Saturday, Feb 24, 2007
Just look who really benefits from HPI
Firstrung: House prices in 236 postcode districts are above the inheritance tax threshold - Halifax
Halifax calculates that the number of postcode districts where the average house price is above the inheritance tax (IHT) threshold has more than doubled in the past five years. The average house price in 236 (11%) postcode districts in England and Wales is now above the IHT threshold compared to 117 (6%) postcode districts five years ago in 2001.
Posted by converted lurker @ 12:51 PM (360 views) Add Comment
4 Comments
- If you do not have an admin password leave the password field blank.
- If you would like to request a password allowing you to add comments and blog news articles without needing each one approved manually, send an e-mail to the webmaster.
- Your email address is required so we can verify that the comment is genuine. It will not be posted anywhere on the site, will be stored confidentially by us and never given out to any third party.
- Please note that any viewpoints published here as comments are user's views and not the views of HousePriceCrash.co.uk.
- Please adhere to the Guidelines
1. sovietuk said...
Fictitious housing wealth skillfully engineered by the labour crooks and the MPC with their low interest rate policies of recent years now being used to STRIP, STEAL and PLUNDER the assets of ordinary citizens. THIEVES are running the country.
2. Dude said...
Sovietuk, sorry mate but you're missing the point. Inheritence tax is about redistribution. It is designed to prevent the wealth amassed by an individual being kept in their family's hands, rather than given back to the state for the benefit of everyone. The fact that house prices mean more people are paying this tax is not the fault of the inheritance tax system, it is the fault of house prices. Something must be done about house prices, not IHT.
Otherwise, what happens if IHT is increased (say to £500k) and then house prices collapse? The better off will have gained at the expense of the rest of society. This IHT question is a red herring -- it should not take the focus away from the need for a reduction in house prices (which means building many more houses -- ie the Government engineering a house price fall). That's another question -- no government of whatever colour wants to upset home owners. But the rising numbers of non-home owners who are getting upset by the cost of housing will add conflicting pressure to the Governement.
Interesting times. :-)
3. headmelter said...
I have to agree somewhat with sovietuk.
These conditions seem to have been manufactured, maybe not just for IHT reasons but it certainly suits HMG.
4. mrmickey said...
IHT was originally brought in to stop the landed gentry from passing their wealth on to their offspring. This is the beauty of inflation you get bracket creep, enventually everyone will pay IHT and as Dude points out all this extra tax will benefit us all with more state control, can't wait