North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood (pictured) has called for the Welsh Government to ensure that a hard line is taken on property owners who falsely claim they are providing a holiday let.
Questioning the Minister for Finance and
Trefnydd, Rebecca Evans AM, on how the Welsh Government ensures that
second home owners pay council tax, Mr Isherwood emphasised the need for
routine checks to be carried out on claimed self-catering properties.
Speaking in Chamber, Mr Isherwood, who in a
debate in the Welsh Parliament on the same day raised concerns that Welsh
Government legislation on second homes is costing North Wales “millions”, said: “As you know, the Non-Domestic Rating
(Wales) Order specifies the terms, 140 days' availability, 70 days' occupancy,
in order to qualify as a self-catering business. And you referred to the
gate-keeping role played by the Valuation Office Agency and the documentation
they require, and that they'd investigated a few cases referred by Gwynedd.
“But what tripwire is in place within the
system to ensure that the Valuation Office is routinely investigating and
checking at least a sample of claimed self-catering properties to ensure that
they are what they claim to be, whilst also recognising that the terms the
Welsh Government implemented were a compromise with the tourism industry to
protect legitimate businesses?”
In her response the Minister said: “If
local authorities particularly have any concerns about any property at all,
they should draw it to the attention of the Valuation Office Agency and they
will assess it in detail. Actually, any attempt to mislead an authority or the
VOA, or knowingly provide false or inaccurate information, could lead to
prosecution for fraud. So, seeking to avoid or evade paying tax in that way is
extremely serious”.
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