Article: Sorry, we're off duty As high levels of stamp duty deter buyers, Christopher Browne reveals the tricks used by homeowners to ensure they clinch their sale

As the number of higher-band properties continues to rise, canny sellers are trying anything from car deals to backhanders to reduce the thousands of pounds worth of stamp duty that buyers have to stump up.

"The increase in duty over the past few years has made people turn to fiddles to get out of the huge tax bills levied on UK property deals," says Jennifer Israel, one of the country's leading property lawyers. There are, however, perfectly legal ways to get around the tax.

Michael Lu, a Chinese lawyer, has just put his seven-bedroom Victorian mansion in Holland Park, London, up for sale at pounds 8.95 million. Its unique selling point is stamp duty - or lack of it. Instead of paying ...

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