Tax the rich to end homelessness
By hiking taxes on second and empty homes we can help to tackle Scotland's homelessness crisis, says Scottish Greens Co-leader Ross Greer.
With the Housing Bill set to be voted on this coming week, Ross is moving an amendment that would allow councils to increase Council Tax on second and empty homes without any cap.
New figures published this week show that there are a record number of households living in temporary accommodation in Scotland, including 10,180 children.
At the same time, government statistics show there are 21,600 second homes in Scotland and 43,000 homes that have been empty for 6 months or more.
The Scottish Greens have already secured two major tax changes for second homes, doubling the extra charge paid when buying a property which won’t be your main home and giving council the power to double Council Tax on these properties.
This has already resulted in the number of second homes across Scotland decreasing by 10% in a single year, freeing up thousands of properties for use by families who need somewhere to live permanently. Ross is confident that by allowing Council Tax to be more than doubled we will free up even more properties for young people and families in need of a permanent home.
Ross said:
“Homes are for living in, not for hoarding. It is shocking that there are thousands of houses sitting empty at a time when so many children and families are homeless. In too many communities it is the explosion of second home ownership over the last decade which is forcing people out of the area they grew up in.
“There is nothing inevitable about homelessness. It is the result of a system that favours those wealthy enough to buy their own holiday homes, regardless of the harm that can do to communities. By making it more expensive to own a holiday home or empty property, my proposals will free up homes for people who would actually live in them.
“In communities ranging from Edinburgh city centre to islands like Arran or Skye there are far, far too many streets where the majority of homes sit empty for most of the year. At the same time, young people are priced out and forced to move away.
Ross added: “The Scottish Greens have already doubled Council Tax on holiday homes, and it has worked. In 2024 there were two and a half thousand fewer second homes than the previous year, with those properties freed up for people to live in year-round. With a housing crisis this bad though, we need to go further. My proposals would let us do so.
“We need to build more homes, but that won’t solve anything if wealthy people just buy them up to use as second homes or holiday lets. Our tax system needs to change if we’re to end the advantages enjoyed by the super-rich and end Scotland’s housing crisis.”