The aspiring Tessa Jowell and her mayoral aspirations are reflected in her latest epistle in the Independent newspaper recently about recommending local councils impose a tax on empty homes if they remain so for more than 6 months.

Does she really think that reasonably intelligent people buy homes that are non-income-producing and leave them empty just to take advantage of the capital gain?  If they do, they are stupid! Continue reading →

And there we were thinking that Mr. Mandelson was just a ‘hob knobbing’, ‘champagne socialist’ before his pronouncement on Mansion Tax as daft, crass and ineffective.

He is absolutely right you know and it is typical of the two ‘Eds’ and their penchant for stealing other parties policies without giving the matter much pre-thought ! Continue reading →

I agree entirely that the old slab-sided Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) system needed reforming and I have been lobbying for this for some while.  Well done George it was long overdue.

The old system was skewering sales, particularly above £2million whereby practically no sales took place between £2 and £ 2.4million in the past two years.  I wonder why? Continue reading →