Mr Hammond, Sir, a multiplicity of businesses and property owners are suffering from the ineptitude of your predecessor and his ‘shock and awe’ SDLT hikes which have served to greatly distort the Capital’s Residential Property Markets in all sectors.
By exciting the markets in the lower prices, the vulnerable first time buyers have been further disenfranchised and the markets in the higher value ranges have been rendered stagnant and illiquid, with a 70% reduction in transactions. This has caused a needless DIY recession in this sector, resulting in less Stamp Duty Receipts for your Treasury.