Defence Secretary John Healey underpaid tax on second home after council ‘error’
Defense Secretary John Healey has admitted he does not pay enough council tax on his London home.
Mr Healey underpaid nearly £1,500 in tax due under the second home tax surcharge introduced in April. Telegram reported.
According to the newspaper, he should have been paying around £3,000 a year to Westminster City Council for a house he was renting, but he only paid half that amount and corrected the error after being consulted about it on Thursday.
He dismissed it as an “administrative error” by the local authority, which admitted it had issued an incorrect tax return and apologized for the oversight.
A spokesman for the Defense Secretary said the error lay with local authorities and that Mr Healey had “fulfilled all his obligations” by declaring the flat a second home in relevant paperwork when he moved in.
All council tax owed, including second home surcharge, has been paid.
MPs representing constituencies outside London can claim the costs of renting a second home, including council tax and other relevant costs.
Mr Healey is the MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough in South Yorkshire.
A source close to the cabinet minister said he paid the notice sent to him in good faith.
A spokesman for Mr Healey said: “The Secretary of State met all his obligations as a tenant by notifying Westminster Council of the tenancy’s second home status on the council tax registration form when the tenancy commenced.
“Westminster Council made an administrative error in not classifying this as a second home for council tax purposes, leading to an incorrect council tax notice being issued.
“The council acknowledged the error and apologized for the error.”
A Westminster City Council spokesman said: “The Secretary of State completed the form correctly and recorded the address as a second home.
“The council was careless and did not register it as a second home. This led to the incorrect council tax notice being issued. We apologize for the mistake.”
