Mortgage lending dropped sharply as the Stamp Duty holiday ended

HMRC brought in £775m in Stamp Duty receipts in the year to February 2021, £49m less than the £824m recorded in February 2020.

"Stronger forces" than the temporary tax break have been at play in the housing market over the last year, says an influential think tank - which argues that the UK's Stamp Duty holidays have been "problematic…

The Stamp Duty holiday "is not a dealbreaker for most buyers (especially at the top end)", says Savills, after surveying 1,300 prime property buyers and sellers.