Good grief (via):

John Prescott has told tax inspectors to use satellites to snoop on householders' attempts to improve their homes. Images of new conservatories and garages taken from space will be used to hike up council taxes and other property levies, official guidance obtained by The Independent on Sunday reveals. Mr Prescott's department is overseeing the creation of a database containing the details of every house in Britain to help tax inspectors to assess new charges.

A perfect accompanyment to the national identity register, the vehicle movement database and the soon to be introduced plan to have civil servants check the consistency of your stools to make sure you're eating properly. It just a matter of time...

Tags: News, Politics, authoritarian maniacs