Mr Blair is expected to signal a compromise on the time limit when he tries to shore up his battered authority at a meeting of the parliamentary Labour Party tonight. Tony Blair will accept today that he cannot force through plans to hold suspected terrorists in detention for 90 days without charge. She said there were"value significance codes" covering 66 features and the Government had spent £45m on a computer system for the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), which carries out revaluations.The Government this year postponed a revaluation due to take effect in 2007 because it feared a backlash over higher council tax bills. MPs will be asked to approve a Bill today to delay revaluation. A spokeswoman for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister said: "The VOA's good work will provide a firm foundation on which to build.". The with-profit struggles have put paid to that sentiment.If you need help from our consumer champion, write to Sindie at The Independent on Sunday, Independent House, 191 Marsh Wall, London E14 9RS or email sindie independent.co.uk. We cannot return documents, give personal replies or guarantee to answer letters We accept no legal responsibility for advice given..
The number of people caught in the inheritance tax (IHT) trap will rise by more than two-thirds by 2009, research suggests. According to the accountancy firm Grant Thornton and the consultancy Lombard Street Research, 2.1 million people currently have homes, savings and other investments that, when totted up, push them over the current £275,000 IHT threshold. This is the level at which the tax would become payable on their estate after their death. Over the next four years, Grant Thornton and Lombard Street predict this number will rise to 3.6 million. Views over hills, the sea or a golf course could lead to higher council tax bills. Officials preparing the ground for the revaluation exercise have been told to gather data on whether homes have views, roof terraces and large patios. Caroline Spelman, the Conservative local government spokesman, who uncovered the documents from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, accused the Government of preparing a stealth tax on the middle classes by targeting homes in the most attractive areas.
The estate agents' adage of location, location, location could mean tax, tax, tax under changes for the revaluation of council tax across the country. it is what they have asked us to do as they battle to prevent further terrorist outrages after the July 7 attack.". "It is what the most senior police officers in the country, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, the head of anti-terrorist policing, the Association of Chief Police Officers... Last week we remembered the dead and injured at St Paul's Cathedral.