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Reeves’ ‘mansion tax’ makes ‘no sense’, former IFS director warns

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Reeves’ ‘mansion tax’ makes ‘no sense’, former IFS director warns


Rachel Reeves’s plans to levy a “mansion tax” on high-value properties make no sense and could cause the Treasury to lose money, one of Britain’s leading economists has warned.

Paul Johnson, the former director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), told The Independent he was “staggered” at reports that the Treasury is considering such a move, saying it could “block up the entire housing market”.

His intervention came as mortgage brokers and financial planners rounded on the chancellor after reports that she is considering hitting the owners of expensive properties when they sell to plug a £40bn hole in the public purse.

The mooted plans would mean higher-rate taxpayers paying 24 per cent of any gain in the value of their home, while basic rate taxpayers would be hit with an 18 per cent levy. Currently, capital gains tax is not paid on the sale of primary residences.

Rachel Reeves is believed to be planning a raid on high-value home sales (PA)

The threshold is still under consideration, sources told The Times, but a £1.5m starting point would hit around 120,000 homeowners who are higher-rate taxpayers. with capital gains tax bills of £199,973.

Mr Johnson called for a major overhaul of housing taxation as a whole, warning that levying capital gains tax on high-value properties at the same time as stamp duty would mean “no one would ever sell their properties”.

“I think there are all sorts of practical problems with it. It would gum up the housing market at the top end hopelessly. So I think, personally, it’s a non-runner. I think it would be very hard to design in a way that would raise significant money, and indeed, it could lose the Treasury money. Because, you know, you could lose the money you’re currently getting in stamp duty.

“I just can’t believe that they’re considering it. I’m staggered that they’re flying this flag. It, to me, makes no sense.”

Calling for an overhaul of housing taxation, Mr Johnson said council tax was “far too low on expensive properties” while stamp duty is a “disaster area”. But he said that “talking about [levying] capital gains tax when you’ve still got stamp duty would clearly be hopeless. You need to think about these in conjunction with one another. It’s just not sensible in any world to be talking about these things individually.”

Mr Johnson said the stagnation in the property market would be made even worse if the Conservatives pledged to reverse any such policy. “That would guarantee that nobody would move. People would hope that someone else would win the next election and wait to sell. So there’s a huge practical problem there.”

Property experts also warned that such a plan would stall housing sales and add to the exodus of the super-rich from the UK.

Financial adviser Scott Gallacher, a director at Rowley Turton wealth management, said a level of £1.5m would prevent most older homeowners, particularly those who bought properties in the 1980s and 90s, from selling houses.

He added that this would “kill off the upper end of the property market” and be difficult to implement. Mr Gallacher said: “It would be insane if it creates a cliff edge in that properties over £1.5m are subject to capital gains tax on the entire gain, as properties sold at £1.49m would incur no CGT, whereas £1.5m might be a six-figure bill. If it’s only on gains above £1.5m, then the CGT raised would be minimal, as potentially you’d be exempting six or even seven-figure gains.”

He added: “Homeowners, especially older ones, who perhaps bought their houses in the 1970s or 1980s, would be daft to sell and incur a huge CGT liability. Instead, they would be incentivised to hold on to the home until they die and pay no CGT.”

Simon Gerrard, chairman of Martyn Gerrard Estate Agents, warned that a mansion tax plan would leave families who bought homes in London more than a decade ago facing “eye-watering” tax bills. “Meanwhile, those who are actually wealthy know how to bypass these moves and won’t pay it,” he said.

He told The Independent: “After the deadline passes, people will simply not sell their homes. The property market above the threshold will die until Labour are voted out and the policy is repealed under a more sensible government.”

High-value homes could be hit by a capital gains shake-up

High-value homes could be hit by a capital gains shake-up (PA)

Laith Khalaf, head of investment analysis at AJ Bell, said the tax-free nature of primary residences was “deeply embedded in the psyche of homeowners”.

He warned: “A mansion tax set at high level would naturally cause people to worry it was just the thin end of the wedge, and the next time the government needs a bit of money they could just lower the threshold.

“It would also be an impediment to mobility in the housing market, as those with properties which might fall foul of the tax would be inclined to sit on them for longer, leaving a log jam in the housing ladder below them.”

