Vacancy tax faces an uncertain future

What next for the plans to introduce a tax on vacant properties? This question arises after DP capital mayor Lydie Polfer questioned the project over the summer – or did she?

In the Radio 100,7 studio on 1 October, the députée-maire defended herself against the statement in a Land article that she wanted to reject a building register for the capital, which would have meant sabotaging a project of the government and thus also of her own party. "That's not true, " Polfer replied to a question, saying that she had merely "pointed out" the already known concerns that the Syvicol Association of Municipalities and Towns or the Council of State had formulated in their reports.

In the Land article in question, however, Polfer was quoted in August as saying: "We don't need a national register of vacant properties, but a precise definition of what a vacant property is. If things were clearer, we could apply this tax ourselves."

The few objections raised by the Council of State to the housing register text – especially compared to the more than a dozen constitutional objections to the property tax reform draft – did not present the legislator with an insurmountable task. And even though the Syvicol had formulated a long list of concerns and demands, the syndicate welcomed the government's plans in principle, both with regard to the property tax reform and the creation of the RNBL.