Evening ma'am, I'm here to check your glazing

Plans are afoot to levy council tax according to the value of the property. In other words, if you carry out improvements to your house, thus increasing its value, you get to pay a higher council tax than your profligate neighbour who spends all his extra income on booze. And don't forget that your home's increased value may well take it outside the inheritance tax nil rate band, so the improvements get a tax hit twice.

As far as council tax is concerned, this new regime will first be trialled on the good folk of Northern Ireland. (No (publicised) plans to introduce this in England for the time being. The official word is that the Government is waiting for the Lyons Review of local government finance to submit its findings.)

But how is the local authority to know that you have made improvements to your home in the first place? Apparently the Government is secretly drawing up plans to allow local inspectors into our homes to check out the improvements. Obstruction of these inspectors will lead to a £1,000 fine with a possible daily fine of £200 for continued non-co-operation.

The Government is denying this. Always the way; first a denial, then a qualified admission (eg 'it will only be done on a voluntary basis, such as if the householder allows it'), and then it all comes to pass as was first rumoured.