What are your thoughts on the proposed changes to the council tax payment system?

The government intends to divide council tax bills over a 12-month period by default and lessen the vigor of debt collection

The government is considering new regulations to streamline the billing process, which will affect how Britons pay council tax.

The government says the proposed reforms will "make life easier for working people," and a consultation is currently taking place to get input.

You have the option to pay council tax twelve times a year, but the current regulations allow you to pay it in ten equal monthly installments or in one lump sum.

If the new regulations are implemented, paying council tax in 12 monthly installments instead of 10 will be the default method.

The government claims that this will reduce the monthly cost for a household in council tax band D by 38 per month, but the annual cost of council tax would not go down.

By distributing council tax over a longer time frame, the government hopes to "protect" citizens from defaulting on their payments and lower the possibility that they will face disciplinary action.

Reforms to council tax debt collection might lessen its "aggressive" nature.

Councils currently have the authority to request the entire amount owed for council tax three weeks after you miss a single payment if you are behind on your payments.

If payment has not been received after three more weeks, the council may send bailiffs to collect the debt.

After one installment is missed, Martin Lewis, who has long advocated for a reform of this system, called it "ridiculous" that councils demand payment for a year. "How can people who can't afford to pay for a month, suddenly pay for a year" he put the question.

Lewis went on to say: "Representatives are treated worse than customers, and no commercial lender is permitted to act in this manner.

Nonetheless, the consultation's new regulations may significantly lessen the harshness of the debt collection process for borrowers.

When taxpayers fall behind on their bills, they will have greater protection to prevent their debt from getting worse rather than allowing councils to demand a full year's payment after just one missed installment.

The goal of the consultation is to reduce the amount of time it takes for unpaid debt to be escalated to bailiffs, limit the additional expenses associated with pursuing the debt in court, and facilitate the process for debtors to resume making payments.

Lewis described a number of the council tax system's components as "broken" and expressed his satisfaction that the government "listened and swiftly launched this long-due consultation, including many of the administration areas I hear the most complaints on."

Reevaluating the council tax bands.

The consultation brief also discusses how citizens can ask councils to reevaluate their home's tax band.

Through a consultation, the government is seeking input on how to make it easier for households to determine whether their home is in the appropriate tax bracket.

No specific policy or modification to the existing regulations has been suggested.