Landlord’s concerns over tax proposals

A Businesswoman has raised concerns over planned changes to council tax exemptions which could cost landlords across the Herald and Gazette area thousands extra each year.

Barbara Cooper, from Worthing, flagged up the proposed change which comes into effect this April. It will slash the present level of six months tax exemption relating to unoccupied, tenanted properties to just one month.

As a result, Mrs Cooper, who owns a number of properties in the area, said she may be forced to sell her homes as it was “impossible” to turn around tenancies which required repairs in such a short period of time. She has called on East Worthing and Shoreham MP Tim Loughton for assistance, who has responded he intends to investigate the issue.

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Mrs Cooper said: “This just seems like another way of the council making money.

“I don’t think it will work as landlords will just not want to keep their properties. I think this is a retrograde step. There was also supposed to be a council consultation on this but I have not heard anything on it at all.”

Worthing Borough Councillor Bob Smytherman felt it was fair larger commercial landlords should share the tax burden. But he warned reducing tax exemptions should not impact on landlords in terms of feeling they had time to adequately repair properties.

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