不要向英国组织者支付警告他们需要“了解抵制能源账单的风险”的人

当秋天的能源价格上限在10月达到3,600英镑时，英国人的家庭账单将在今年秋天达到历史最高。

但是，如果我们只是决定停止支付账单，该怎么办？抵制真的可以工作吗？这是以前发生的吗？

While there have been no such assurances from Ofgem, Don’t Pay is gaining momentum with more than 100,000 pledges to strike (their goal is 1 million).

人们为什么要抵制能源账单？

预计的能源价格上限今年秋天的上限为1,971英镑增加了82％，这已经在2021年10月的上限上增加了52英镑，预计明年将再次上升。

Has this ever happened before?

The movement isn’t completely unheard of. In 1989 the Thatcher government introduced the poll tax – this was effectively a tax on everyone regardless of wealth. The move caused a public outcry and a payment boycott by an estimated 17 million people – the tax was ultimately scrapped in 1991, although later replaced with council tax.

Could I be prosecuted if I take part?

“In the 1970s there was a boycott in Germany by some who morally objected to nuclear power,” Garry Gabison, senior lecturer of Law, Economics and Regulations at Queen Mary University, tells LADbible.

“该公司将他们告上法庭并获胜，因为他们拒绝为合法提供的服务付费，被告对'良心自由'的主张和言论自由不足。

“这可能是这里会发生的事情。被告可以在滥用主导地位的能源公司周围使用防御能力，但这很少是针对高价的防御，尤其是对受监管的行业的防御。”

公司还能如何收集其资金？

Aside from the worrying prospect of being taken to court, your debt could in theory be passed onto a debt collection agency.

“If a million people took part, energy companies would lose £100-£150million a month,” Gary Gabison explains. “Companies would then want to enforce their contracts – if for nothing else than to deter future boycotts. But because this is a boycott of services rendered, they have various ways to answer which could involve lawsuits and cutting off [customers’] energy supplies.

“Utility companies are legally obliged to work with customers to find solutions but, if someone is not cooperating, they could be required to install a pre-payment meter which would make it impossible to boycott.

“但是，安装一百万米是一项艰巨的任务，在法庭上进行付出昂贵且耗时。英国每年有200万次诉讼，因此法院不愿意再欣赏100万起案件，并且很可能会有决议。

“This would involve merging different cases, but it would be on the consumers to carry the costs. So while it might lead to resolutions, customers may see it differently in retrospect.”

还有什么其他后果？

There may also be further financial implications, warns Rocio Concha, director of policy and advocacy at Which?.

“If consumers decide to stop paying, it could have a serious impact on their financial situations, affect their credit rating and make it harder to take out loans, credit cards and mortgages,” he explains. “These customers would also likely be moved from direct debits to more expensive payment options.”

The government's Department for Business, Enterprise and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has also warned that refusing to pay could push energy prices even higher, in addition to the potential impact on personal debt and credit ratings.

不要薪水承认参加抵制的风险：“我们要求人们对扣留付款的个人风险有明智的选择，”杰弗里·詹姆斯（Jeffrey James）说。“我们已经在我们的网站上发布了信息，并正在制作解释性视频，但坚持认为无所事事是更大的风险。

“我们所说的是了解罢工和无所事事的风险，但也了解，如果数百万行动将改变无偿处理方式 - 这将成为一个政治问题。它将大大改变普通百姓的力量平衡和代理。”

还有哪些其他选择？

Consumer charities and energy companies are encouraging customers to explore alternative methods if they can’t pay. One suggestion is to negotiate an alternative payment plan with their provider, but this fails to consider that many simply won’t have the money to pay and endlessly accruing debt is an unsustainable solution. This has led some to ask if energy companies would really be able to extract the funds owed from them.

Will the government help?

The UK won’t know who will replace Boris Johnson until September, just weeks before the increase – leading to doubts about what protections will be available.

加比森说：“鉴于当前的情况，政府不太可能迅速采取行动。”“欧洲各国政府试图通过从补贴到税收的一切来解决这种情况，但没有一个提出可持续的解决方案。”

Ofgem怎么说？

A spokesperson for Ofgem told LADbible：“我们知道人们承受着巨大的压力，但我们认为不支付账单并不符合消费者的最大利益，并且大多数领先的慈善机构和消费者团体都同意。

“The knock-on effects of not paying bills can be huge for people. They could lose their direct debit discounts or be forced to move to a pre-payment meter. It could also damage their credit rating.

“任何努力支付账单的人都应该与他们的供应商交谈，后者有义务提供付款计划并指导客户提供可用的支持。OFGEM将确保他们提供此功能。”

What do the energy companies say?

LaDbible与英国天然气，EDF Energy，EON，NPOWER，SCOTTISS POWER和SSE联系。

OVO Energy发言人告诉LaDbible：“我们鼓励我们的任何客户都在努力为自己的能量付费以取得联系，并知道我们在类似情况下为许多人提供了支持，我们也可以为您提供支持。

“There are different options – such as setting up a payment plan, which spreads the cost of energy to make it more manageable. Our dedicated team can also make sure customers receive any financial assistance from the government that they're eligible for – and explain available payment support schemes.”