Irwin Mitchell Experts Share Their Views

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng delivered his ‘Mini’ Budget on Friday 23 September 2022 setting out the Government’s tax and spending plans. Our experts share their views and explain how some of the announcements may affect you:

Jeremy Raj, National Head of Residential Property at Irwin Mitchell comments:

Expert Opinion

“These new measures will be greeted particularly warmly by buyers at the lower end of the market and by first time buyers, who will either benefit from a significant reduction in the amount of tax payable on transactions already in progress, or – as is the government’s aim – be encouraged to take that first step onto the housing ladder.

“It also appears to have been carefully constructed to ensure that the overall SDLT take of some £12Billion will not take too much of a hit, given the very high rates at the top of the market, which account for a large percentage of the total. Anything that stimulates the market without depleting the Government’s coffers excessively is likely to be helpful to the economy overall and on that basis should be applauded, particularly given that addressing the fundamental supply-side issues in our housing market can only be achieved over the long term. It is accordingly essential that Government does not now say ’problem solved’ and allow house building and reform of the planning system to drop off the agenda.

“This is a good fillip to the market, but will not address the key issue of a shortage of the right housing stock in the right locations. Given the context of rising interest rates and high energy costs, it is also vital that buyers carefully review the overall affordability of any purchase, bearing in mind that both of those costs are likely to remain at their newly escalated levels or to rise further.” Jeremy Raj - Partner

Helen Hutchison, Head of Irwin Mitchell’s Sheffield Conveyancing Team, added:

Expert Opinion

“Our clients and conveyancers will now be breathing a huge sigh of relief that the previous ‘holiday’ model of SDLT changes has been replaced with permanent changes and a much more user-friendly regime for ordinary buyers. For the majority of our clients this will be a welcome bonus as we head in to what looks like a difficult winter and we are looking forward to processing all our clients with a lower tax bill and no artificial deadlines.” Helen Hutchison - Partner & Chartered Legal Executive

Commenting on the tax announcements, John Bunker, Consultant Solicitor and Chartered Tax Advisor at Irwin Mitchell said:

Expert Opinion

“This mini budget is anything but mini, as we expected there was a huge focus on cutting taxes in a bid to stimulate economic growth. We expected the Health and Social Care Levy of 1.25% on National Insurance Contributions to be withdrawn and the staged Corporation Tax increases to be held at 19% rather than going up to 25%. However the Chancellor also dropped the bombshell that the Office of Tax Simplification will be removed completely, which raises the question of why?

“It was also announced that the 45% tax rate for those who earn over £150k will be completely scrapped instead of cut, and that Stamp Duty will be cut, enabling those to buy houses up to a value of £250k without paying any.

“This increase in the nil-rate Stamp Duty (SDLT) rate is a surprising boost to the lower end of the market and first time buyers in particular, who will also benefit from additional relief; the fact that the change is permanent rather than a 'holiday' is particularly welcome both to the housing market and to conveyancers.

It’s interesting to hear that the Government will release full costing analysis for the measures proposed - £60bn as a starting figure is quite significant when you consider that this will all be added to the national debt.” John Bunker - Consultant Solicitor and Chartered Tax Adviser