Kelly Hoppen: Tax property owners who leave homes empty

 
Speaking out: Dragons’ Den star and interior designer Kelly Hoppen
IN EDITION 11 feb 2014 he Prince's Trust Invest In Futures dinner at The Savoy Hotel on February 6, 2014 in London, England. Pic Shows: Kelly Hoppen Pic Credit: Dave Benettf
11 February 2014

Dragon's Den star Kelly Hoppen has claimed that people who buy homes and leave them empty should be taxed.

The interior designer, who counts the Beckhams among her clients, said property owners who live in their houses already pay enough tax but absent ones should be forced to pay extra.

“I’m getting political here, but if you buy a property and don’t live in it, those are the people who should be taxed. For people actually living here, we’ve got enough bloody taxes, thank you very much. Where you have an economy where the gap gets bigger and bigger between rich and poor, you have a big problem,” the 54-year-old told The Times.

She said she feels “sick” when she sees how expensive a modest two-bedroom house has become, making it impossible for the young to buy. She said Britain was “ruining” its cities and needs to follow the example of Paris. “We need to protect our cities more. I was in Paris three days ago, so beautiful. All the little streets and tiny shops. But we’re ruining ours. King’s Road is a disaster.”

Hoppen said she is so in tune with her surroundings that she cannot help but notice if an interior does not fit. “My brain goes du-du-du-du-du — like that, and it knows where something is off line... It’s not like I would walk in and go, ‘Oh, I’m not sitting here unless you shift that sofa’. But if somebody says to me ‘Would you change anything?’ I will move something a fraction and they’ll go, ‘Oh, my God.’”

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