Rayner quits over stamp duty controversy: should the tax be abolished?

Angela Rayner has relinquished her deputy prime minister role, but does ‘Rayner-gate’ flag how unfair the stamp duty land tax rules are in the first place?

Angela Rayner outside Number 10
(Image credit: Getty Images - Anadolu)

When Angela Rayner, the now-former deputy prime minister and housing secretary, was caught underpaying stamp duty on her £800,000 seaside flat, it was widely expected that she would step down.

The government’s ethics adviser found Rayner had breached the ministerial code when it came to tax affairs.

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Rayner, who was Keir Starmer’s right-hand woman, has put Labour in a deeply embarrassing position. A strong working class woman with the ability to help Labour connect with parts of the electorate, Rayner has been a role model in her now former role of deputy prime minister.

Stamp duty problems

If there is one thing Rayner’s career-damaging mistake may have exposed, it is that stamp duty is unfair and unclear, and easy to avoid (clearly).

Yes, most taxes are deemed unfair – but the fact is stamp duty simply makes housing unaffordable as house prices remain high, it makes the market illiquid and makes it harder for people to buy a house or move.

It restricts labour mobility and is a barrier to economic growth. Economic growth that Reeves really wants.

The housing market is broken and stamp duty should be scrapped – the system does not lend itself to growth, but one that instead stifles it.

Stamp duty was introduced in 1694 - well over 300 years ago – as a way of putting a stamp on official documents to allow tax collection.

While Labour is not considering any such abolition of this hated tax, there have been rumours for it to be replaced by a new levy on properties priced over £500,000.

It could benefit some buyers, but we do not yet know the finer details of the real impact it could have, should such a property tax come into play.

People selling in London could be hardest hit, with the average property price now £566,000, according to the latest data from HM Land Registry.

Kalpana Fitzpatrick

Kalpana is an award-winning journalist with extensive experience in financial journalism. She is also the author of Invest Now: The Simple Guide to Boosting Your Finances (Heligo) and children's money book Get to Know Money (DK Books).

Her work includes writing for a number of media outlets, from national papers, magazines to books.

She has written for national papers and well-known women’s lifestyle and luxury titles. She was finance editor for Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Red and Prima.

She started her career at the Financial Times group, covering pensions and investments.

As a money expert, Kalpana is a regular guest on TV and radio – appearances include BBC One’s Morning Live, ITV’s Eat Well, Save Well, Sky News and more. She was also the resident money expert for the BBC Money 101 podcast .

Kalpana writes a monthly money column for Ideal Home and a weekly one for Woman magazine, alongside a monthly 'Ask Kalpana' column for Woman magazine.

Kalpana also often speaks at events. She is passionate about helping people be better with their money; her particular passion is to educate more people about getting started with investing the right way and promoting financial education.