The internet is a tremendous connector. In just 29 days I leave for a journey around the world in 8 days! My first stop in Dublin, from where I will drive to Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, Wales “the town with the longest name in the world” then on to the town of my family’s namesake: “Waunfawr”. My grandfather died believing our family name was German or “black Irish” only thru the www did I learn of the Welsh connection meaning “field”.
I digress. Also from the www I find stories like the one below that show that taxes and second homes are a global common concern. The same tax fights happen in nearly every vacation home market:
From The Sunday Times
“There are around 100,000 second-home owners in Scotland, and I now find myself among them. We do not get a great press. Second-home owners are often castigated for damaging the local economy and driving young people out of the housing market in rural areas. Some critics consider all holiday homes a social evil. During the current government consultation on the issue, one politician suggested that the council tax be doubled on every such property to end the trend.
I have some sympathy with such arguments. But it’s not fair to suggest that every second home is bad. We bought our holiday cottage just outside Leven in Fife 18 months ago, so we are fairly new to the second-home market. We are also unusual in that we already live in a rural area — Stirlingshire. It is a fantastic part of the world, but everything we do relating to our business and family happens there. Sometimes it is nice to escape.
We looked around for quite some time before we found our cottage, which is a little slice of heaven. It’s quite proper that we have to pay 90% council tax on the property. I believe that if you live somewhere, you should make a contribution.
But the financial and social contribution goes beyond simply paying for local council services. It would be unusual for our family not to be in Fife at the weekend. In fact, we spent the whole summer there this year. That’s very different from the stereotype of the holiday-home owners who pop up three times a year. Sadly, that stereotype does exist. Elie, the lovely coastal village which is also in Fife, has more second homes than residents. This really changes the whole vibe of the place. It is like a ghost town in winter.
When we were looking for a place, we were determined not to exacerbate that sort of trend. Stirlingshire also has a lot of second homes so we are sensitive to their impact. So we chose a town in Fife where that wasn’t an issue. We wanted the place to be accessible so that we can use it all the time. And that means that we are probably as integrated into the Fife community as we are integrated into the community in Stirlingshire.
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