No stamp duty - ever?

The 1-minute read to get all the money news
plus expert adviser views.

Permanent holiday?

The stamp duty holiday should be made permanent*, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It says the property tax should be cut as part of a post-pandemic overhaul to make it easier for people to move jobs. The UK has the highest property taxes of all 37 OECD member countries - in 2019, the government got £91 billion from taxing property - that’s 12% of its revenues.

Cheers

Drink sales soared on Monday, with pub gardens doing a roaring trade despite the snow. As hospitality reopened for the first time time since December, landlords described a Christmas-like vibe - and sold more than twice as much booze as they normally would on a Monday.

British Gas row

Around 500 engineers have lost their jobs after refusing to sign new contracts which they say would cut their pay by 15%. The row has been going on for weeks, with many engineers going on strike to protest the changes to their contracts.

Call before donating

Charities have urged the public to call ahead before dropping off donations at shops. Lockdown clear-outs have left many people with plenty to give away, raising concerns that pent-up donations will cause overcrowding. Charity shops have seen record sales this week, as non-essential retail reopens after lockdown.