You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Morning Briefing: Javid denies reports of stamp duty shake-up
The chancellor denies reports that he will switch stamp duty from buyers to sellers, despite a front-page story over the weekend announcing the policy, and other housing news
In the news
New chancellor Sajid Javid made headlines over the weekend with some radical plans to reform stamp duty by passing the tax to the seller rather than the buyer, apparently revealed in an interview with The Times, with the story placed on the front page on Saturday.
The policy drew praise from the Association of Accounting Technicians – which promoted the policy and said it would “be considerably fairer, simpler, more effective and cheaper” than the current system.
Carol Lewis, commissioning editor at The Times, criticised the policy. She warned that it could “put the brakes on the entire chain” by putting older people off downsizing.
But after all this excitement Mr Javid denied the plans on social media, tweeting:
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. t.co/9OVk3XiqMd
— Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid)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. https://t.co/9OVk3XiqMd
— Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) August 18, 2019
Elsewhere, the chancellor certainly has announced £600m for infrastructure spending, which is aimed at “unlocking” the delivery of 50,000 new homes in high-demand areas.
The housing market has also seen an unseasonal surge in transactions in August, according to figures from Rightmove, reported by Reuters. There is speculation that this results from sellers seeking to wrap up deals before Brexit.
Property Wire reports that retail-to-residential conversions have fallen by 17%, despite many predicting a boom as a result of the disappearance of many retail businesses from the high street.
The BBC has published a long read looking into the fire in the care home in Cheshire, with interviews with firefighters and residents.
It reports that the fire, which destroyed the three-storey, 150-home complex, started in the roof. Onlookers helped drag residents from the blaze and there were reports of one using an angle grinder to cut down a fence to free a grandmother. Residents lost all their possessions – including one woman who reported the loss of her husband’s ashes.
Finally in local news, the Ross-shire Journal reports on the danger that a generation of Highlanders could be lost to the area because of a lack of affordable housing and the prevalence of holiday homes.
On social media
Want to be the next vice-president (and afterwards the president) of the Chartered Institute of Housing, or know someone who would? Nominations close at 5pm on Friday.
Nominations for the next CIH vice-president close at 5pm on Friday. If you think you’re up to this amazing job, apply now at t.co/TXrOFc2yv9. #CIHVPelection pic.twitter.com/U7YwXJ0r43
— Chartered Institute of Housing (@CIHhousing)Nominations for the next CIH vice-president close at 5pm on Friday. If you think you're up to this amazing job, apply now at https://t.co/TXrOFc2yv9. #CIHVPelection pic.twitter.com/U7YwXJ0r43
— Chartered Institute of Housing (@CIHhousing) August 18, 2019
What a fabulous opportunity to make a difference to #ukhousing and the future of @CIHhousing
— Peter Bond FCIH (@petebond7)
Still plenty of time to put your nominations forward.@Bushbell @strangparkhead @Alison_Inman @SLH_Julie @geraldinehowley @paulwdiggory @Paddygray1 @pilkingtonhalet.co/49X0OjlJZiWhat a fabulous opportunity to make a difference to #ukhousing and the future of @CIHhousing
— Peter Bond FCIH (@petebond7) August 18, 2019
Still plenty of time to put your nominations forward.@Bushbell @strangparkhead @Alison_Inman @SLH_Julie @geraldinehowley @paulwdiggory @Paddygray1 @pilkingtonhalehttps://t.co/49X0OjlJZi
The big issues that impact the regeneration and delivery of social housingSPONSORED ARTICLE
