Kevin Davis pledges to help first-time buyers and families across Yeovil
Conservatives will build stable, safer and greener communities
Kevin Davis, Conservative Parliamentary candidate welcomed this week new proposals designed to help families and first-time buyers, unveiled at the Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool. The policies reflect the Conservative agenda of strengthening families, giving local communities more power over their lives, and building stable and greener communities.
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Cutting stamp duty for first-time buyers: Buying a home is an aspiration for millions of people, but is becoming increasingly out of reach. Gordon Brown has made houses less affordable with his stealth tax rises. The current stamp duty threshold is just £125,000, meaning over half of first-time buyers now pay stamp duty. Conservatives will abolish stamp duty for first-time buyers on homes up to £250,000. This will mean that nine out of ten first-time buyers will pay no stamp duty. The average house price for first time buyers in the South West is £162,433.
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Increasing the inheritance tax threshold to £1 million: Under Gordon Brown, the inheritance tax threshold has not been increased in line with house price inflation. Conservatives will raise it from the current level of £300,000, so that only millionaires pay inheritance tax. For 98 per cent of families, this will take the family home out of inheritance tax altogether. In Yeovil the average detached house prices is £315,103 and 47% of detached houses that are sold are above the current threshold.
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Abolishing Home Information Packs: Labour’s new red tape threatens to undermine the stability of the housing market and increase the cost of moving home. Conservatives will abolish Home Information Packs and look to implement practical ways of making it easier to move home.
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Building more family homes with gardens: Whitehall planning rules introduced by John Prescott are creating a shortage of family homes. Blocks of flats are increasingly being crammed in the place of existing family homes with gardens. Conservatives will scrap these rules, helping to stop ‘garden grabbing’, and will allow the market to provide new developments with gardens and sufficient parking spaces according to the wishes of local communities.
Kevin Davis said:
“Conservatives believe home ownership creates a stronger society. We will help first-time buyers get on the housing ladder, build more family homes, scrap red tape on selling a home, and tackle the unfairness of inheritance tax.
“Family homes are the bedrock of stable, safe and green communities. Conservatives will give local people across Yeovil, Chard, Crewkerne and Ilminster more power to control their lives and make our local neighbourhoods an even better place in which to live.”
