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 [...]
Conservatives call for ethics probe into Angela Rayner’s tax affairs August 30, 2025 Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner should face an ethics inquiry over her tax affairs, the Conservatives have said. The Telegraph newspaper claimed that Rayner, who is also the Housing Secretary, saved £40,000 in stamp duty on a second home she bought in Hove for £800,000. This was because she removed her name from the deed [...]
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 [...]
House prices recover after stamp duty hit August 20, 2025 House prices are rebounding from a post-April decline caused by Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ hike to stamp duty, official data has shown. The official house price index rose by 3.7 per cent in the year to June, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which was higher than 2.7 per cent growth seen in May. [...]
Reeves mulls ‘punishingly high’ new property taxes August 18, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering replacing stamp duty with a new national property tax on homes above £500,000, according to fresh reports. Senior ministers in the Treasury have been asked to study how a new “proportional” levy could be implemented and to model its impact ahead of potential tax changes in the Autumn Budget, The [...]
House prices rise ahead of key Bank of England rate decision August 7, 2025 House prices rose at their fastest pace since the start of the year in July, as buyers shake off concerns about higher property taxes and push ahead with purchases. Prices rose 0.4 per cent in June, according to the latest index from Halifax, with the average property price now £298,237 compared to £297,157 last month. [...]
Santander UK axes jobs and branches in transformation overhaul July 30, 2025 Santander UK recorded a surge in provisions as the bank powered forward with its transformation strategy slashing its branch network and shedding workers. The bank said provisions for other liabilities and charges were up 74 per cent to £249m driven by “higher transformation related charges”. The lender listed losses and provisions as rising 119.8 per [...]
Paragon maintains pace as stamp duty changes slow mortgage lending July 29, 2025 Paragon has weathered a shakeup in stamp duty as analysts hailed the FTSE 250 bank’s “excellent momentum” in the first nine months of the financial year. The London-listed business recorded £1.1bn mortgage lending for the first three quarters, but estimated full-year volumes at the lower end of targets at £1.6bn. The firm said subdued activity [...]
Rightmove demands stamp duty overhaul July 25, 2025 Rightmove has called on the government to overhaul stamp duty thresholds to help first-time buyers get on the property market. The UK’s largest property platform urged ministers to increase the thresholds at which the tax kicks in, to reflect house price rises that have occurred in recent years and “help mobility across many parts of [...]