Polanski apologises over houseboat council tax

"“Zack apologises sincerely for the unintentional mistake.” The party spokesperson said Polanski had “taken steps to pay any council tax he may be found to owe”. Polanski has been under pressure to explain whether the houseboat, moored at a marina in Hackney, had been his primary residence. A boat is liable for council tax when used as a person's “sole or main residence”, according to the tax lawyer Dan Neidle."

"“If, as seems likely, that was his main residence, then Mr Polanski and his partner should have paid council tax there.” Neidle, who has investigated the tax affairs of several politicians, looked into Polanski's situation and wrote on his Tax Policy Associates website this week. The claim centers on whether the boat functioned as the sole or main residence, which determines council tax liability."

"The Times newspaper last week questioned whether Polanski had paid council tax for the boat for the past three years. It reported that it had seen an advertisement to sell the boat in which Polanski's partner had said: “We are moving house and so will sadly be leaving the gorgeous community behind.” The paper said that the Green Party had told it Polanski lived in a room that he rented at a different address in London and council tax was included in his rent there."

"The Times reported that the Green Party leader and his partner “appear in recent years to have stayed on a narrowboat at a marina”, adding a local laundrette said it had often done laundry for Polanski and his partner from 2023 to 2025. Polanski, along with several other individuals also thought to have boats in the marina, used a nearby building as a postal address. The Mail also reported that he had been registered to vote there."

Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party, admitted that he had been living on a houseboat in London and may have failed to pay council tax. A party spokesperson said he had taken steps to pay any council tax he might owe and apologized for an unintentional mistake. Pressure increased over whether the houseboat was his sole or main residence. A tax lawyer said that if the boat was his main residence, council tax should have been paid there. Reports questioned whether council tax had been paid for the past three years, citing an advertisement and claims that he stayed on the boat occasionally. Other reporting described frequent stays at a marina, use of a nearby building for postal address, and registration to vote there.

Read at www.bbc.com