What's wrong in the UK and how can we fix it?

House prices:

  • Reform council tax as the bands haven't been revised since 1991 and house prices have gone haywire meantime. Why should a FTSE 100 middle-tier executive or hospital consultant on £300k pay the same for their £2m end terrace in Wimbledon (which has risen in value since it was bought for naff all in 1986) as a Saudi billionaire on their £50m McMansion on the Bishop's Avenue?

  • Mansion tax - but at a higher threshold than currently proposed. Let's face it, if you own a £10m house you can easily afford to pay a

  • Tax gathered from private rental income should be spent on social and council housing projects, or subsidies for developers to build more homes

Private rents:

  • Reform council tax to meet modern property values, as the housing market has changed an awful lot since 1991. Why a hospital consultant or FTSE 100 middle-tier executive in Wimbledon pays the same council tax on their £1.5m end-terrace as a Saudi billionaire on the Bishop's Avenue and a shady Russian in Knightsbridge is beyond me

  • Outright ban on BTL-specific mortgage and loan products, with a complete ban on charging rent for a property that is subject to a mortgage

  • A ban on mortgages for second homes or properties that aren't your primary residence

  • Cap rents based on the property type and value, similar to council tax bands

  • Residential properties cannot be owned by companies or trusts - named UK-based invididuals only

(The idea here is to make BTL a pain in the arse and discourage everyone from getting on the bandwagon)

Rail fares:

  • Government subsidy

Fixing all of the above would make life easier for literally millions of people.

/r/unitedkingdom Thread