TECHNOBUREAUCRACY AND CITY LIFE WHO RECEIVES THE BIGGEST SUBSIDY? « Fourteen major pieces of legislation regarding housing finance had been passed since 1919, five since 1956 and three since 1967. In addition, as government intervention in housing had grown, central-local relationships had become more complex, frustrating, expensive and time consuming. Far from having a comprehensive housing policy, the reality was a series of fragmented and separately administered programmes. Compulsory purchase, cost yardsticks, loan consent, improvement area declarations, home loan allocations - the list was becoming larger wiht every new policy» (57) Tax relief for households paying mortgages and subsidies for Council house building and rents are now an integral part of the British housing finance system. A fierce debate has been carried on between « housing experts » of both « left » and « right » over whether owner occupiers receive more government subsidy than local authori_ty tenants, or vive versa. « The Government in the Green Paper states that the average local authority tenant received £ 195 per annum and the average mortgagor only slightly less than £ 185 per annum» (58). The supposed« raison d'etre» of the British welfare system is that state financed aid should go to those who need it most. The« left» argues that owner-occupiers are by definition better off than local authority tenants and thus should not receive subsidies in the form of tax relief and if anything should be taxed for « imputed rent». The «right» argues that local authority tenants are a drain on national resources and should be « made to stand on their own two feet». They also refuse to look on « tax relief » as a subsidy. « In fact the whole concept of looking at fairness between the two main «tenures» as a measure of equity ... has little meaning and is misleading. Although the two main tenures account for over 80% of all households they conceal wide ranges of household characteristics. In particular, there are rich council tenants and poor owner occupiers ... It is... possible to put all housing subsities and tax relief together to see how the poor and rich do on average from the whole range of (57) HARLOE M.: Will the Green Paper Mean Better Housing?, «Roof», September 1977, p. 143. (58) BOYD C.: A Fair Shave?, «Roof», September 1977, p. 142. 39
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