An overview of the Poll Tax

An overview of the controversial Poll Tax (also known as Community Charge) introduced by the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher in 1990. The policy proved incredibly unpopular with many working and middle-class voters who had previously elected Thatcher to office for an historic three terms, and as a result support for the Prime Minister began to fall away. The poll tax is often credited with ending the political career of Lady Thatcher and mobilising the Conservative party against her.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Britain
• Politics
• History
• 1990
• 1990s
• 1980s
• Margaret
• Thatcher
• Prime
• Minister
• Poll
• Tax
• Community
• Charge
• Riots
• Civil
• Unrest
• Conservatism
• Individualism
• Neoliberalism

[Paulwherrell]

IMHO the Poll Tax was an insult to most people's inteliigence and designed to screw as much money out of everyone as possible. To this day, I still don't know what made Thatcher think she could've got away with it?

[UnitedBritannia]

@Paulwherrell I think a mixture of hubris and the fact that it was initially a very popular policy with the Tory party faithful (whom of course do not represent wider public opinion). Some of the principle elements of the policy were OK, but the implementation of the thing was very shoddy and the package as a whole was completely politically untenable. A grave political mistake - up there with Brown's "election that never was" and 10p Tax cock-up!

[doublaar]

Im sorry.. I always thought Thatcher was a complete bitch.

How can anyone like her.

Did she let you buy your council house .

Maybe she cut your taxes .

Shes the crack of polotics she gives you short term bliss for longterm misery.

Hopefuly ur kids will rent the council home you sold for all their wages.

ASSHOLES!

[UnitedBritannia]

@doublaar What gives you some divine right to ridicule the hopes and aspirations of the millions of ordinary, working class people who did benefit from the Right to Buy Council House policy and reduced taxes on their income? Don't you believe in the rights and liberty of the individual to do with the proceeds of their own efforts as they see fit? Why do you despise aspiration?

Your snobbery and elitism is exposed with cretinous comments like "I always thought she was a bitch".

[jonow92]

The song is Panic by the Smiths.

[LoftyProduction]

@UnitedBritannia right to buy scheme*

[LoftyProduction]

@UnitedBritannia The right to be scheme was a double sided coin in my opinion (and please, feel free to disagree with me if you like) yes it did give ordinary working class council tenants the opportunity to buy their own homes, however, we all know that thatchers main aim was almost complete privitisation (straying away from the original ideals of the beveridge report in 1942) What she wanted, was for business owners to get their grubby mits on these houses, and be able to charge MORE.

[mike23984]

There's been worse ideas than poll tax

[MCASEY92]

hey, great documentary using it for a downfall of thatcher piece of coursework, could you tell me the original air date of the show and who it was by (bbc, itv etc)

thanks.

[onlyinheart]

@getmadgetmad1

Thank"s for your answer. But what is the name of the first song in the first minutes ?

[Applemask]

Mrs Thatcher thought the system was unfair and unconservative. So they come up with a system that was even less fair, but conservative as all hell.

[Thetruthishere11]

Property taxes suck and are wrong.

[onlyinheart]

What the background music ?

Thank's