Latest news with #Housing
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Council tax branded 'unfair and regressive' as calls for a tourist tax mount
Cash-strapped town halls are being forced to deliver more with less funding, leading to rising unhappiness from voters, the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee said Ministers should overhaul 'unfair and regressive' council tax as residents are paying more while their services are slashed, MPs warn today. Cash-strapped town halls are being forced to deliver more with less funding, leading to rising unhappiness from voters, the Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee warned. The report said council tax is 'the most unfair and regressive tax in use in England today', and said councils should be allowed to set their own forms of local taxes, such as tourist levies, to help make the local government system fair and effective. MPs on the committee said local councils' financial issues are 'exacerbated by the over-centralisation of government'. Tourist taxes are common in other countries or cities including Barcelona and Paris. A similar levy already exists in Scotland, and the Welsh Government is also in the process of introducing a tourism tax. They are set by local government and are often based on a percentage or fixed rate per night of stay in a hotel or other accommodation. No10 yesterday said there are 'no plans' to introduce a tourism tax in England. It comes amid reports that Angela Rayner is pushing for local authorities to be able to impose tourist taxes but was rebuffed by the Treasury. Rachel Reeves is said to have blocked the move for fear it would reduce revenues for businesses struggling with higher national insurance contributions and a rise in the minimum wage already brought in by the Government. Ms Rayner earlier this month told MPs she wants to see 'more push' in the direction of local authorities having increased tax and spending powers. A group of mayors, including Greater Manchester 's Andy Burnham and London's Sadiq Khan, last month called for a visitor levy to be introduced to make money from tourism. In a letter to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and Chancellor Rachel Reeves, they suggested local authorities be given the power to introduce a tourist levy in the Government's devolution bill. Council tax bill rises hit 5% in April for the third year in a row, as almost all councils increased bills up to, or close to, the maximum permitted. As a first step to reforming council tax, the committee's report calls on the Government to give local authorities more control over the council tax in their areas, including the power to revalue properties in their area, define property bands and set the rates for those bands. Florence Eshalomi, chairwoman of the committee, said: 'When residents are paying more and more in taxes but seeing less and less in regular, everyday services, such as libraries and fixing potholes, then trust in local democracy is at risk of being undermined. 'Councils are trapped in a straitjacket by central government, with local authorities lacking the flexibility or control to devise creative, long-term, preventative solutions which could offer better value-for-money. Reform of council tax should be a greater priority for the Government. 'In the long-term, HM Treasury should devolve tax-setting powers to local authorities, allowing them to set their own local taxes, such as tourist levies.' A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesman said: 'The government is taking decisive action to fix the broken council funding system, so local leaders can deliver the vital public services their communities rely on. 'We have announced over £5billion of new grant funding for local services on top of the £69billion already made available this year to boost council finances, and we will go further to reform the funding system to make it fit for the future.'
RTÉ News
11 hours ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
Govt outlines spending on housing and energy projects
Conor O' Connell, Director, Housing, Planning & Development with the Irish Home Builder's Association, discusses the updated version of the National Development Plan. Paul Cunningham, Political Correspondent, reports from the Dáil.
IOL News
11 hours ago
- Business
- IOL News
Mabaso calls on Joburg residents to safeguard RDP and social housing
The City of Johannesburg's Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Human Settlements, Mlungisi Mabaso, has made a passionate appeal to residents benefiting from government-subsidised housing to protect and maintain their properties. Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Media City of Johannesburg Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Human Settlements, Mlungisi Mabaso, has lashed out at Joburg residents who are beneficiaries of Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) and social housing, to protect and care for their properties. Mabaso criticised South Africans who refuse to pay for government services and those who damage and disrupt infrastructure during a site handover ceremony at the Riverside View Social Housing project, located north of Johannesburg near Fourways. "We have thousands of our people who want to be accommodated. If we can't collect rent and services, we cannot build new spaces. Everyone needs to be accommodated, and I do not agree with the notion that we should only focus on the RDP social housing programme. We need various housing solutions to cater to the needs of everyone. "Some need to be fully subsidised, and some are first-time home owners who are in the GAP market. They must be accommodated. Everyone must be accommodated according to their circumstances, and those who are called on to pay for services must do so to ensure that we can provide services in the future," he stated. The GAP market consists of workers who do not qualify for a full bond. They are subsidised by the government to buy their first home. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading On the City of Joburg's decision to find alternative accommodation outside of the CBD, Mabaso said this has been a conscious decision which ensures that everyone benefits from government social housing initiatives, including those who stay far from the city centre. "What we ought to do is to account for every cent spent on implementing our project, as this is a moving target and taxpayers' money. We can't squeeze everyone in the inner city, which is why we have decided to implement these projects outside the inner city. Some do not want to reside in the inner city. There have been quite some developments outside the inner city, and all of those are performing very well," Mabaso stated. Mabaso, alongside speaker Rufus Maswazi and CoJ Speaker, Margaret Arnolds, and Johannesburg Social Housing Company (Joshco) representatives, commended the residents of Diepsloot for not plundering and destroying a range of social housing projects, which have been launched to ensure dignity to low- and middle-class income earners. Arnolds commended Joshco and its partners for ensuring dignity to those who need it the most, adding that not everyone in the city enjoys a dignified home due to the limited government funding, which is unable to deal with the human settlement challenges in real time. "It's a great honour to be here for this groundbreaking project. Human Settlement is not only about housing, but also addressing special planning that keeps our people on the periphery. We must work hard in translating policy into progress to ensure vision for housing for all is not spoken of but implemented and realised. "This is a powerful example of the city's commitment to bringing safety and dignity to our people. It is very important that we reach out and integrate our people into spaces such as this one," she said.
