this post was submitted on 19 May 2025
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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).

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[–] [email protected] 81 points 3 days ago (6 children)

It's 150% of the old tax rate, not 150% of the value of the home, in case anyone's wondering.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I was excited for a second

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 days ago

Well, seemingly it still works!

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[–] [email protected] 211 points 3 days ago (15 children)

Wow, look at that, turns out legislative action representing the people's best interests has been proven infinitely more effective than empowering a dictator to execute everyone who initially refuses to redistribute.

[–] [email protected] 39 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Its as if the solution to capitalism isnt whitewashing regimes that have done some of the worst crimes against humanity possibly but rather government regulations brought upon by democratic action.

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[–] [email protected] 52 points 3 days ago

Corporations hate this trick.

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[–] [email protected] 125 points 3 days ago (3 children)

I've been saying that for a while that secondary residences should lose all tax benefits and should also have additional tax penalties applied to them as long as there is a housing crisis.

Like a second house should cost you double, and if you get a third, then the second and third should cost you triple, and so on and so forth, so that having multiple homes would be a sign of wealth and not an investment practice.

You roll that out with a gradual phase in and you would solve the housing crisis in like 7 to 10 years.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 3 days ago (2 children)

The penalties should be higher for short term rental properties-if it’s listed on Airbnb or VRBO or similar, taxes double.

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Yeah government needs to start ratcheting down on landlords. Tax rental properties as commercial businesses, as well as taxing rental income at a higher rate. If a landlord can't afford that anymore, then they sell the property and get a real job.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

I agree there needs to be some kind of exponentially growing tax rate for multiple houses. It might kick in after two houses since a single shared vacation home between a family should be fairly affordable.

That being said its basically impossible to get a vacation home now. No one should have 3+ homes without paying much much more.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I can't wrap my head around why anyone needs or wants more than one house or flat.

Maybe because much of my life has been lived in areas with holiday homes, and the seasonal nature of life going from hardly anyone around to overrun with privileged assholes feels intensely unnatural and damaging to places where communities used to exist.

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[–] [email protected] 33 points 3 days ago (1 children)

We can't sustain everyone owning a holiday home in the UK, we are in a housing crisis.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Are the 1st second residences in places where people live (have jobs, etc)?

Because in most countries, is rather the 2nd, 3rd, etc second residences, which are a problem.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I think in my country the residential houses have different legistlation than vacation homes, like little cottages by the lake. Though the vacation home is required to not be suitable for year-around living, if you have a modern house by the lake it's treated like a residential house.

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[–] [email protected] 48 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Blackrock didn't like that.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 days ago

Far better than burning them…

I need to know if my uncle still has his cottage…

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