Money Grouse: Taxing experience with second home
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.THE BRADLEYS have owned a cottage in Wales for 26 years. The cottage, somewhat controversially, is their second home.
But equally controversial, they believe, is the fact that they will have to pay double the council tax they would have to pay on an English holiday home.
Having read the literature put out by the Department of the Environment about the council tax, the Bradleys believed that they would get a 50 per cent discount on their second home. A spokesman for the department confirmed that this would be so if the cottage were in England.
'The logic of the council tax is that 50 per cent of it is based on the property,' he said. 'The other part is based on a personal element, assuming two people representing 25 per cent each.'
However, when the couple wrote to their district council in Gwynedd asking about council tax arrangements they were told: 'A property which is not a sole or main residence but is furnished will not be subject to a discount.'
The Bradleys felt aggrieved. The cottage had been condemned to dereliction when they bought it in the 1960s. Not only have they restored the cottage to its former beauty, but they also helped four other cottage-holders to modernise their buildings when they put in water and electricity.
A spokesman for the local council confirmed that it recently decided to take advantage of a special regulation that allows Welsh authorities to do away with the usual discounts on second homes. He added: 'People here feel that owners of these homes should make a contribution equal to the other householders.'
A fifth of the residential properties in the area are second homes. Many other councils are expected to take advantage of the regulations, which were introduced by the Welsh Office.
Mrs Bradley sees this as institutionalised rough justice. 'It's very unfair,' she said. 'English property-holders are subsidising Welsh property-holders.'
Bradley is a pseudonym for the couple, who do not wish to be identified.
Write to Money Grouse, The Independent, 40 City Road, London EC1Y 2DB. Please do not send SAEs or original documents as we cannot guarantee to deal with every letter personally.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments