SOME second home owners in Wales may have to pay four times their current level of council tax from next year, under new plans outlined by the Welsh government.

Currently councils can charge a second home premium of up to 100 per cent but that will increase to 300 per cent from April 2023.

The move, included in a Labour-Plaid Cymru cooperation agreement, is said to be aimed at making it easier for people to afford homes in places where they grew up.

Recent months have seen a big surge in second home ownership in Ceredigion seaside villages such as Aberporth, Llangrannog and New Quay, while last year it emerged that only one Welsh speaker remained in the north Pembrokeshire hamlet of Cwmyreglwys.

Announcing the plans, Climate Change Minister Julie James claimed it was ‘the morally right thing to do’ to protect communities who were attracting increasing numbers of second home owners.

Gwynedd and Swansea are already charging a 100 per cent premium and Pembrokeshire – which along with Gwynedd has the highest percentage of second homes that are subject to a premium – will do so from next month.

In the 2022-23 tax year nine authorities will charge a premium, including Ceredigion who will charge 25 per cent.

Ministers will also raise the maximum premium for empty homes to 300 per cent.

According to the Welsh government council tax premiums are being paid on more than 23,000 properties in Wales this year.

Some homes are exempt from the premium - such as those needed for employees.

Reacting to this morning’s announcement, Jonathan Martin, a spokesman for the Home Owners of Wales Group, told BBC Radio Wales: “It's astounding and morally indefensible.

"Where do they think we're going to get this 300 per cent from?

“I can't afford it, that's for sure and I'm quite sure a lot of other people can't either."