Community charge or poll tax: John Selwyn Gummer's memories

27 January 2012 Last updated at 09:04 ET Help

The community charge - better known as poll tax - was meant to be a simple and fair way for everyone who used them to pay for local services.

But it triggered riots in London and marked the beginning of the end of Margaret Thatcher's time in power.

David Thompson looked at its legacy as he spoke to Lord Deben, as Local Government Minister 1988-89 then known as John Selwyn Gummer MP, and John Whiting from the Chartered Institute of Taxation.

MORE FROM THE DAILY POLITICS

More clips and news on our BBC website; 'like' us on Facebook page; follow us on Twitter

bbc.co.uk navigation

BBC © 2012 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.