Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
During the summer months, Abersoch in Gwynedd experiences a significant increase in its local population as visitors flock to the area for holiday getaways. The Welsh government has put forth proposals to modify the controversial tax regulations affecting owners of self-catering holiday accommodations in Wales. Currently, owners must make their properties available for let for 252 days and be rented out for 182 days annually to qualify for non-domestic rates instead of higher council taxes.
In response to feedback received, the Welsh government is considering adjusting these regulations to require an average of 182 days of letting out over several years. Mark Drakeford, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language, emphasized the importance of making fair contributions towards local economies and funding public services through these policy changes. Despite this intention, the plans have faced criticism from various quarters.
Cymdeithas yr Iaith, a Welsh language society, and the Professional Association of Self-Caterers (PASC) have both expressed discontent with the proposed modifications. They argue that the focus should be on addressing the housing crisis rather than making alterations to legislation that most businesses are already compliant with. The PASC criticized the proposed changes as mere symbolic gestures that fail to tackle the real challenges faced by Welsh tourism businesses.
The existing regulations surrounding holiday lets in Wales differ from those in England, where properties only need to be available for let for at least 140 days and rented out for 70 days to qualify for lower business rates. The new proposals in Wales would potentially allow for up to 14 days of free holidays donated to charity to count towards the 182-day letting target. However, concerns have been raised about the long-term sustainability of these proposals by industry experts such as Nicky Williamson from PASC UK Cymru and Rowland Rees-Evans from the Wales Tourism Alliance
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.