Holiday home owners who currently receive Furnished Holiday Lettings (FHL) relief are likely to be penalised by changes to be announced in the pre-budget report next month.

Currently, furnished properties which are available to let for at least 140 days a year are eligible for tax relief on furniture and fittings.

It’s estimated that the new measures could affect around 60,000 second home owners.

Plans to repeal FHL were announced earlier this year to bring the UK in line with European law. Farming groups have expressed disappointment that they were not consulted. National Farmers’ Union deputy president Meurig Raymond says: ‘Such businesses can provide a much-needed boost to farm incomes in many areas of the country, and allow visitors from both home and abroad to enjoy the natural beauty of the environment in which farmers live and work. The current proposals not only put at risk the viability of such businesses, but also the wider benefits that tourism brings to rural areas.’