Budget 2010: Stamp duty threshold rises to £250,000 for FTBs

The giveaway means residential property buyers will pay no tax for house purchases below £250,000. The stamp duty cut is similar to Tory policy, so will likely stay in place whoever wins the General Election. In his Pre-Budget Report in December, the Chancellor decided not to extend the stamp duty holiday, returning it to the £125,000 limit. Some analysts claimed the move halted the recovery in the housing market. The Council of Mortgage Lenders has estimated that if the £250,000 threshold had existed in 2009, 92% of first-time buyers and 69% of movers would have been exempt. Th...