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Esquerra Republicana (ERC) has decided to bring to the plenary session of Congress on November 11 a bill to create a tax on owners of three or more homes, amid growing tensions with the PSOE over the housing crisis and following the break with Junts. The initiative aims to test the position of the Socialists in a context of strong disagreements with their parliamentary partners, especially Sumar, which even called for the resignation of the Minister of Housing, Isabel Rodríguez, over her management.

ERC’s proposal establishes a progressive tax on the accumulation of residential real estate assets, to be applied starting from the third property. This tax would have rates of 4%, 8%, and 12% between the third and fifth homes, respectively, and from the fifth property onward, an additional 5% would be added for each new one. According to ERC, the goal is to penalize speculative housing concentration and promote both the ownership of a single residence and long-term or social rental housing.

In addition, the party proposes eliminating the tax benefits enjoyed by Listed Real Estate Investment Companies (Socimi), which it accuses of operating under an “almost tax-exempt” regime and contributing to the financialization of housing. Regarding VAT, ERC suggests immediately applying a 21% rate to tourist-use properties, aligning with a similar measure proposed by the PSOE, in order to ensure these accommodations are taxed according to the real value of the services they provide.

Finally, ERC proposes raising the minimum property tax (IBI) rate for homes that are not primary residences and are owned by large landlords, allowing municipalities to penalize tourist rentals and encourage stable, sustainable residential use. ERC’s housing spokesperson, Etna Estrems, defended these measures as a way to correct decades of policies that have favored the private market and large property owners. In her words, “Housing cannot continue to be treated as a commodity, but as a right.”