SNP challenged to back holiday homes tax to protect Gaelic language
Scottish Green Co-Leader Ross Greer will force a vote on his proposals to protect Gaelic-speaking communities by increasing taxes on holiday homes and Airbnb-style short term lets.
The plans, which will be tabled as an amendment to the Housing Bill, are designed to tackle the acute housing crisis in Gaelic-speaking communities and to support young people who want to stay in the areas they have grown up in.
It would allow ministers to levy an extra charge on those buying holiday homes or other additional properties in areas with high numbers of Gaelic speakers such as Skye, where an explosion in holiday homes and short-term let properties has resulted in soaring house prices and a lack of available homes for local young people.
Greer’s proposals follow the Scottish Parliament recently passing the Scottish Languages Act, which allows for communities where Gaelic is widely spoken to be designated as “Areas of Linguistic Significance”. The additional charge on holiday homes purchases the Scottish Green MSP has put forward would apply in the areas with this designation.
Ross said:
“Gaelic is hugely important to our national culture and history, but it is on the edge of extinction as a community language and the housing crisis is a major reason why. We need to take bold action if we are to protect the language and the communities where it is still widely spoken.
“Young people and families are being forced out of many of these areas by soaring prices and a lack of available properties, often because wealthy people from elsewhere have bought those properties to use as second homes.
“One of the ways we can stop this is by making it that bit more expensive for the super-rich to buy up homes that will sit empty most of the year. This will help control rising prices and give local people a better chance of making a successful offer.
“Talking about promoting Gaelic is one thing, but we can only do it if MSPs are willing to turn words into action and take on the wealthy buyers who are responsible for driving young people out of our rural communities.
“Every party in Parliament agrees that the housing crisis is one of the biggest threats facing our last Gaelic-speaking communities. By backing these Green proposals, MSPs can begin to turn things around for one of Scotland’s native languages.”