What the budget means for investorsTimes 13 March 2008 Investors - worried that the Chancellor might back-track on plans to cut capital gains tax (CGT) on property - will be heartened that Alistair Darling is pressing ahead. From April, people who own second or rental homes will have their CGT bill cut from as much as 40 per cent of their profits to just 18 per cent. Read more
HIPS hinder marketLondon Stock exchange 12 March 2008 The market-wide introduction of home information packs (Hips) has failed to improve conditions in the UK housing market, it has been claimed. Read more
Largest inheritance tax dodge attemptReuters 12 March 2008 TOKYO (Reuters) - Two sisters hid $56 million (28 million pounds) cash in cardboard boxes in what may be Japan's biggest-ever tax dodge, media said. Read more
Budget set to cut energy bills for poorGuardian 11 March 2008 Downing Street today gave the strongest hint yet that the chancellor would stop energy companies making an alleged £400m in excess profits from some of the poorest consumers in the UK. Read more
First time buyers stung by stamp dutyAlex Coxall 10 March 2008 A report published today by the Halifax shows that the average stamp duty paid by first time buyers has doubled in the past five years to £1,751. Read more
Local driven out in hunt for rural retreatGuardian 10 March 2008 More than 300,000 Britons own second homes and in some areas they have forced prices so high that local people cannot afford to buy. As the search for affordable housing becomes more acute, Lisa Bachelor speaks to those affected by the housing crisis in the British countryside Read more
How much is your house worth?Telegraph 10 March 2008 Well, it depends who you ask... Graham Norwood picks through the maze of price indices that can leave homeowners in the dark Read more
Mortgage costs risingDaily Mail 7 March 2008 Mortgage costs are rising at the fastest pace in living memory, a financial expert said yesterday. Read more
Will the south keep its value?Times 7 March 2008 Even the most staunch optimists will agree that 2008 is shaping up to be a difficult year for the housing market. Although some areas seem destined to suffer significant price falls, others appear likely to emerge relatively unscathed even if the worst happens - as we reported in our focus on prosperous pockets of the North last week. Read more
Tories label HIPs a farceGuardian 7 March 2008 Four out of five homebuyers taking part in a trial of the government's controversial home information packs (Hips) never actually saw a pack, or only did so after they had made an offer on a property, it has emerged. Read more