And critics warned the tax change would add to the reported exodus of super-rich individuals fleeing Britain. Stephen Perkins, managing director of Yellow Brick Mortgages, said: “I can see a lot of families in London being caught with this higher tax bill, and it may push more wealthy tax contributors to exodus the UK, which is already a problem following the Chancellor’s last budget.”

A Treasury spokesman said: “The best way to strengthen public finances is by growing the economy, which is our focus. Changes to tax-and-spend policy are not the only ways of doing this, as seen with our planning reforms, which are expected to grow the economy by £6.8bn and cut borrowing by £3.4bn

“We are committed to keeping taxes for working people as low as possible, which is why at last autumn’s Budget we protected working people’s payslips and kept our promise not to raise the basic, higher or additional rates of income tax, employee national insurance, or VAT.”



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Miners prosper as FTSE 100 makes steady progress

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6 hours ago

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October 13, 2025

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Miners prosper as FTSE 100 makes steady progress



The FTSE 100 recouped some of Friday’s hefty losses, while gold soared once more, as President Donald Trump dialled down his rhetoric in the trade spat between the US and China.

The FTSE 100 index closed up 15.40 points, 0.2%, at 9,442.87. The FTSE 250 ended 262.48 points higher, 1.2%, at 22,064.32, and the AIM All-Share rose 6.14 points, 0.8%, to 792.47.

In European equities on Monday, the CAC 40 in Paris closed up 0.2%, while the DAX 40 in Frankfurt ended up 0.6%.

Stocks in New York were up at the time of the London close, regaining some of Friday’s falls.

Over the weekend, Mr Trump said the US wants to help China, not hurt it, striking a more conciliatory tone days after threatening “massive” additional tariffs on Friday.

“The USA. wants to help China, not hurt it!!!,” he said in Sunday’s post on Truth Social, adding that “respected President Xi [Jinping]…doesn’t want Depression for his country”.

Jim Reid, at Deutsche Bank, said Friday’s developments were a reminder that the underlying tension between the two countries still exists, and he thinks these tensions will probably be a recurring theme in the years ahead as both sides compete on the global stage for dominance.

“China currently holds considerable leverage in the rare earths market and seems keen to use it to secure a better deal – particularly in the chip sector, where the US has imposed export controls. So, this battle is shaping up as rare earths versus AI chips,” he suggested.

The US government shutdown is dragging on, meanwhile. It began at the start of the month.

Since then, a nonfarm payrolls report has gone unpublished.

On Friday, the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) said US inflation data, due this Wednesday, has been pushed back to October 24.

“No other releases will be rescheduled or produced until the resumption of regular government services. This release allows the Social Security Administration to meet statutory deadlines necessary to ensure the accurate and timely payment of benefits,” the BLS said.

Barclays said that September’s data quality “should remain unaffected since collection finished before the shutdown, but prolonged closures may affect October data collection and quality”.

The pound was quoted lower at 1.3331 dollars at the time of the London equity market close on Monday, compared with 1.3338 dollars on Friday.

The euro stood at 1.1569 dollars, lower compared with 1.1616 dollars. Against the yen, the dollar was trading at 152.30 yen, higher compared with 151.87 yen.

The yield on the US 10-year Treasury was quoted at 4.04%, narrowed from 4.07% on Friday. The yield on the US 30-year Treasury stood at 4.62%, trimmed from 4.66%.

On the FTSE 100, gold miners Fresnillo and Endeavour Mining leapt 9.1% and 11% respectively, as gold’s safe haven qualities saw the price of the yellow metal hit fresh highs.

Gold traded at 4,093.56 dollars an ounce on Monday, up from 4,014.76 dollars on Friday.

Copper miners were also in demand as the price of the metal jumped 6.5%. Glencore jumped 3.3% and Antofagasta 5%.

Elsewhere, M&G, up 3%, benefited from an upgrade from Berenberg to ‘buy’ from ‘neutral’.

The broker thinks the UK life insurance sector will see an acceleration in dividend per share growth in the coming years.

AstraZeneca gave back early gains, closing down 0.7%, despite confirming a “historic” drug pricing agreement with the US.

The agreement, which follows a similar accord announced last month with Pfizer, requires AstraZeneca to charge “Most Favoured Nation” pricing – matching the lowest price offered in other wealthy nations – to Medicaid, the US health insurance programme for low-income Americans.

