Stamp duty
How much longer can the Treasury rig the housing market?
The past 15 months have produced a bizarre economic paradox. In 2020, the economy shrank at the fastest rate recorded…
Abolish stamp duty? Not if the next step is a wealth tax
On the Wednesday in early July when Rishi Sunak announced a temporary increase from £125,000 to £500,000 in the stamp…
Banning Huawei is right, but late – and bad for productivity
This column has been banging on about the peculiar nature of Huawei, the Chinese telecoms giant, ever since its expanded…
Barometer
What a hole The World Health Organisation added processed meats to its list of ‘known’ carcinogens. A few of the…
The Spectator’s notes
However wicked tax evasion is and however distasteful some tax avoidance may be, people should imagine a world without tax…
Investment: Buy to lose
If you pick up a buy-to-let property now, you’ll be fighting the full might of the Chancellor and the Bank of England
The moaning middle
With soaring house prices and low interest rates, the middle classes are doing rather well. But you’d never think so to hear them
