Issue with stamp duty regime is 'the cost - not who pays it'

摘要

The hubbub was short-lived. On Saturday, The Times caused a stir in property circles and beyond when it reported that chancellor Sajid javid was considering flipping stamp duty so that the tax burden would fall on sellers rather than buyers. The move, the paper said, would ensure that first-time buyers never pay stamp duty and would help families move up the housing ladder, while at the same time hitting older generations that have benefited from rising property values when they decide to downsize. javid, however, quickly sought to kill the story. Two days later, the chancellor tweeted via his personal account: "More speculation about stamp duty this morning. To be clear, I never said to @thetimes I was planning to put it on sellers, and I wouldn't support that. I know from @mhclg that we need bold measures on housing - but this isn't one of them."