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Council tax woman, 85, risks jail | Council tax woman, 85, risks jail |
(about 11 hours later) | |
A former RAF nurse protesting against "unfair" council tax bills for older people says she is prepared for jail. | A former RAF nurse protesting against "unfair" council tax bills for older people says she is prepared for jail. |
Beryl Pearce, 85, has refused to pay two months of her annual £941 bill and owes Test Valley Borough Council £86. | |
Mrs Pearce was summoned to Andover Magistrates' Court on Tuesday where the council was granted a liability order. | |
The order gives extra powers to the council to pursue the debt. But the grandmother remained adamant. "It's a case of heat or eat," she said. | |
I'm not really worried about prison, I have been through worse things in my life Grandmother Beryl Pearce | I'm not really worried about prison, I have been through worse things in my life Grandmother Beryl Pearce |
Mrs Pearce, a nursing orderly during Word War II, believes the government has ignored calls to make the tax fairer for the elderly. | |
The mother-of-two, from Andover, who will be 86 next month, said: "We have had petitions to parliament, marches. They have taken absolutely no notice. | |
"With the prisons being full - there's a lot of us doing this - they will have a problem and will have to think about what they are doing. | "With the prisons being full - there's a lot of us doing this - they will have a problem and will have to think about what they are doing. |
"I think it really is unfair. We are all paying the same for accommodation, for people on a pension it's a struggle. | "I think it really is unfair. We are all paying the same for accommodation, for people on a pension it's a struggle. |
"It's a case of heat or eat - where's the justice in that? | "It's a case of heat or eat - where's the justice in that? |
"I have worked since I was 14 and I have served my country. I have nursed in old people's homes since the war." | |
'Custodial sentence' | 'Custodial sentence' |
The widow, who has four grandchildren and a great-grandchild on the way, added: "I'm not really worried about prison. | The widow, who has four grandchildren and a great-grandchild on the way, added: "I'm not really worried about prison. |
"I have been through worse things in my life. | "I have been through worse things in my life. |
"I'm not worried about going to jail. I think it would only be for a month. | "I'm not worried about going to jail. I think it would only be for a month. |
"Some people are rich and it's a small amount they are having to pay out of their income, and yet a little old lady is paying nearly all her income in tax." | "Some people are rich and it's a small amount they are having to pay out of their income, and yet a little old lady is paying nearly all her income in tax." |
A council spokeswoman said: "A custodial sentence is a last resort and we would hope to resolve it before it got to that stage." | A council spokeswoman said: "A custodial sentence is a last resort and we would hope to resolve it before it got to that stage." |
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