Editor,

I note that the Welsh Government has opened an on-line consultation on “local taxes for second homes and self-catering accommodation”.

In the introduction to the questionnaire the Government welcomes, “the balanced and timely report” by Dr Simon Brooks (Swansea University). However, they chooses to ignore one of Dr Brooks’ main findings that “there is little evidence that second homes are the main cause of high house prices as opposed to buyers moving to these areas to reside there”.

They also completely ignore a previous independent report (University of London) on second and holiday homes, which concluded: “Many respondents expressed concern over the lack of economic diversity in rural areas, together with low wage levels. From the evidence collected relating to second homes, affordable housing provision, and retirement migration, we suggest that the lack of economic diversification is a key barrier to peoples’ ability to enter the housing market. It is the root cause of ineffective demand”.

It is obvious that low wage levels are the root cause of young local residents finding it impossible to obtain a mortgage to purchase a home, even though local house prices in Wales are well below the UK average. The Government states that they want to: “use national and local taxation systems to ensure second home owners make a fair and effective contribution to the communities in which they buy”.

Second home owners make minimal use of the local facilities paid for from Council Tax — they previously received a 10 per cent CT reduction to recognise this fact. Second homeowners spend large sums of money with local tradespeople and building material suppliers in renovating derelict properties, and they provide local employment. So what is “fair” about making UK citizens pay a 100 per cent premium on Council Tax or higher business rates just because they purchase a second property in Wales?

I urge all second property owners to complete this consultation questionnaire and let the Welsh Government know the depth of feeling against this divisive tax. Residents of Wales are being conned by a mis-information campaign that defines second property owners as pariahs when the blame lies fairly and squarely at the doors of the Welsh Government and Councils for not attracting higher-paid jobs into the Principality.

John Rees Moss Bala

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