Street stalls are being held in working class areas to encourage withholding of Council Tax payments. Already thousands of people in Nottingham have not been paying because they simply cannot afford it. Anti-Austerity Action are encouraging more people to join in the protest We aim to set up neighbourhood groups so that refuseniks can give each other mutual help and support as well as spreading the action. Demos and petitions have failed to stop the cuts. The time has come for direct action. Cancel your Council Tax payments today and start the campaign in your area!

Here is the text of our initial leaflet:

OPPOSE CUTS, DON’T PAY COUNCIL TAX!

For the third year running local councils are making big cuts in services provided for local people.. It is vulnerable people on low incomes who are hardest hit. At the same time some local authorities, such as Nottingham City Council, are raising Council Tax payments. We are asked to pay more for less. What is more, there will be further large cuts in local services for at least the next two years.

At the same time, Council Tax Benefit to help people on low incomes is being severely cut and the new “Bedroom Tax” for people on benefits brings further deprivation and disruption for the less fortunate in our society.

ROBBING THE POOR TO PAY THE RICH

The Coalition Government are forcing ordinary people to pay the massive debts run up by the banks. At the same time as the bankers’ enormous salaries and bonuses carry on, the majority of us are struggling to cope on falling real incomes. This Con-Dem Government of public school parasites does what is good for the rich at the expense of the poor.

As for local councils, such as Nottingham City Council, they have refused to defend the people who elected them and have limply imposed massive cuts in local services. Experience has shown that the usual methods of protest, such as petitions, have no real effect on both national and local government. The time has come to step up the struggle against the cuts.

CAN’T PAY, WON’T PAY

Already, thousands of people in the Nottingham area have been falling behind with their Council Tax payments. Faced with falling incomes and rising prices they simply can’t afford to pay. More people are going to find themselves in this situation. This means that local councils have even less money to maintain local services.

Twenty odd years ago the Tory Government brought in the unjust Poll Tax, an earlier attempt to benefit the rich at the expense of the poor. Millions of people refused to pay and the Government had to abandon this measure. It helped bring about the fall of detested Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

PEOPLE POWER

We can do it again!. If more and more of us withhold our Council Tax payments it will create a funding crisis for local councils and undermine the authority of the Coalition Government. The more of us who take this action, the more difficult it will be for them to get back at us. United in action we can get rid of this oppressive government and their lackeys on local councils.

STAND UP FOR YOURSELVES,

STOP YOUR COUNCIL TAX PAYMENTS NOW!

ANTI-AUSTERITY ACTION

Link up with other refuseniks for mutual support and to push forward the struggle against cuts at:  antiausterity@talktalk.net