Owners of second homes in Wales are having to sell up. That’s no disaster: it’s a godsend | Will Hayward
www.theguardian.com
Council tax hikes on holiday homes aren’t ‘anti-English’ or detrimental to tourism. This is about preserving embattled communities, says Guardian columnist Will Hayward

geteilt von: https://sh.itjust.works/post/38301389

To try to tackle this, the Welsh Labour government, alongside Plaid Cymru, introduced measures to curb second-home ownership. This included giving councils the ability to push council tax on second homes to 300% the usual rate. They also closed a loophole whereby second-home owners could register as a business in order to pay the much lower business rates.

Gwynedd council used these powers to hike council tax to 150% in April 2023. By the end of 2024, house prices had fallen by 12.4% as second-home owners tried to sell up. In Pembrokeshire, house prices fell by 8.9% after the council increased the council tax to 200% on second homes (though this was reduced to 150% recently).

  • picnic@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    211·
    9 hours ago

    But I want a small cabin by a lake at some point when I’m older. Has that dream been taken away from me, too?

    • TheodorAlforno@feddit.orgEnglish
      40·
      9 hours ago

      As long as people can’t afford their first home, your cabin is not a priority. Plus, what’s the cost of that cabin? If it’s cheap, the tax increase won’t mean a huge increase in total numbers.

      • SourGumGum@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        3 hours ago

        If your second home is in a location people don’t want to live, i.e not a city and in a small dying rural town where everyone is moving away? People can’t afford homes where they need to live and work, a small cabin by the lake won’t impact that.

      • Madagaskar_sky@lemmy.worldEnglish
        7·
        7 hours ago

        I want a small cabin by a lake

        If it’s cheap, the tax increase won’t mean a huge increase

        The most important bit of information for people to take away from this conversation.