Government officials appeared to suddenly reign in suggestions of a UK stamp duty holiday on Thursday.
Earlier in the week chancellor Alistair Darling did not rule out letting people delay paying the tax when buying a home, but the Treasury hit out at what it called “speculation” over the idea.
According to the BBC, a Treasury statement read:
“Recent news stories suggesting the government has put forward a proposal on stamp duty are simply wrong. These stories are based on speculation.
“As has been said on many previous occasions, the government has made clear that there are a number of options we will need to consider to help businesses and people get through what is undoubtedly a difficult time.”
Property professionals now fear the uncertainty may already have been enough to prompt some buyers to hold off further in the hope of a duty holiday which may never materialise.
Peter Bolton King, chief executive of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) said:
“Although we have called for a stamp duty holiday, I wish he hadn’t said it.”
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