The company added that specific terms of the agreement remain confidential.

In exchange, Trump administration officials agreed to a three-year delay on new tariffs on AstraZeneca, which had previously announced plans to invest 50 billion dollars in the US in response to looming tariff threats.

UBS analyst Matthew Weston said the deal removes uncertainty on Section 232 tariffs.

The agreement is the first with the White House for a non-US drugmaker, with more expected to follow for AstraZeneca’s peers.

On the FTSE 250, Big Yellow Group jumped 15% after Blackstone Europe confirmed it is a potential bidder for the company.

Surrey-based self-storage site operator Big Yellow said it has held meetings with “a small number of parties” that could lead to a takeover offer.

Blackstone Europe, part of New York-based private equity investment manager Blackstone, said any offer for Big Yellow would be via one or more investment funds that it advises.

Oxford Instruments said order intake suffered in the first half of its financial year amid tariff disruption, meaning that full-year revenue is likely to be little changed year-on-year.

Chief executive Richard Tyson said the start of the financial year coincided with the beginning of a “turbulent time in our markets”, and despite an “improving picture” in the second quarter, “we are now assuming that we will not recover the [first half] revenue shortfall”.

In response, shares in the provider of high technology products and services to industry and scientific research communities fell 7.6%.

Brent oil traded at 63.40 dollars a barrel on Monday, up from 63.19 dollars late Friday.

The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 were Endeavour Mining, up 348.00 pence at 3,436.00p, Fresnillo, up 216.00p at 2,592.00p, Antofagasta, up 134.00p at 2,827.00p, Anglo American, up 119.00p at 2,999.00p and Glencore, up 11.40p at 357.25p.

The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 were BAE Systems, down 31.00p at 1,951.50p, Intertek, down 74.00p at 4,812.00p, British American Tobacco, down 57.00p at 3,788.00p, Babcock International, down 18.00p at 1,211.00p and Burberry, down 17.00p at 1,182.50p.

Tuesday’s global economic diary has UK unemployment and average earnings data.

Tuesday’s UK corporate calendar has full-year results from housebuilder Bellway and a trading statement from miner Rio Tinto.

Contributed by Alliance News



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EPFO allows up to 100% part PF withdrawal: Digital services simplified; what it means for your savings – The Times of India

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7 hours ago

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October 13, 2025

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EPFO allows up to 100% part PF withdrawal: Digital services simplified; what it means for your savings – The Times of India


