The government has announced a reduction in stamp duty, the tax paid by purchasers of real estate in England and Northern Ireland.

The threshold at which tax becomes due has been increased to £250,000 from the present level of £125,000.

In the meantime, the threshold for first-time purchasers has risen from £300,000 to £425,000.

According to Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, the measures should exempt 200,000 individuals from stamp duty.

Additionally, the chancellor boosted £500,000 to £625,000 the property valuation for which first-time buyers can obtain stamp duty relief.

A purchaser who spends £500,000 on a home will now pay £12,500 instead of the previous $15,000.

As he submitted his mini-budget to the House of Commons, Mr. Kwarteng stated, “Homeownership is the most popular way for individuals to acquire an asset, which gives them a stake in the development of our economy and society.”

The reduction in stamp duty is permanent as of today.

In Scotland, the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax and in Wales, the Land Transaction Tax apply at different rates.

Under the amendments outlined by the chancellor, anyone who spends £250,000 on a home in England or Northern Ireland will be exempt from paying £2,500 in stamp duty, which was previously levied at a rate of 2% between £125,000 and £250,000.

Anyone paying more than £300,000 who is not a first-time buyer will now pay £2,500 instead of the prior £5,000 fee.

Some first-time purchasers, however, stated that the increase in the stamp duty threshold would not be beneficial.

Mark James, a 37-year-old sales executive from Portsmouth, and his partner have been hunting for a home since the beginning of the year.

However, since the one-year stamp tax break during the Covid epidemic, he claims, the housing market has been “totally insane.

He asserts that “nothing is within grasp.” However, he believes that raising the stamp duty threshold will make things worse for first-time purchasers since it will cause further price increases.

He noted that increasing the barrier for first-time buyers to £425,000 will not help many individuals.

“In reality, most first-time buyers cannot afford such an expensive home,” he remarked. And it could boost the price of the property under the cap, making it unaffordable for individuals like myself.

He says that rising interest rates will make mortgages even less affordable.

However, London real estate agent Jeremy Leaf stated, “The stamp duty drop should encourage first-time homebuyers to take the jump.

He stated that this would be beneficial not only for the market but also for employment and social mobility in general, as well as the economy as a whole.

However, rising interest rates, which will result in more expensive mortgages, will weigh on the housing market, according to Tom Bill, head of residential research for Knight Frank in the United Kingdom.

“Many buyers will discover that the impact of rising mortgage rates quickly outweighs the advantage of a stamp duty cut, which will keep prices under steady downward pressure next year.”