General Election 8th June – Who on earth do landlords vote for?

Reply to the comment left by "Mark Alexander" at "20/04/2017 - 08:58":

I'm thick lol

Actually, the simplest solution is to field 'Axe the Tenant Tax' candidates. I will suggest it to Chris and Steve now.

Reply to the comment left by "Dr Rosalind Beck" at "20/04/2017 - 09:19":

Don't forget tenants are tactical as well. Highlight that their landlords are seriously considering selling up might get their vote. Most tenants will be oblivious to what is about to happen to them. The more publicity, the more pressure on the CONS. They might just introduce S24 going forwards rather than retrospectively. If the did that I would vote for them!

The Conservatives should be the party of free markets, lower taxes, deregulation, aspiration, enterprise, supporting business, entrepreneurship, financial self sufficiency, etc, etc.
i.e The party for landlords.

Just because the weasel Osborne betrayed that doesn't change things.

Landlords should be ramming it down the throats of party campaigners, councillors, local party chairmen, M.P's and prospective candidates.

From a Conservative values perspective, section 24 is unarguable.

Even from a Socialist perspective of tilting the playing field to give the Snowflakes the house they so richly deserve, it is still hard to justify.

The extreme left French presidential candidate, Melenchon, has come up with a similar plan- to tax the rich at 100%.
Bonkers mental, the politics of envy.

copy of letter to Edward Timpson my MP
Hi Edward

As we now have a general election looming I hope that you will be campaigning for the withdrawal of the Section 24 Act against private landlords (ONLY). As a landlord providing essential social housing I am appalled that I ( and other sole trader landlords ) am being singled out to be taxed on money that I pay for any mortgages that I have. In no other business are they singled out in this way and they are not taxed on money they pay OUT during running of their business as I do (even limited company landlords are not singled out this way!!) !. Everyone else in business can offset these costs against income.

I understand that this is the Conservative mantra but I do feel that this is a good time to stand up for basic principals of equality (as the conservative party are very fond of saying)

regards

Ian Burton

I thought this would be much more clear cut for us landlords. My thoughts .....

As landlords we have demonstrated that we all believe in working hard, building self sufficiency, helping those that help themselves, less interference in our business. So we are naturally right wing.

Labour and green are extreme left, liberals fairly left, conservatives - God knows but much further left then what people expect. UKIP are moderately right wing somewhere near where conservatives are supposed / expected to be.

It's ukip for me as they are the only moderate right wing party left. Despite what the angry lazy guardianistas say ukip are not far right and they are not extreme. Corbyn is much further out on the extreme scale than ukip. I do know that some people are reluctant to publicly voice support for ukip because they get told very angrily and very loudly that they are a facist racist bigot. Somehow right wing seems to have become equated with bad.

Is anyone prepared to set up a campaign petition using @38_degrees and/or @change.org ? These organisations have millions of followers/users and this could be a way to reach a large audience?

Gail

Reply to the comment left by "NW Landlord" at "20/04/2017 - 09:49":

Problem is, how ever much we hate what that snake Osbourne did, they are still the better option, if we let anyone else in our lives will be ten times worse.

We have to vote conservative and not voting at all is even worse, it just shows we have given up.

Reply to the comment left by "Colin Dartnell" at "20/04/2017 - 16:49":

Not voting and spoiling the paper are very different things, though...

I've just sent this email to my Tory MP, Therese Coffey -

I hope this finds you well. Now that a General Election has been called I hope you will be lobbying for a change in section 24 of the Finance Act 2015 which penalises small landlords like myself - and I’m sure many of your other constituents. As a landlord providing good quality accommodation in the PRS and social sectors, and as a Tory, I remain appalled by Osborne's policy of levying tax on gross rents & not taking into account actual mortgage interest costs. As I’m sure you’re aware, many landlords have incorporated their business as Ltd Co’s are still able to offset their full costs against rental income before they pay tax. I understand that the Govt is trying to 'professionalise' the sector but I fail to understand how encouraging us to incorporate does that - the service to our tenants won't improve by adding a layer of complexity and cost to our operations. Penalising sole trader landlords retrospectively is also not the way to do this. We provide a valuable ‘infil’ service in places where institutional investors will not go. The effect of the policy is to increase our costs and I have already had to tell one couple who are good, longstanding tenants renting a property in Saxmundham that I won’t be renewing their tenancy when it expires, as I will now be making a loss on the property, and when interest rates go up that loss will only increase. So please note that it is not just small landlords that are affected – their tenants are too. Couples and families will struggle to find single lets at reasonable rents as returns for landlords don’t stack any longer.

What I really don’t understand is how a party that is meant to be pro business could introduce such a measure. On the face of it it appears that the Govt doesn’t understand the difference between income and profit! Currently other sole traders operating in different sectors & incorporated businesses can offset their costs against income to produce a profit figure on which they pay tax, so why not small landlords? Or will you be extending the principal to them too, so that restaurants won’t be able to claim the cost of the food they prepare, or taxi drivers can’t claim their vehicle costs in case restaurants push up the cost of food or taxi drivers push up vehicle costs for the rest of us?

I do hope the Conservatives are returned with a greater majority so that May has the clear mandate she needs to negotiate Brexit effectively. With a larger majority maybe the Govt will finally tackle the root causes of high house prices and rents which is the demand and supply imbalance. In the meantime I struggle to support the Govt on the issue of s24 as it seems grossly unfair to me, and a lot of my fellow landlords won’t be voting Tory this time round as a result of it as they feel that they’ve been ‘stabbed in the back’. Some of them are urging their tenants not to vote Tory too!"

It's a bit long winded - sorry about that but she's paid to read it!