Stamp duty holiday 'could push up house prices and just benefit homeowners'

mirror.co.uk:

The temporary stamp duty holiday announced by Rishi Sunak could push up house prices, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said.

More, it's unlikely to help anyone new buy a home or even see more property bought and sold overall - instead, it will simply see people buy sooner and spend more to compensate for the tax they save.

IFS deputy director Helen Miller said: "Although it's buyers who are formally required to hand over stamp duty, the effect of stamp duty can be passed through to sellers. "So when there is a tax break that can lead to the price of houses going up." The move was likely to boost activity in the housing market, although pent-up demand generated during the lockdown may mean that a stimulus was not necessarily needed at