The taxes driving housing developers out of London Opinion Stealth taxes faced by would-be builders have made London the most expensive city in the world to build, writes David Hirst.
Property taxes send UK to ‘second-bottom’ of global rankings Economics The UK is second-bottom of global competitiveness rankings for property taxes, fresh analysis has shown, undermining Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ ambition to “back the builders, not the blockers”. The Tax Foundation’s International Tax Competitiveness Index placed the UK at 32nd out of 38 in a damning indictment of HMRC’s complicated rules and a higher burden preventing [...]
Build, baby, build? Not without serious property tax reform Opinion YIMBYs are right about planning reform, but we must also urgently tackle our broken property tax system to beat the housing crisis.
The Debate: Should we abolish stamp duty for primary homes? October 15, 2025 Kemi Badenoch's promise to abolish stamp duty was met with cheers by the Conservatives, but is it actually a good idea?
Economic uncertainty pushes potential house buyers to hold off September 30, 2025 An unpredictable economic and policy landscape has caused a slowdown in housebuying activity in the UK, according to new data. There were 93,630 UK residential transactions in August, two per cent higher than August 2024 but two per cent lower than July 2025, according to HMRC. There’s been a “noticeable shift” in sentiment amongst Brits [...]
Brits shy away from buying houses as uncertainty over property tax increases September 11, 2025 Buyer inquiries and sales slipped in August, with ‘ongoing uncertainty’ putting the brakes on the UK’s housing market, according to new data. Agreed sales slipped sharply, with a net balance of 24 per cent of property professionals seeing transactions fall, up from a balance of 17 per cent the previous month, the Royal Institution of [...]
Angela Rayner on the brink: Deputy PM underpaid stamp duty on purchase of £800,000 property September 3, 2025 Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has referred herself to the standards watchdog after she admitted to underpaying stamp duty on her second home in Hove. A spokesperson for Keir Starmer has refused to confirm the date Rayner informed the Prime Minister about her tax dealings, raising questions on when he found out about new tax [...]
How likely are property tax reforms in the Autumn budget? September 3, 2025 Rumours have been swirling in Westminster about a variety of property tax changes Rachel Reeves might introduce in this Autumn’s budget – or further down the line – in an attempt to plug a £40bn gap in the nation’s finances while overhauling a complex system of levies and charges. The Treasury is reportedly looking into [...]
Stamp duty overhaul could save prime London buyers £500k September 1, 2025 Buyers of prime London mansions could see huge benefits from a move to an annual property tax, according to new data. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is reportedly considering replacing stamp duty with a new national property tax on homes, as well as replacing council tax with an annual property tax. Stamp duty, which is paid in bands tied [...]
House sales rise in summer, but will property tax rumours kill confidence? August 29, 2025 The UK housing market has proved remarkably resilient this year despite significant pressures, with sales on track to match 2022 highs. The number of UK residential transactions in July was 95,580, four per cent higher than July 2024 and one per cent higher than June 2025, according to the latest data from HMRC. The market [...]