The recent hike in council tax for second home owners in Bristol, which could see them shelling out an extra £3 million, has got the readers of Bristol Live expressing their thoughts in our comments section.
From April Bristol City Council has permission from the government to charge people who own two or more homes a 100 per cent premium on their council tax bills.
Homes left empty longer than a year will also be charged twice the normal council tax bill. Details of the figures of affected homes were revealed in a report to a full council meeting on Tuesday, January 14.
A user going by the name Bristollivefanaccount offered a simple fix, saying: “Just put the rent up in all the buy to lets to cover any time they are dormant.” This no-nonsense strategy is aimed at recouping potential losses when properties aren’t occupied.
While Thepm asks: “What if the second home isn’t within the same council. I can’t see this working out.” Dbanderson reckons: “Pay the Council Tax and get it all back within a months rental fees. Shrugging my shoulders here.”
MaddDogg answers: “This doesn’t apply to landlords. The tenant would normally be responsible for council tax.” Freewheeler believes: “A failure by government yet the public to pay once again. When will more homes ever be built? This is chicken feed in the grand scheme of things by the time administration costs have been added. It just looks good to the gullible.”
Dis1954 dismisses the notion: “I cannot see this causing an issue for any second home owner, if you have the revenue to buy such a property paying a little more in council tax will not lose any sleep.”
NoCare adds: “Bricks and mortar is not cash, pound notes, unless there is a magical formula to convert.”
Junius1 comments: “Every little helps and this will be a marginal bit of city revenue raising to address BCCs £52 million budget gap. You can also bet that wealthy second home owners will be looking for loopholes around it. For Bristol, the council tax reduction scheme, which cost £43.5 million in 2022/23 (we don’t seem to have the 2023/24 figures), will have to be reviewed for its generosity. Collection of council tax also needs improvement.”
Jubblyone4 says: “BCC should apply more effort on collecting the debt owed to them instead of targeting ‘wealthy’ homeowners in a thinly veiled jealousy tax.”
Dirtystreets23 questions: “How about giving us services the match what we pay that would be nice.”
Holdencaulfield replies: “You mainly pay for care homes for pensioners who didn’t save enough cash and very disabled adults and kids. Services used by everyone else are funded by the smaller and smaller amount left in the pot each year.”
NoCare says: “We’ve got no chance but we will get less and poorer services guaranteed.”
Dre76 adds: “Well stop paying it and take your chances in court am sure you will win the judge over lol.”
So do you agree or disagree with a second home tax rise? Let us know in the comments below or HERE.