On Thursday morning Sam Tanson, Minister for Housing, detailed the priorities of her housing policy to the relevant parliamentary commission.
The second edition of the housing pact will be put through to the chamber and will include municipalities. According to Tanson, housing is not a political subject, but instead a challenge that requires cooperation.
The minister plans to reform the 1979 legislation that defines conventions and subsidies. The law will be replaced by new legislation more appropriate to current circumstances. The housing pact will soon be presented to the chamber with municipalities woven into it, as Tanson believes it is impossible to resolve the housing issue with the municipalities' involvement.
Up until now, half of municipalities have not yet worked with the Ministry of Housing and have not had any projects focusing on affordable or social housing. The DP's Max Hahn agreed that municipalities need support in this venture, especially the smaller and middling ones that may be overwhelmed by such projects.
The ADR's Roy Reding criticised the plan to raise council tax, but did praise the minister as one of the ADR's proposals is in the minister's programme: collaborating with private entities to build social housing.
The LSAP's Yves Cruchten was pleased that the minister's programme includes the proposal to create a fund to purchase land. Tanson's predecessor had told the Left's David Wagner that reconsidering agency fees was out of the question, but Tanson is willing to re-examine the proposal.
The CSV and Marc Lies, however, are critical of the VAT rise on second homes.
