Second Homes Taxes

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Trefnydd – in the Senedd at 2:09 pm on 18 September 2019.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Siân Gwenllian Siân Gwenllian Plaid Cymru 2:09, 18 September 2019

(Translated)

There was a discussion on this subject yesterday, if you remember, and I must say that I was stunned that the First Minister missed the point entirely. The totally unacceptable situation is that there's an anomaly in the system, which means that a great number of second-home owners avoid paying taxes. They don’t pay council tax, and neither do they pay business rates, as they act as a business for a very short period of time in the year. That’s the anomaly that needs to be addressed, and you will know that I have drawn attention to this a number of times, and the Welsh Local Government Association also agrees that there’s a need to do something as a matter of urgency. As you say, your officials are reviewing the situation. I met with them back in June, and they promised that there would be some kind of progress or report made in this field, but I’m still waiting to see what the recommendations will be. This is a scandal and has to be sorted out quickly.