Skip to main content
Donate to the 95 years appeal
Under current plans we will never house our homeless
All the government is doing is lining the pockets of developers with taxpayers’ money, says EMMA DENT COAD

IN 1966, leading Modern Movement architect Richard Seifert completed his iconic Centre Point office building at Tottenham Court Road. There were no takers for this space. It was empty for a decade. 

The developer got it wrong. In an area where homeless people gather, it was inevitable that it was occupied for a time. 

The homelessness charity Centrepoint, named as a reverse tribute to the empty hulk, was set up in a church nearby to tackle street homeless young people. 

  • Council tax, based on values at 1991, effectively a subsidy to landlords
  • Capital gains tax relief, which costs the country £6 billion a year
  • Lack of property tax, costing £11bn a year
  • Right to buy subsidy, costing £2bn a year
  • Shared ownership subsidies
  • Tax relief for buy-to-let interest-only mortgages
  • Help to buy, which has had many unintended outcomes, such as subsidising second homes for those earning six-figure sums
The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
A sign in a field by the M40 near Warwick, protesting the changes to inheritance tax (IHT) rules, November 2024
Landownership / 22 October 2025
22 October 2025

CAROL WILCOX argues for the proper implementation of the land value tax, which could see unused plots sold off and landlords priced out of landlordism, potentially resolving the housing and planning crises

Various For Sale, Sold and Let By estate agent signs juxtaposed next to a Dreams store in Clapham, London
Class / 18 July 2025
18 July 2025

Our housing crisis isn’t an accident – it’s class war, trapping millions in poverty while landlords and billionaires profit. To solve it, we need comprehensive transformation, not mere tokenistic reform, writes BECK ROBERTSON

Bath Street in Glasgow
Features / 24 March 2025
24 March 2025
While the council can generate much-needed income with this new charge, making the city sustainable and affordable for its all-important workers needs a wider approach that’s not just focused on tourism, writes IAN MacCORQUODALE