Poll Tax Winners and Losers (1988)

As part of the Dawley Anti-Poll Tax Campaign, our workshops created Margaret Thatcher images which were thrown on to a huge bonfire. This anticipated Thatcher’s downfall a few months later when it became impossible to collect the tax because so many people refused to pay. The Anti-Poll Tax campaign produced a tape slide show which was presented at the May Day Rally in the Dawley Town Hall.

The show damned the poll tax for assessing the number of adults living in a property rather than the size of the property. Backed up by photographs of the relevant properties, the poll tax WINNERS were a wealthy couple living in a detached Wellington mansion. They would pay far less than their current rates. The LOSERS were two adults living with their pensioner parents in a Dawley terrace house. With four adults, they would pay far more than their existing costs.

The TCA worker on this project was Gray Woodruff

Photo and artwork by Graham Peet