Polanski demanded Farage to quit over tax now he faces probe calls | UK | News
Calls for a police investigation into Zack Polanski are growing after the Green Party leader admitted failing to pay council tax on the east London houseboat where he lives and both Labor and the Conservatives lodged a formal complaint with City Hall’s standards watchdog.
His admission, in which he described the non-payment as an “inadvertent mistake” and promised that any debts would be paid, immediately led to accusations of hypocrisy from political rivals.
Labour’s Anna Turley escalated the issue on Tuesday, lodging a formal complaint at City Hall and raising the question of whether Polanski had committed a crime as a sitting Councilor by not disclosing his council tax position.
The letter states: “Mr. Polanski appears to have failed to comply with the provisions of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 while holding elected office as a Councilor.”
Council Conservative leader Neil Garratt reportedly said: “Zack had a lot to say about other people not paying taxes, but now it looks like he’s voting on Londoners’ council tax bills without paying his own taxes.
“No politician, no matter how good an actor he is or how ignorant he is of the law, is above the law. His story continues to change, but if he did break the law then City officials should report him to the police and Scotland Yard investigate, because the public will want answers.”
The Express understands that City Hall acknowledged that the complaint had been forwarded to the monitoring officer but declined to comment further, citing the legal sensitivity of the matter.
What evidence connects Polanski to the houseboat that was his primary residence?
Public records show Polanski was registered to vote at the marina address, used the address to pick up his mail, and had laundry regularly collected from the ship, the Daily Mail reported.
His partner described the barge as their “wonderful home” in posts over three years, and the party acknowledged that Polanski lived on the ship until “relatively recently.”
Under government rules, council tax is payable when a boat becomes someone’s main home, but Polanski’s boat has no registration with the marina. Dan Neidle of Tax Policy Associates calculated the liability at roughly £4,000 over three years, based on a Band A rating for the boat and mooring.
Green Party-run Waltham Forest council said it had “carried out assessments and taken legal advice” and was “working with Mr Polanski’s team” to establish the facts.
Where does Zack Polanski live now?
Since vacating his houseboat, Polanski has been living in a five-bedroom Hackney property worth around £2 million owned by Alastair Binnie-Lubbock, co-leader of the Green group in Hackney and grandson of the late Liberal Democrat Lord Avebury, the Times reported on Tuesday.
Why is Polanski called a hypocrite?
The damage was deepened further by his own record – Polanski had previously called for Farage’s resignation over tax and praised Rayner for backing down on the stamp duty debate.
Walthamstow Labor MP Stella Creasy said: “The good taxpayers of Walthamstow will be refunded money owed if the Green leader admits he has failed to pay council tax here, but I hope Mr Polanski has also taken advice on the impact of a GLA member not paying the GLA rule for three years.”
Tory leader Kevin Hollinrake said: “This is shocking hypocrisy from Zack Polanski. A man who wanted to raise taxes on millions of people failed to pay his own council tax properly.”
A Green Party spokesman said: “Until relatively recently, Zack lived on a houseboat, which came with its own set of practical circumstances and considerations. He immediately took the necessary steps to pay the council tax he was found to owe. Zack sincerely apologizes for this inadvertent error.”
A Waltham Forest spokesman said: “We are working with Mr Polanski’s team to establish the full picture, at which point we will be able to determine whether any council tax is owed to Waltham Forest.”