The Star
15 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
Malls must have recycling facility to get business licence starting Jan 2026, says Nga
KUALA LUMPUR: Shopping malls nationwide will have to provide recycling facilities on their premises to obtain business licences beginning next year, says Nga Kor Ming. The Housing and Local Government Minister made the announcement, saying it was part of the ongoing initiative to ensure a cleaner Malaysia following success in restricting the use of single use plastic bags last year. "But there is room for improvement and as such the National Circular Economy Council (NCEC) has decided that beginning Jan 1 next year, all shopping malls be equipped with recycling facilities. "They must provide such facilities which will become a condition for their business licence. "Shopping malls that do not have such facilities will not be given business licences from the local councils," he said when wrapping up debates on the Street, Drainage and Building (Amendment) Bill 2025 in Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (July 22). The NCEC was set up by the ministry to manage solid waste and accelerate the transition to a more sustainable model for the country. This includes adopting a waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and resource recovery approach to manage solid waste. Earlier, Nga informed the august House that the restriction of single use plastic bags campaign last year managed to prevent millions of such plastic bags from being discarded after their use. "Over 8,000 retailers supported the effort to restrict the use of single use plastic bags," he said. Meanwhile, Nga also announced that the Cabinet has agreed to designate the Hari Cuci Malaysia in conjunction with the World Clean Up Day on Sept 18 as a national programme. He said that this year's celebration will be held in Port Dickson and is expected to see 100,000 people participating in the community clean-up programme. He said the inaugural Hari Cuci Malaysia programme was held last year and it created three new records in the country. Nga said that 58,000 people participated in the event last year where 4,645 tons of waste was cleaned up in the longest gotong-royong effort between 8am and 8pm.
Daily News Egypt
a day ago
- Business
- Daily News Egypt
Madbouly reviews legalisation of newly annexed lands to new cities, housing offerings
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly chaired a meeting on Monday at the government headquarters in New Alamein City to follow up on the legalisation of land recently annexed to several new cities, alongside updates on housing and land offerings and other ongoing projects. The meeting was attended by Sherif El Sherbiny, Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities; Walid Abbas, First Deputy Chairperson of the New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA); and Amin Ghoneim, NUCA Deputy Chairperson for Urban Development and City Upgrading. At the start of the meeting, Madbouly stressed the importance of completing the legalisation process to protect state resources and regularise residents' status in these areas, thus ensuring legal and social stability. This, he noted, is critical for building integrated, well-planned urban communities. He also emphasised delivering legalised plots in a phased manner to maintain steady development. The Minister of Housing confirmed that the legalisation process is progressing steadily, with submitted applications under review and finalisation underway for cases that have completed the required procedures. El Sherbiny highlighted ongoing efforts to expedite the legalisation of land status for individuals and entities in newly added areas, aiming to speed up urban development and meet future housing needs. He also reviewed the Ministry's broader efforts to implement national projects that provide adequate housing units, strengthen infrastructure, and improve public services in new cities. These initiatives, he said, are aligned with the goals of the 'New Republic' and the political leadership's vision to enhance housing and urban development nationwide. El Sherbiny presented an update on current offerings covering housing units and land plots designed for different social segments. He explained that a diverse range of projects are being introduced under the presidential initiative 'Housing for All Egyptians.' This includes fully subsidised units for low-income groups under the Social Housing Programme, as well as units for middle-income groups offered with facilitated payment plans. Higher-income groups, meanwhile, can purchase units at market rates, with the revenue used to subsidise housing for lower-income citizens — a model aimed at promoting social justice. The Minister also reviewed projects targeting land located along key roads and highways, including ongoing works along the 26th of July Corridor. These works cover the expansion of the existing road beneath the monorail, stretching from the intersection with the Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road to the intersection with the Wahat Road, spanning parts of 6th of October and Sheikh Zayed cities.
