Stamp Duty Cut

Plans have been unveiled by the Scottish Conservatives to cut tax for thousands of home buyers.

Ahead of negotiations on the Scottish budget, the party is calling on the Scottish Government to back a stamp duty starting rate of tax at £140, 000.

It's claimed it would mean 46% of house purchases would be tax free.

A new Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, which affects properties priced at £135, 000 and more, has been proposed by the Scottish Government and  will replace stamp duty from April.

Scottish Conservative finance spokesman Gavin Brown said:
 
"We are about helping people who want to get on in life.
 
"This is a tax cut for families and first-time buyers who want to get on the property ladder.
 
"And it's also a tax cut for people wanting to move up the property ladder.
 
"The SNP has to act now. Scottish families are in danger of having to pay a heavy tax on home-buying purely because this left-wing SNP government thinks it knows best about how to spend our money.
 
"We cannot have a situation where ordinary families are paying higher tax rates than the rest of the UK for no good reason.
 
"This is affordable, it's fair and John Swinney now needs to change his ill-judged plans for a tax on aspiration.
 
"He needs to join us in helping low and middle-income people who dream of owning their own home, or of getting a bigger house for their families."