The Sunday Times recently reported that Rishi Sunak was examining the replacement of Council Tax and possibly also Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) with a new property tax.
While the abolition of Council Tax, yet alone SDLT, is not going to be announced on 3 March, it could be a possibility down the line and it will be interesting to see whether there are any ‘levelling up’ consultations announced in the Budget which touch on reform of property tax.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) puts the amount to be raised by Council Tax in 2020/21 at £38.1bn, making it the fifth largest source of Government receipts. Council Tax is a devolved tax, meaning Scotland and Wales have their own variants (with different bands) and Northern Ireland has retained the rates system. Thus, if the Chancellor made changes, he would only have the power to do so in England.
There are few defenders of the English Council Tax system:
Ever since Council Tax replaced the widely criticised Community Charge (aka poll tax) in 1993, successive Governments have been frightened of making any meaningful changes. Indeed, the Council Tax system has been used as a way of back door tax increases and/or imposing austerity. For example, the cap on tax increases without a local referendum (2%) takes no account of inflation. Similarly, Governments have in recent years allowed councils to levy an ‘adult social care precept’. Following the Chancellor’s announcement in the Spending Review, for 2021/22 the precept will mean a Council Tax increase of up to 3% on top of the normal capped increase of up to 2%, i.e. up to 5% in total.
The Sunday Times suggested that the Treasury was looking at an idea beloved of think tanks, a property tax as a fixed percentage of property value. The approach is one way to levy a wealth tax on the family home under a different label. Research by WPI Economics, referred to in the article, showed that on a revenue-neutral basis, a 0.48% charge would be required. Apply that to Nationwide’s house price data and the London payment would average £2,335 per property against £660 in the North.
A further proposal is that the flat rate Council Tax replacement could also be used as a substitute for SDLT. That could have some appeal to the Treasury, as it would replace receipts that fluctuated with the vagaries of the housing market with a much steadier flow of revenue. Based on residential SDLT receipts of £8.422bn in 2019/20, that would imply a combined Council Tax/SDLT replacement rate of around 0.6%.
Articles on this website are offered only for general information and educational purposes. They are not offered as, and do not constitute, financial advice. You should not act or rely on any information contained in this website without first seeking advice from a professional.
Past performance is not a guide to future performance and may not be repeated. Capital is at risk; investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and investors may not get back the amounts originally invested.
You are now departing from the regulatory site of Finura. Finura is not responsible for the accuracy of the information contained within the linked site.
Sources: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rishi-sunak-eyes-tax-rises-in-march-budget-gmd3qpmkb
https://www.techlink.co.uk/user/knowledge/browse/other/114681_BUDGET_2021/121334_Another_Budget_rumour/
There are multiple ways to make a positive social impact with your money. Here are six of the most common that you may wish to consider, that your Finura financial planner can help you to implement.
Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) rates for additional residential properties have been increased from three percentage points above the standard residential rates of SDLT to five percentage points above the standard residential rates of SDLT for any transactions which take place on or after 31 October 2024.
Below is a summary of the rates which applied from 23 September 2022 – 30 October 2024 to additional properties versus the new rates with effect from 31 October 2024.
Have you ever found yourself asking “When can I afford to retire?”, “Can I afford to leave a legacy for my loved ones?”, “How much do I need to be saving for retirement?”. If you have, lifestyle modelling will likely be beneficial for you.