Prison

[Le Chat]

If I were to commit a monetary offence ie, non payment of council tax etc and I was sent to prison, would I go to prison instead of paying the amount, or would I still have to pay it as well? ( Asking only as a matter of interest!)

[NORMANTHEDOG]

you would go to prison for not paying it,and when you come out you will still owe it,a bit silly really .

[Eve]

Usually they would suspend a sentence and try to put a payment plan in place but if there was still default then you could be sent to prison.

If the debt is paid while you are in prison you would be released.

Not sure whether you still have to pay though, will see if i can find out for you.

[kempie]

When someone is imprisoned for wilful or negligent non-payment of Council Tax (up to a maximum of 90 days) the law allows for the court to remit (cancel) the debt or part of the debt if it sees fit.

This leads to various scenarios such as:

Imprisonment + Court Costs + Payment of Debt (in full)
Imprisonment + Court Costs + Payment of Debt (in part)
Imprisonment + Court Costs

The imprisonment can also be postponed upon the payment of an agreed amount until the debt is paid.

[yummymummy]

For Council Tax the money is still owed, but there is nothing else they can threaten you with if you have already gone to prison, so in practice it will be written off. Perhaps if some more info came to light whilst you were inside then other recovery methods may be an option, so they may try that.

[a_magistrate]

The imprisonment is a punishment for the non-payment. The amount is separate and is still owed.
However, it could be written off.
Unlike fines, this cannot be lodged (paid off as an extra number of days custody) as it is not something that was imposed by the court.