Owners of second homes and long-term empty properties in Carmarthenshire would face paying more council tax than they currently do under new proposals being discussed by cabinet members. Cabinet will consider a 50% council tax premium on second home owners for a year, then a 100% premium thereafter. A 100% premium means a doubling of council tax.
Owners of properties which have been empty for one to two years would pay a 50% council tax premium , increasing then to 100% for those which have been empty for two to five years. There would be a further hike to 200% for properties empty for five years or more.
If approved by cabinet on January 9, the proposals would go before full council for determination. A report before cabinet said Carmarthenshire had round 1,310 properties have been empty for more than a year, with just over 1,000 empty for less than that. The county has around 1,060 second homes but only 860 of them, for various reasons, were likely to be eligible for a council tax premium.
