprisonment is an outdated and disproportionate response to a civil debt issue.”
– Finance Secretary, Mark Drakeford (Lab, Cardiff West)
The proposal to abolish prison terms for non-payment was backed by 84% of individuals and 11 of 14 local authorities who responded to the consultation. In 2016-17, around 20 people from Wales were jailed for non-payment.
