Wednesday, Jul 23, 2008
Second homes under the spotlight
Telegraph: Second home owners could be forced to live in country properties all year
Second home owners could be forced to live in their country properties year-round or rent them out permanently to tenants under radical proposals outlined in a countryside review commissioned by Gordon Brown.
Posted by holding out @ 04:05 PM (1473 views) Add Comment
26 Comments
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1. The Spaniard said...
Will this apply to MPs? Surely not to Ed & Yvette?
2. uncle chris said...
Great news - and desperately needed. Let's hope this part of the bill sees the light of day.
3. nooneo said...
So now Gordon Brown is drawing up a marxist manifesto. Why do they even bother to waste their time with these policy reviews.
It's like the "great benefit" shake-up announced this week (By the way brilliant idea of the guv'mint to announce a massive benefit shake-up the week of a by-election in their 25th safest seat, Glasgow East, with 25% unemployment amongst eligable males and above average levels of incapacity benefit - do they actually want to lose - the people there have been waiting 10 years for the guv'mint to help them and now they have a great chance to show their gratitude to Gordon the moron) it's simply not going to happen. Look the tories couldn't shake up the benefits system in 18 years and 4 terms in office, what chance do this lot have after 10 years and 3 terms. Oh and now they want to change the property owning laws. Can you imagine how hard it's going to be to police this as all the couples own 1 property each. This article like the review, isn't worth the paper its printed on or the electricity to power the pixels on the web page.
How much do these great policy reviews cost, really.
4. Whostolemyendowment said...
How many MP's are second home owners?
5. doomwatch said...
This will never get through parliament. Even if it did, the House of Lords would never pass it.
Next.
6. Panda said...
Oh yeah. I can just see this one getting through.
Besides, folks, it's April fool's day - this is the LAST DAY of the by election in Scotland!
Of course, if it was pliced, every man woman and child in this dump would be better off by some unimaginable amount.
Which is why it won't get through.
New Labour.
7. paul said...
Can you imagine this getting past the second-homeowning MPs?
Don't make me laugh.
8. peter_2008 said...
The British establishment are essentially, well, landlords. How on the earth will they ever pass a legislation that is going to jeopardise their utter most interest? We need a Cromwell to make this happen.
9. Pjsergeant said...
Wonder if I would be able to rent out Windsor castle
10. Lower, Lower said...
"Let's hope this part of the bill sees the light of day."
It won't.
Over the last 10 years there must have been dozens of 'proposals' like this. They never come to fruition. New Labour capitulates at the first whiff of grapeshot from Murdoch or the Daily Mail. That's if lobbyists (lots of ex-ministers and senior NuLab ex-officials) acting on behalf of the affected interests haven't already persuaded the govt to kill a proposal.
As just one example, take the proposal to increase taxation of wealthy 'non-doms' who many perceive to be paying too little tax. This would certainly be popular with a great many voters including Labour's 'core' voter base.
According to Accountancy Age on 12.02.08: "Chancellor Alistair Darling appeared last night to be bowing to the growing pressure to rethink plans to increase taxation on non-domiciled foreigners living in Britain ... The rethink comes as business leaders renewed attacks on Mr Darling’s planned crackdown on non-doms." (http://www.accountancyage.com/accountancyage/news/2209396/darling-signals-rethink-non-dom).
Then, in June 08, Private Eye reported seeing an email from "Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC) ... which shows the government contemplating breaking its own laws to appease some of the wealthiest tax dodg[ing non-domiciled taxpayers]". To be clear, the Eye is saying that the govt was contemplating _knowingly_ breaking its own laws.
11. Lower, Lower said...
Ah, I see that while I was composing my own sceptical comment, others have been just as dismissive...
12. eyeoftheweasel said...
I'd like to see how it can be implemented in practice, but it's the kind of policy that has been needed in this country for a long while, and it shouldn't just apply to rural areas. Personally I'd favour punitive taxation of second home owners (including MPs - what's to stop them renting a second property if they really needed it for their work).
13. Emily said...
Note the use of the term 'some homeowners'. No doubt anyone who's ever worked for the government will be exempt.
14. harold said...
Political posturing which has come with a bang (for maximum effect) and will go with a whimper. Presumably the PM would have to choose between Chequers or No.10. How likely is that? Or perhaps Brown is aiming this at the Blairs?
15. mark wadsworth said...
What Paul says.
Vacant second homes is of course yet another problem that Land Value Tax would sort out.
16. tyrellcorporation said...
It'll never happen, merely politicking from GB and co.
17. plato said...
..............'SPIN'..............
18. Gbain said...
A bit late Gordan....you should have taxed the hell out of them years ago.
THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF HOMES IN THE UK. IT IS A MYTH!
19. Charlie Brooker said...
If second homo-ners were forced to rent their properties out think what that might do to rentals and BTL!
20. mken said...
As I report every time this comes up, in some even very un-socialist European countries 2nd homes are
taxed as if rented. This encourages owners to rent, or not to buy in the first place.
21. it_is_going_with_a_bang said...
"Caroline Flint, the housing minister, welcomed the review, commenting: "It's simply not fair that people in rural communities struggle to afford a place of their own."
Oh I see it's just rural communities where house prices are unaffordable. Silly me or maybe just a stupid Caroline Flint!
22. titaniccaptain said...
Great news shame it will never be passes............but just the hint of this law will have what effect on rural property????????expect a flood of new homes to come on the market in rural areas sometime soon......as soon as second home owners in rural loacations realise that the second homes are being targeted for planning or higher taxation they will soon be trying to off load their second homes faster than Gordon Browns toilet roll holder
23. Mytimeisnigh said...
Well I think in around 2010 - 2012, when the dust starts to settle, high taxation will be introduced for second homes and buy to lets, to stop people from buying up all the cheap property and starting the whole bubble off again. So those buy to letters and second home owners who survive the bust, may think they've weathered the storm, but they may need to think again. Amen.
24. mark wadsworth said...
Mytimeisnigh, 'they' (being the gummint, of either party) have no interest in keeping house prices low and stable - each time they blow a bubble (Barber, Lawson, Brown) they think that somehow this time it's different and then house prices will go up, and hence create the illusion of increasing wealth, for ever.
25. Mytimeisnigh said...
Mark, I hope you're wrong.......but on reflection you will probably be proved right. Although, next time round, we will all be older and wiser and some other generation can fall prey to their greed.
26. hpwatcher said...
i agree with this. if there is a shortage - which i doubt - housing should be rationed.