In a major reform aimed at improving ease of access and flexibility for over seven crore subscribers, the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) board on Monday approved liberalised partial withdrawal rules, allowing members to withdraw up to 100 per cent of their EPF balance.The Central Board of Trustees (CBT), headed by Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, announced a series of key decisions during its meeting, including simplification of withdrawal provisions, introduction of the Vishwas Scheme to reduce litigation, and a digital transformation plan under EPFO 3.0, PTI reported.According to a Labour Ministry statement, 13 complex provisions for partial withdrawals have been merged into a single, streamlined framework categorised under three heads — Essential Needs (illness, education, marriage), Housing Needs, and Special Circumstances.Members will now be able to withdraw up to 100 per cent of their eligible provident fund balance, including both employee and employer contributions. Withdrawal limits for education and marriage have been liberalised, allowing up to 10 times for education and 5 times for marriage, compared to the earlier combined cap of three partial withdrawals.To enhance accessibility, the minimum service requirement for all types of withdrawals has been uniformly reduced to 12 months. Under the Special Circumstances category, members will no longer be required to specify reasons for withdrawal, removing a major cause of claim rejections and grievances.In a key safeguard, 25 per cent of the member’s account contributions will now be earmarked as a minimum balance to ensure continued accumulation of retirement savings. This will allow members to benefit from EPFO’s high interest rate of 8.25% per annum and compound returns for long-term corpus building.The rationalised withdrawal rules are expected to pave the way for 100 per cent auto-settlement of claims without any documentation, ensuring ease of living for subscribers. Additionally, the period for premature final settlement of EPF has been increased from two months to 12 months, while final pension withdrawal will now be allowed after 36 months instead of two.The CBT also approved the Vishwas Scheme to address long-pending litigations arising from penal damages on delayed PF remittances. As of May 2025, penal damages worth Rs 2,406 crore were outstanding, with over 6,000 cases pending across various forums, including the Supreme Court and High Courts.Under the new scheme, penal damages will be reduced to a flat rate of 1 per cent per month, with graded rates of 0.25 per cent for defaults up to two months and 0.50 per cent for defaults up to four months. The scheme will remain operational for six months, extendable by another six months, and covers ongoing, finalised, and pre-adjudication cases under Section 14B. All pending cases will stand abated upon compliance under the scheme.To improve pensioner convenience, the Board approved an MoU with India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) to provide doorstep Digital Life Certificate (DLC) services to EPS’95 pensioners at no cost. The Rs 50 per certificate charge will be fully borne by EPFO. This initiative will especially benefit pensioners in remote and rural areas, enabling home-based certificate submission and ensuring uninterrupted pension disbursal.As part of EPFO 3.0, the board approved a comprehensive member-centric digital transformation framework. The new hybrid design will integrate core banking solutions with cloud-native, API-first, microservices-based systems covering account management, ERP, compliance, and customer experience.This transformation aims to enable faster, automated claim settlements, instant withdrawals, multilingual self-service, and seamless payroll-linked contributions — reinforcing EPFO’s commitment to transparency, efficiency, and technology-driven governance.Additionally, the Central Board approved the appointment of four fund managers to handle EPFO’s debt portfolio for five years. The selected firms are SBI Funds Management Limited, HDFC AMC Limited, Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Limited, and UTI AMC Limited. The move, recommended by the Selection and Investment Committees, is expected to strengthen risk diversification and ensure prudent management of provident fund investments in line with long-term objectives.Labour Minister Mandaviya also inaugurated a series of digital initiatives aimed at enhancing transparency, efficiency, and user experience in service delivery, reinforcing EPFO’s goal of ensuring ease of living for members and pensioners alike





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Indian Railways’ Twin Good News: Second Vande Bharat Sleeper Rollout; Reduced Journey Time for UP, Bihar, Bengal – Details

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7 hours ago

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October 13, 2025

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Indian Railways’ Twin Good News: Second Vande Bharat Sleeper Rollout; Reduced Journey Time for UP, Bihar, Bengal – Details


Indian Railways Good News: The Indian Railways is set to bring more good news for passengers in the coming days. While the Vande Bharat Sleeper may be inducted into regular service by the end of this month, the national transporter is also working to gradually increase its operational sectional speed to 160 kmph. Trials have already commenced on a 190 km stretch between Ghaziabad and Tundla, which will help reduce travel time between New Delhi and key destinations in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal.

Vande Bharat Sleeper: Second Rake Ready

Passengers across India have been eagerly awaiting the launch of the Vande Bharat Sleeper. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently confirmed that operations will begin once the second rake of the train is ready, allowing the service to run from both ends of the designated route.

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With the first rake already completed, anticipation for the second one is high. Videos circulating on social media show the second Vande Bharat Sleeper rake being rolled out from the BEML plant. However, reports suggest that this rake is still unfinished in terms of interiors and will be sent back to BEML after oscillation trials conducted jointly by the North Central Railway, West Central Railway, and Western Railway.

For context, the Indian Railways has already completed trials of the first Vande Bharat Sleeper coaches, and if Minister Vaishnaw’s timeline holds true, the train could enter operations by the end of this month. The Delhi–Howrah (West Bengal) route, passing through Bihar, is expected to be the first corridor for the Vande Bharat Sleeper’s debut.

Efforts to Reduce Travel Time

Railway enthusiasts know that most Indian Railways express trains operate at an average speed of 80–110 kmph. Even the Vande Bharat Express — designed for 160–180 kmph — currently runs at a maximum of 120 kmph on select sections. These speed limitations often lead to congestion across the network, prompting the Railways to invest heavily in infrastructure upgrades.

To address this, the Railways has been steadily increasing sectional speeds. Currently, over 23,000 km of track support operations at around 130 kmph. The latest initiative involves 160 kmph Kavach trials on the Tundla–Aligarh section of the New Delhi–Howrah route, covering a 190 km stretch between Ghaziabad and Tundla Junction.

If these trials succeed, travel time between New Delhi and major cities in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal could be reduced by several hours, marking a major leap forward in passenger convenience and rail efficiency.





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