Owners of houses that have been vacant for a long time may soon be fined, the Dutch House of Representatives decided on Tuesday 23 September. ‘It’s a good first step,’ says the National Student Union (Landelijke Studentenvakbond or LSVb in Dutch).
Due to the ever-increasing housing shortage, the LSVb, CNV Jong, FNV Young & United and the Woonbond presented a manifesto earlier this month to tackle the housing crisis. In it, they proposed, among other things, a vacancy levy. The House of Representatives is in favour of this proposal.
In the Netherlands, more than 180,000 homes are vacant, of which more than 30,000 have been vacant for more than a year. Such a vacancy tax should encourage owners to sell or rent out their (extra) homes, which could benefit students looking for accommodation.
Unacceptable
If the Senate also approves the proposal, local authorities will soon be able to levy a tax on homes that have been vacant for more than a year. They will decide for themselves how high the penalty will be. Local authorities can also decide not to introduce this levy if they do not consider it necessary.
‘We think this is a positive step by politicians,’ says Maaike Krom, chair of the LSVb. ‘But local authorities must actually take action. Moreover, much more needs to be done to resolve this crisis.’ The LSVb promises to take action.
HOP, Naomi Bergshoeff
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