The Resolution Foundation has said that homes across the UK have become increasingly unaffordable for struggling potential buyers. According to them the proportion of homeowners dropped from 72% in April 2003 to 58% this year in, for instance, Greater Manchester. Continue reading →

Lest we forget, Brexit, in the long term, will not only be the greatest emancipation of Britain’s talent, enterprise and innovation but, actually, in the short term, will paradoxically provide the greatest excuse for failure for both governments, industry and commerce alike. If it hadn’t existed they would need to invent it! Continue reading →

Something has to be done to repeal the draconian effects of Stamp Duty on residential market sales, as the markets in all price ranges are grinding to a screeching halt.

This is not good news for either consumer spending or the Treasury Receipts from SDLT that are so badly needed to reduce the stubborn Budget Deficit which, at best, remains unchanged from last year’s level of £70billion. There should have been a mid-way mark between the old rate of 7% Stamp Duty and the extraordinary level of 15% set by Osborne in his clumsy and ill-considered Autumn Statement in 2014 – he should have consulted more widely at the time before he ‘blurted’ this out but consensus policy-making was never his ‘Schtick’. Continue reading →