Ben Beadle

This is why every renter should HATE Labour’s Landlord Tax… 👇 Last year, Rachel Reeves introduced it. Now, John Healey has DOUBLED IT before it has even come into force! Labour doesn’t hang about when it comes to putting up taxes. It means landlords will be forced to pay up to 49p in tax on every pound they earn from rental properties. Why is Labour singling out landlords for a politically motivated tax? They didn’t pile extra taxes onto their trade union paymasters. As any renter or landlord will know, our rental sector is already in a mess. Start with Angela Rayner’s Renters’ Rights Act. In the third quarter of this year, the number of properties available to rent fell by 15,000. SpareRoom has found that more than a third of landlords are reducing their property portfolios. Almost half of landlords who own just a single property are selling up entirely. There is no point in having a myriad of ‘rights’ if you can’t find somewhere to live… Labour MPs will no doubt tell you this is all about fairness. I am sure Labour’s Treasury Minister, Emma Reynolds, would decry landlords as not being ‘working people’ - just something else to be taxed. They simply don’t understand the bigger picture because Labour MPs have so little real-life experience. Rogue landlords won’t follow these rules anyway. If you’re a landlord, you already face huge costs. Expensive insurance. Maintenance. Safety certificates that cost hundreds of pounds. Councils pile on the pressure too, making it difficult and eye-wateringly expensive to get the right licences. Meanwhile, HMRC is forcing landlords to file their ‘Making Tax Difficult’ reports five times a year. And don’t forget the vital home improvements that make tenants’ lives better - and cost money. All of this means landlords are asking themselves the question: ‘Is it really worth it?’ In the end, renters will foot the bill through higher rents (and the independent OBR has warned that this will happen) - if, of course, they can find somewhere to live in the first place. Conservatives want to help people own a home of their own. We will scrap net zero and gold-plated building regulations to make it cheaper to build a home, and scrap stamp duty to make it cheaper to buy a home. You don’t help renters by raising taxes on their landlords and tying them up in red tape. In the end, renters will pay the price for Labour’s Landlord Tax.

'I don't think employers are working people.' @CamillaTominey grills Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Emma Reynolds MP, over whether Labour has breached its manifesto pledge in the Budget. 📺 Freeview 236, Sky 512, Virgin 604

Landlord and boss of a residential landlords association @BeadleBen explains why he thinks the budget is "bad news for landlords and renters". The Chancellor announced an increase in tax rates on property income. @AliFortescue | Sky 501 and YouTube