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Stamp Duty dithering halts house sales

Thousands of house sales have collapsed because of the governments dithering over stamp duty, property experts said last night. A fifth of potential buyers have opted to “hang on”. The may save thousands of pounds if the Chancellor reforms the tax in the autumn, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

The RICS called on Mr Darling to clarify the Government’s position as soon as possible.

Spokesman James Scott-Lee said: “People want to know what it is going to cost them and then they will get on with it.” House prices are falling at their fastest rate for 17 years and talk about reducing the tax has “paralysed” the housing market, according to the website MoveMe.com

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