Article: Stamp duty up tenfold under Labour as London buyers pay record Pounds 1.7bn

THE stamp duty burden on home buyers in the capital has soared more than tenfold since Labour came to power, figures show today.

A record Pounds 1.725 billion was raked in by the Treasury from London house moves last year, according to latest statistics published by HM Revenue Customs.

This was almost a third more than the Pounds 1.305 billion in 2005/06 and compares with Pounds 165 million a decade ago.

The new figures were quietly published after shadow chancellor George Osborne pledged to abolish stamp duty for first-time buyers on homes costing less than Pounds 250,000.

At present, stamp duty kicks in at one per cent at Pounds 125,000, rising to three per cent at Pounds 250,000 and four ...

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