It seems George Osborne has learned from at least some of last year's mistakes. Rather than faffing about with taxes on caravans and Cornish pasties, he has come up with something really useful this time around the removal of stamp duty on Aim shares and other growth markets'. He is also consulting on whether these shares should be made eligible for individual savings accounts (Isas).
This is a smart move, but it's a pity it doesn't go further. Stamp duty is a hangover from the days when share certificates had to be physically stamped to show the buyer had paid a tax designed to cover administration costs. Those days are long gone, and now the 0.5% transaction tax is a drag on share trading on British exchanges.
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