On Back Road East in St Ives, Cornwall, there are 31 holiday lets, and it has led to a heavy debate among locals and the council. The homes are all exempt from paying tax to the local authority because of a loophole.
Tension between locals and second home owners is a tale as old as time.
On Back Road East in St Ives there are 31 holiday lets and it has led to a heavy debate among locals and the council.While the government recently announced it will be giving local authorities like Cornwall the power to double council tax on second and empty homes – it does not include closing the tax loophole for holiday lets registered as businesses.
This could be the case for many second home properties across Cornwall and other counties, and has prompted discussion about how holiday lets should be taxed to help the county’s infrastructure.