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Prescott satellite to spy on your home.

Hi-tech cameras brought in to police home improvements and council
tax
dodgers

By Marie Woolf, Political Editor
Published: 01 January 2006

John Prescott has told tax inspectors to use satellites to snoop on
householders' attempts to improve their homes.

Images of new conservatories and garages taken from space will be
used
to hike up council taxes and other property levies, official
guidance
obtained by The Independent on Sunday reveals.

Mr Prescott's department is overseeing the creation of a database
containing the details of every house in Britain to help tax
inspectors to assess new charges.

Even minor improvements, invisible from the road, will be caught by
"spy in the sky" technology that uses a mix of aerial and satellite
images taken over time to spot changes.

Last night the Tories accused the Deputy Prime Minister of laying
the
ground for a "new stealth tax on home improvements".

Houses in the country will be particularly targeted. "Aerial
photographs are very effective in rural areas where improvements are
hard to see from the road," a handbook for property inspectors says.

The Tories warned of a Big Brother-style inspection regime which
could
see householders forced to reveal every detail of their homes,
including the finish of a children's playroom or the type of central
heating.

They accused the Government of using satellite technology to spy on
families so they can levy stealth taxes.

Caroline Spelman, shadow Secretary of State for Local Government,
accused Mr Prescott of invading people's privacy.

"The public have already expressed concern at the prospect of
inspectors with cameras entering their homes. Now it appears that
the
Government will also be using aerial photography to invade people's
privacy and lay the ground for a new stealth tax on home
improvements," she said. "For many people who need more space but
can't afford to move to a bigger house, the answer is to make
improvements to their existing home, but it now seems they are going
to be penalised for this through council tax hikes. It is catch-22,
with home-owners being taxed if they move and taxed if they don't."

The Government is planning to compile a database of every home in
Britain, which will include details of how many bedrooms each house
has and what kind of roof it has.

Inspectors will look at whether garden sheds have been converted
into
offices or studios and whether kitchens or porches have been
extended.
They will even be able to see if a drive has been Tarmacked or a
shrubbery extended. The computer system will be used to assess
council
tax, inheritance tax and capital gains tax.

A re-evaluation of property values will take into account home
improvements, including extensions and conservatories to assess how
much council tax a property should pay.

The Government has delayed re-evaluating property values after
widespread concern that it could lead to a massive rise in council
tax
bills, which would particularly hit pensioners.

But the Government's Valuation Office Agency is still rolling out a
"Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal" database across England. So far
almost two million homes in England have had "value significant
codes"
recorded.

John Prescott has told tax inspectors to use satellites to snoop on
householders' attempts to improve their homes.

Images of new conservatories and garages taken from space will be
used
to hike up council taxes and other property levies, official
guidance
obtained by The Independent on Sunday reveals.

Mr Prescott's department is overseeing the creation of a database
containing the details of every house in Britain to help tax
inspectors to assess new charges.

Even minor improvements, invisible from the road, will be caught by
"spy in the sky" technology that uses a mix of aerial and satellite
images taken over time to spot changes.

Last night the Tories accused the Deputy Prime Minister of laying
the
ground for a "new stealth tax on home improvements".

Houses in the country will be particularly targeted. "Aerial
photographs are very effective in rural areas where improvements are
hard to see from the road," a handbook for property inspectors says.

The Tories warned of a Big Brother-style inspection regime which
could
see householders forced to reveal every detail of their homes,
including the finish of a children's playroom or the type of central
heating.

They accused the Government of using satellite technology to spy on
families so they can levy stealth taxes.

Caroline Spelman, shadow Secretary of State for Local Government,
accused Mr Prescott of invading people's privacy.

"The public have already expressed concern at the prospect of
inspectors with cameras entering their homes. Now it appears that
the
Government will also be using aerial photography to invade people's
privacy and lay the ground for a new stealth tax on home
improvements," she said. "For many people who need more space but
can't afford to move to a bigger house, the answer is to make
improvements to their existing home, but it now seems they are going
to be penalised for this through council tax hikes. It is catch-22,
with home-owners being taxed if they move and taxed if they don't

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/pol...icle335970.ece

Perhaps people should start building underground, away from prying
eyes. But of course, the goverment might then impose a tax on piles of
dirt left in the garden. :-)