Rachel Reeves will not use her budget to increase capital gains tax on the sale of second homes.
The Times reports that capital gains on profits from the sale of shares and some other assets, which is currently levied at 20%, is likely to increase by “several percentage points”. But the rate will not change for second homes.
The chancellor will reportedly leave the rate of capital gains tax on the sale of second homes and buy-to-let properties untouched amid concerns that increasing it would cost money.
When the Conservatives lowered the rate from 28% to 24% at the last budget, the Office for Budget Responsibility said that doing so would actually raise nearly £700 million because of increased property transactions.
Ministers are reportedly concerned that raising tax on the sale of second homes would damage overall revenues.
More than half of all capital gains relates to the sale of shares, while just 12% is from the sale of property.
It is understood that ministers discussed their options and it was concluded that people would deliberately defer selling assets in a bid to avoid being hit by higher rates.
One government source suggested that revenues from increasing capital gains tax would be in the “low billions”.
Reeves is said to be drawing up plans for up to £40bn worth of tax rises and spending cuts to avoid a return to austerity and real-term cuts to government departments. Most of the money will have to come from tax rises.
Stuart Adam, a senior economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, told the press: “Simply increasing headline rates of CGT would raise limited revenue and cause economic damage. If the chancellor wants to raise significant sums, it is essential that rate increases are accompanied by changes to the way the tax works — removing some ill-conceived reliefs while giving more generous deductions for investment costs and losses.”
