Higher Tax 'Bringing down Holiday Home Numbers'
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I am personally in favour of this as holiday homes have caused house prices to sky rocket and put them out of reach of local people. I think if you have the £ to afford a 2nd home you should be able to afford the full council tax. As the Council still have to provide services regardless of whether the home is only occupied at weekends.
What are you views, have you scrimped and saved to buy a holiday home?
I completely agree with you, I live in Devon and the house prices here and in Cornwall are crazy. It's gone beyond a joke with people like Gordon Ramsay having 3 second homes in Cornwall! They should have done it years ago.
Higher taxes on holiday homes is long overdue. I hate reading about millionaires owing several properties and keeping the local out from buying properties at a reasonable price.
As I do not have a second home I think they should be taxed to the maximum, if I ever get one I disagree and think they should be subsidised by everyone else.
The old rates system was the best system because it motivated people to live in as small a property as possible, it was very environmentally friendly and if rich people want to avoid such taxation they simply live in smaller homes. It meant of course more of the burden of tax fell on richer people but only richer people who had large properties. Nowadays the rich can have both large properties and lots of them because of the tax system. The solution of 50 year mortgages so 2 generations of poorer people are needed to pay for property is un-necessary if property was more heavily taxed in preportion to its value which would drive property values down to more realistic levels. See the effect here of abolishing the rates system.
I believe the holiday home owners should pay the same council tax as fully occupied homes, after all they can afford it.
I totally agree too but it won't deter those like Ramsey who are stinking rich, they will pay whatever the cost.
Lynibis I agree but at least if they pay the full council Tax then at least they are not being subsided be others and hopefully local services won't suffer.
Holiday homes are ruining communities where we live 2 bed cottages perfect for little families are now a fortune. These people only visit 2 or 3 times a year so the argument that they bring money into the community is rubbish.
Bossclaz I may have badly worded my comment, I don't think they bring £ into the community, in fact the opposite is true as they are unlikely to use local shops. My comment was meant to put across that I think 2nd homes should pay at least the full amount of council tax if not more, currently they get a reduction.
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