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Second home-owners face council tax hit in biggest shake-up of rules ever,,,

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Second home-owners face a council tax hit after local authorities were given the green light to do away with discounts worth hundreds of pounds.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles is to embark on the first major reforms to council tax rules since its introduction in 1993.

Mr Pickles wants to give local authorities more flexibility to charge full rates of council tax for second home-owners.

At the moment, rebates of between 10 and 50 per cent of the total bill can be given on second homes. Under the plans, councils would able to scrap this – a move which campaigners say could save up to £42million a year.

There are an estimated 250,000 second homes in Britain.

He is also considering allowing councils to axe discounts on empty properties, which can be as much as 100 per cent for up to a year.

At the moment, a property which needs major structural repairs can be granted a 100 per cent council discount for a year while works are being carried out.

  More... Can you challenge your council tax band?

A house which is unoccupied and unfurnished can receive a discount of 100 per cent for a period of six months.

Ministers believe that axing this discount could release more properties for families to live in and ease the pressure on housing stock.

The move is aimed at stopping banks from hanging on to properties they have repossessed.

Mr Pickles is also expected to announce that there will be no revaluation of all 21million homes in England – effectively ruling out the Liberal Democrats’ plans for a ‘mansion tax’ on high value properties. 

MOST POPULAR AREAS FOR SECOND HOMES

Cornwall - 14,095Westminster - 7,152Kensington and Chelsea - 6,737Birmingham - 6,431North Norfolk - 4,763Camden - 4,120South Hams, Devon - 4,115Tower Hamlets - 4,074Scarborough - 3,979South Lakeland - 3,845

He also wants councils to offer discounts to householders who pay bills via the internet and to allow council tax payers to spread their bill payments over 12 months, rather than over 10 months as at present.

The Communities Secretary hopes that the extra income generated from the changes to second homes and empty properties could cut the average £1,196 Band D council tax bill by £20 a year.

The changes could be good news for households which include a 'granny flat' for an elderly family member.

The rules currently treat an annexe for an elderly relative as an additional property liable for council tax.

The change in attitude to ‘granny flats’ will delight many Britons who care for elderly parents by housing them in an adjoining flat. Tax inspectors treat ‘granny flats’ as distinct properties, meaning families can face two separate council tax bills.

Although they do not have to pay council tax while the relative is living there, homeowners suddenly find themselves clobbered with a bill when they die or move into care.

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