Scottish Greens propose holiday home tax to protect Gaelic language and address housing crisis.

The Scottish Greens are proposing a tax on holiday homes to protect Gaelic language, citing high concentrations of Gaelic speakers in areas like Skye. Three in five properties in Skye are holiday homes, driving up house prices £60,000 above the national average. The Greens aim to make it harder for wealthy individuals to buy second homes and short-term lets, making it easier for locals to secure their own homes.

The Scottish Greens have introduced a proposal to impose a higher tax on second home owners, specifically targeting areas with high concentrations of Gaelic speakers. The aim is to protect the Gaelic language, which is at risk of extinction, and to ease housing affordability for local residents.

Ross Greer, a Green MSP and the party’s finance spokesman, is set to table an amendment to a bill currently under consideration in Holyrood. The amendment would allow ministers to levy a surcharge on those buying holiday homes in areas designated as "special language areas" under the recently passed Scots Languages Bill. These areas include Skye, where three in five properties are holiday homes or short-term lets, driving up house prices by £60,000 above the national average [1].

Greer argues that the high demand for second homes and short-term lets has priced out local residents, particularly first-time buyers. He believes that a 100% surcharge on council tax for second homes could make it more difficult for wealthy individuals to buy up these properties, thereby reducing the number of holiday homes and making it easier for locals to secure their own homes [1].

The Scottish Greens are not the first to target second homes as a solution to Scotland's housing crisis. All 32 Scottish councils have applied a 100% second home council tax premium for the 2025-2026 tax year. Edinburgh became the first local authority to introduce licensing for short-term lets in 2022, declaring the entire city a "control zone" [1].

However, the effectiveness and fairness of these measures are debated. Fiona Campbell MBE of the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC) expressed concern that the proposals seem more like "clickbait headlines" than credible solutions to the rural housing challenges [1].

The Greens' proposal comes amidst broader efforts to address Scotland's housing crisis. The number of visitors to the Highlands has surged by 65% since 2012, with nearly 36,000 campervans touring the region in 2022. Some politicians have called for a "campervan tax" to deal with this surge [1].

As of May 2025, the average house price in Scotland was £191,927, with the average price in the Highlands, including Skye, at £220,125 [1].

References:
[1] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/property/second-homes/scottish-greens-holiday-homes-tax-protect-gaelic-language/