Campaigners call on Government to end tax breaks on second homes

“Sounds like an excellent treble whammy to me. It penalises people who keep properties vacant, opens those properties up for occupation and reduces council tax. A win-win-win situaltion...”

“Tony your arguments for defending holiday homes and long term vacant property are baseless.

Bringing in elements that are only vaguely connected to this story shows how weak the defence is.

My very first post on here suggests a period of 3 months grace before an empty property is then up for full tax, that is more than long enough to either sell it, rent it or repair it.

Students put a lot into Bristol and not just money, so although they enjoy exemptions from council tax, they have been shown to more than make up for that in the boost to local economies, which is sadly the opposite effect of a holiday home.

I have no doubt that after several weeks you may find some obscure case where charging full tax would be unfair, but arguing the minutest detail to justify your point is, well, pointless!

Accepting that the majority of land wealthy capitalists will seek to oppose this, on the grounds that it will cost them money will meet with little sympathy from the people who have been paying extra to allow this free loading to occur.”

“Small rural communities!! I thought we were talking about inner city homes that attract squatters, pipe stealers and the like that contribute the the council tax cost. What exactly is the definition of a holiday home? Maybe some people just have to move through their job and cannot sell. Would they be tarnished as greedy speculators and hit with full council tax or forced to rent their house out or forced to give it away.

I sort of take your point on bread but are you talking about the Global population, Bristol or rural when it comes to bread or housing?

You may have also noticed the proliferation of buildings in Bristol that are being converted to student accomodation. These are houses of multipule occupation. They have a heavy impact on council services usage yet they are exempt from paying council tax. Students are transient they do not put anything into communities long term, Is that right?”

“"Campaigners say it is wrong for taxpayers to be subsidising wealthy homeowners and landlords of empty buildings at a time of service cuts and housing shortages."

The article was doing quite well up to that point. However we should not be subsidising 2nd home owners at any time, it has nothing to do with the current "age of austerity".”

“The current administration is working hard on such a difficult problem.

Credit where it is due.”

“But why are some of this houses staying empty for so long whats the reason,i think that everyone should be made to pay full council tax on any of these homes (unless single then you will get a discount of 25%)”

“Imagine the hardship a buy one loaf get one free sale during a famine would cause?

(half the population with too much food while the other half starve to death)

Now apply the same logic to housing, we are in a housing famine, so why on earth are we offing discounts for owning more?

The whole property market wants referring to the court of human rights!”

“Sorry Tony you seem to be inventing scenarios that are beyond reason.

Bristol has its charm, but the holiday homes everyone else are arguing about, are blighting small rural communities.

and again, why should my council tax be paying for Mr Rich's speculative investments?

Why should communities have to suffer the blight that is land banking by any other name.

and you seek to defend, what is certainly the most morally corrupt practice to have come out of the 20th century?

Shame on you.”

“roly12345

Couple of things. How many holiday homes are really in Bristol, BTL yes. (this is plainly a tax) Antisocial behaviour is a sign of the times. Just like stealing lead from a church roof or poaching. The law will soon 'kill two birds with one stone' regarding squatters. When it gets made properly illegal they will get put in prison or fined. Obviously if they are in prison they can't squatt but have a roof over their heads/home. If they get fined they will have to pay a victim surcharge-win-win.

The cost of a repossession is not self funding. Risk assessors do take this into account when issueing mortages.

Have you thought about renting a room out?”

“I'm not saying charging full tax will stop crime, but it will mean the empty properties that are a magnet for antisocial behaviour having to contribute to the services that they most obviously use to much greater a degree than occupied dwellings .

The second home owner, who occasionally visits their holiday home isn't enough to keep the local shops and services running, but the increase in council tax could go towards supporting them.

So is the proposed increase so little as to be unimportant or as is obviously the case with you,Tony, enough to get you clutching at anything to denounce it?

"Poor person loosing their home", err, we are talking about empty property here.
"Cost of repossession" , obviously self funding, as the money is recovered on resale.
"Repairs", you're obviously not referring to landlords, who have always been eager to get the rents coming in as soon as poss, but those who choose to claim the property is being repaired by the weather, as no one is ever seen fixing anything.

After food and water, shelter is too important to be left to market forces, especially when those forces are bent towards profiteering without the slightest concern for whoever gets hurt in the process.”