Whilst not recent news, Stamp Duty was replaced by SDLT some years ago. The effect of SDLT however is wide ranging. As a tax on transactions, rather than documents, clients and solicitors must be aware that any transaction might be viewed in conjunction with another which could subsequently give rise to SDLT (for instance marriage might make a previous unconnected transaction, connected). Any transaction, however simple it may seem, always needs to be given serious thought. Leases and rent, particularly in commercial matters, are particularly at risk.
The rules regarding SDLT changed at the last mini-budget. It is now only possible to calculate this with refernce to the HMRC calculator. Please find the link below: