I’ve been talking to people about this for a while, and I’ve had very little disagreement but I wanted to put this out into the world outside of my social circle.
Companies are buying homes in massive numbers as investment vehicles, who then have shareholders who require increased profit year on year, allowing a tiny proportion of the profits to be paid as corporation tax.
Companies should not own homes, when a house is built it should be marketed for a maximum of 1 year at which point it must be auctioned with no reserve and must be sold to a private individual. The same when a bank takes possession of a home due to mortgage default.
Private individuals would need to have a cap on the number of homes they are allowed to own, starting at 10 homes with a view to reducing that number over time, but all rental income is taxed at the highest rate. This would allow private property investors to reduce their portfolio over time, with no more tax dodging by having a company earn the money and taking out loans to show a neutral balance sheet.
Councils can own/operate as many homes as they need to fulfil the rental needs of the area.
This should lower rental costs, and house prices while increasing tax revenue. What do the UK Leftists think? I’ve not heard anyone propose this exact restriction before.
I was actually going against myself when I said that, when my partner moved in she owned her own flat, so she rented it out to a pensioner who couldn’t be happier.
I can’t really imagine a situation where someone who is a landlord needing the tax relief on their rental profit but I suppose there is a niche case where someone can’t sell their rental home and really need it the relief. Under our current tax system I suppose it would be fairer.