ABSTRACT
In England, land is required for new housing projects. However, while the grant of planning permission remains a function of the state, it is private developers who currently build around 84 percent of all new housing in England. However, increasing households and the market dynamics in a primarily speculative housing market in England lead to prices that continue to rise for home ownership and for rental, as well as for agricultural land. Given rising prices and a lack of clarity over market dynamics, could a change in taxation bring more land to market? One change might be to alter taxes on exchange value to provide nudges to bring more land to market. These three exchange taxes then – capital gains tax, inheritance tax, and stamp duty land tax – while all politically contentious, bring in significant revenue and are all politically sensitive.
