Greens in tax bid to tackle holiday home crisis in National Parks
The Scottish Greens are lodging plans to tackle the housing crisis in our National Parks and protect the communities who live there by increasing the tax due when buying a holiday home within park boundaries.
At present, someone buying a second or holiday home anywhere in Scotland must pay a tax known as the Additional Dwelling Supplement.
These new proposals, to be lodged by Ross Greer MSP as an amendment to the upcoming Housing Bill, would create a further charge on top of this within National Parks, in recognition of the housing crisis in these communities being caused by so many properties becoming holiday homes.
The change would build on successful changes already made by the Scottish Greens, namely doubling the Additional Dwelling Supplement from 4% to 8% since 2021. This will raise more than a quarter of a billion pounds in the current financial year.
The Greens preferred policy would be for the Additional Dwelling Supplement to be doubled again in National Parks, though this would be for MSPs to agree on an annual basis.
The latest data shows there are 2455 second homes in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, which is around 5% of all homes. This is more than five times the national average of 0.9%.
The problem is far worse within the Cairngorms National Park, where around 12% of all houses are second homes, reaching 20% in some communities, meaning one in five homes are empty for most of the year.
The Greens are confident that their amendment would raise more funds for public services and free up more homes for people to live in by reducing the number bought to be used as holiday homes.
Research from 2022 shows that 75% of National Park households cannot afford average house prices.
Ross Greer said:
“Our National Parks are iconic and beautiful places, but the families who actually live there are being pushed out by second home owners.
“Young people in particular are too often forced to leave the communities they grew up in after being outbid by those wealthy enough to buy a second property.
“Too many properties are also used as cash cows for short-term lets while local people are priced out and businesses find it impossible to recruit staff because there is nowhere for them to live.
“The changes already delivered by Green MSPs have reduced the number of second and holiday homes bought each year, freeing up more properties for people who need a home to live in. Now we can build on this success and ensure that the communities within our National Parks are more than just holiday parks.”