You’ll have seen the Chancellor’s announcement that Stamp Duty on property purchases changed from Mid-night on 3rd December. Gone is the old Slab Rate of tax and a much fairer system has been brought in to replace it. According to George Osborne, 98% of all buyers will see a benefit with a reduction in the tax paid on purchase.
Here’s the link to HMRC’s on-line calculator and here’s a few worked examples http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/tools/sdlt/land-and-property.htm
Purchase Price | Stamp Duty Payable | Previously Payable | Amount Saved |
£135,000 | £200 | £1,350 | £1,150 |
£150,000 | £500 | £1,500 | £1,000 |
£165,000 | £800 | £1,650 | £850 |
£175,000 | £1,000 | £1,750 | £750 |
With every penny counting, this is great news. Look at it another way, a thousand pound savings will pay your solicitor’s fees.
Perhaps not in the run-up to Christmas but in the New Year, I would expect this to give some impetus to the current moribund housing market which should give would be buy to let investors more choice of property.
Not often a Chancellor of the Exchequer gives something this valuable away – there must be a General election coming up!
Mike White
Martin & Co Norwich
01603 766860
December 2014