The Welsh Prime Minister leading the crackdown on second homes has a holiday ‘chalet’ in Pembrokeshire that will be exempt from his government’s obligations. new higher tax rates.
Mark Drakeford has admitted to owning a holiday chalet just as the Welsh government started cracking down on them second homes and holiday homes.
At a press conference this week, Plaid’ Cymru’s Mr. Drakeford and Adam Price pledged to help new buyers by reduction in the number of second home owners in Wales†
However, when asked about a chalet he and his family own in Pembrokeshire, Mr Drakeford said the property “was not counted as a second home” as it cannot be occupied all year round, although he admitted that he had used second homes in the past. †
“Most people will be familiar with this, if you have a caravan you can occupy it between March and October but not the rest of the year,” he said.
“I have, or our family has had, I think it will be 27 this year, a chalet in Pembrokeshire occupied on the same terms. You can do it part of the year, but not the rest of the year.”
Mr Price, who owns two houses – one in Cardiff and one in his constituency – said he was looking forward to “streamlining” his life once he left politics. “Of course I’ve stayed in hotels, B&Bs and holiday homes in Wales and other parts of the world,” he said. “This isn’t about saying this is wrong, it’s about finding balance.”
The plans announced Monday include land-use changes by the end of summer, a legal permit system for all vacation properties and plans for local authorities to increase tax rates on land transactions on second homes and vacation homes.
Mr Drakeford said: “Tourism is vital to our economy, but having too many holiday properties and second homes, which are vacant for much of the year, does not ensure healthy local communities and prices people out of the local community. housing market.
“There is no single, easy solution to these problems. Every action we take must be fair. We don’t want to create unintended consequences that could destabilize the wider housing market or make it more difficult for people to rent or buy.”
However, Mr Drakeford said properties such as his ‘chalet’ are exempt from council tax contributions. In March, the Welsh government announced plans to raise the maximum level at which local authorities can set council tax premiums on second homes and long-term vacant properties from 100 percent to 300 percent by April 2023.
According to the website of the national government, premiums have been paid on 23,000 homes this year. Under current rules, homes that are available for rent for at least 140 days — and are actually available for rent for at least 70 days — pay rates in lieu of council tax.
This threshold will go up next April, requiring homes to be rented out for a minimum of 252 days in a year and to actually be rented out for a minimum of 182 days. Drakeford said the crackdown on second homes was not intended to discourage vacation rentals or tourism.