The main announcement in this area was the introduction of a 1 percent Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) surcharge when a non-resident buys residential property in England and Northern Ireland.

In addition, relief for first time buyers in England and Northern Ireland is being extended to qualifying shared ownership property purchasers whether or not the purchaser elects to pay SDLT on the market value of the property.

This change applies to relevant transactions with an effective date on or after 29 October 2018 and is also being backdated to 22 November 2017 so that those eligible who have not previously claimed first-time buyers relief will be able to amend their return to claim a refund of SDLT.