The Liberal Democrats have proposed linking Stamp Duty to the energy rating of a property as the party sets out its election manifesto.
The party’s central policy is to stop Brexit but its manifesto includes several pledges for the property market if the Lib Dems were to form a government, including building 300,000 homes a year by 2024.
The manifesto proposes graduating Stamp Duty by the energy rating of the property and allowing local authorities to increase council tax by up to 500% where homes are being bought as second homes.
The party said it would introduce a Stamp Duty surcharge on overseas residents purchasing second homes.
There is also another change that would hit landlords as the party has proposed abolishing the Capital Gains Tax-free allowance and instead taxing gains and salaries through a single unspecified allowance.
The document includes support for renters, with plans to establish a new Help to Rent scheme to provide government-backed tenancy deposit loans for all first-time renters under 30.
The LibDems said they would also promote longer tenancies of three years or more with an inflation-linked annual rent increase built in.
Comments (8)
sad to say but I don’t feel estate agents have any political home ….
The manifesto proposes graduating Stamp Duty by the energy rating of the property and allowing local authorities to increase council tax by up to 500% where homes are being bought as second homes.
Loonies. 500% would kill off PRS overnight. Yes people think they won’t get power and a good job with ideas like this.
Lib Dems are dead in the water and may be wiped out. Here is a party that is openly not following democracy, the wishes and the rights of the people and brags about it. A case of we don’t care what you asked for, we will prevent you doing what you wanted and while we are at it create the ‘deaf of a thousands cuts’ for the lingering pain we caused to the country. In or Out isn’t the issue, it is a political party that is preventing democracy and once they take this route … can they ever be trusted?
‘Here is a party not following democracy; the wishes and the rights of the people’
If by that you mean that you disapprove of the LibDems standing on a platform of stopping Brexit, how can that be undemocratic? It’s a free election isn’t it? We all have the choice to vote for them or not. If you want Brexit, vote Boris. If you want something or other that may or may not possibly be Brexit or not then vote for Corbyn. If you want to stop Brexit vote LibDem.
I think the LibDems would be useless in government – but I will vote for them as the only party clearly standing on a stop Brexit ticket – and five years of LibDem ineptitude will be a small price to pay for stopping something that will damage this country for decades to come.
Dons tin hat and ducks below parapet.
“Democracy” voted to leave regardless if you agree or disagree. Rather than come together to get it done, what they all did was nothing short of personal agendas and used all sorts of tactics to stop what the majority of people asked for. That is our democracy being ignored. Brexit is not the concern here, it is Democracy and the Lib Dems have made it known, they do not believe in the democratic vote of our nation, but they want your votes and even entered into packs with other political parties to manipulate the votes at the coming general election! Brexit has exposed what many have known for a very long time, politicans from all parties often say anything to get votes and then do as they please but now Lib Dems have escalted it to, we don’t care about the country unless its our way.
Lets be honest, the likelihood of a Liberal Democrat government is so slim these measures are unlikely to see the light of day. As will all of the parties, the number of new homes built has fallen by over 50% over the past 30 years rom 7.5m to 3.3m. House prices have increased five fold since 1959 but Land has increased by FIFTEEN fold. The issue is with the supply of land and new homes not being built in areas close to large employment centres and growing populations. Labour have committed to building 1m new homes and the Green Party in alliance with the Liberal Democrats have pledged 100,000 new Zero Carbon rated houses. Neither level will go anyway to meeting the current shortfall. Where all these under 30’s are going to rent with deposit in hand and with Landlords being further penalised and a chronic housing shortage is anyone’s guess. Second homes, billionaires are all headline grabbing news but in reality are so small in number, the revenue from increased Council Tax being charged at 500% and surcharges on on foreign second hones will be minimal; probably won’t even meet the cost of the Stamp duty reforms. Property Eye in the sky:)
At least the Lib Dems are thinking outside of the box and they have a reputation for listening to people first rather than marching in regardless. Yes, they won’t be the largest party, but they have a very good chance of having at least 50 MPs and a lot of influence if that is the case.
May I remind everyone George Osborne didn’t exactly do the property market any favours, secondly I rather prefer Lib Dems to Cons & Lab because at least they have a clear vision and a simple goal of keeping Britain in the common market, you know the place where we actually make money and are not expected to eat chlorinated chicken !!!
And people think Labour are bad for the housing market!!