Madam,

Re your article about business rates and holiday homes (‘Revenue loss due to loophole).

I own a house in Fairbourne which I run as a self-catering holiday business, not a second home.

The property is normally booked for at least 30 weeks a year and I welcome around 200 guests who spend their money in local shops, restaurants, pubs and tourist attractions. I employ local people to service the property and use local suppliers.

The house is registered for business rates but this is not a ‘loophole’; it is a valued concession that helps to keep my business – and lots of others – viable.

In order to register I have to complete an annual return with detailed evidence of bookings and accounts. And, incidentally, I pay the council an annual fee for refuse collection.

So, if some ‘second-home’ owners are abusing the system then Gwynedd Council should deal with that problem, but please don’t penalise those of us who are trying to make a positive contribution to the local economy.

Yours etc, Sarah Dalzell, Nortoft, Guilsborough.

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