YP Comment: Concern over property tax

The three percentage point increase in stamp duty introduced in April by the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, on second homes including buy-to- let properties was designed to prevent the property market overheating.

But as his successor, Philip Hammond, has acknowledged, the financial landscape has changed since then. The referendum vote for Brexit has already resulted in a slowdown in the economy and warnings of further difficulties ahead.

The new Chancellor’s Autumn Statement may well bring changes of direction in order to counter that and calm nerves.

A degree of uncertainty in the property market is one of the consequences of the referendum decision, and that only adds to the difficulties many young people face in getting a foot on the housing ladder owing to rising prices and ever- increasing deposits.

The Taxpayers’ Alliance contention that stamp duty rates clog up the property market and result in increased rents as landlords pass on the cost will strike a chord with many tenants. Steep rental costs make saving for a deposit that much harder. And for those who own their own home, stamp duty is a source of frustration. As properties have increased in value over the years, successive governments have cashed in, with householders footing the bill. Whether Mr Hammond heeds the Taxpayers’ Alliance call for a root-and-branch reform of the property tax system remains to be seen.

It is certain, however, that as the Government examines every area of tax and spending in order to keep the economy stable as the consequences of Brexit continue to unfold, the property market will come under close scrutiny.

An inspiration: Remembering Dr Kate Granger

THE death of Dr Kate Granger at the age of 34 will be greeted with sadness not just across Yorkshire, but internationally, thanks to the success of her campaign for more compassionate care.

It is to be hoped that the knowledge of the respect and admiration in which Dr Granger was held provides some comfort to her husband, Chris, and all those who mourn her.

Dr Granger’s legacy is a great one.

Her campaign has been embraced across the world, and 400,000 health workers from 90 organisations support it.

Her MBE and the Special Achievement Award from the BMJ were richly deserved.

Her fund-raising was indefatigable.

To raise £250,000 for the Yorkshire Cancer Centre Appeal in a relatively short period was a remarkable feat.

But above all, it is Dr Granger’s concern for greater compassion in care that will live on.

This was a campaign born of her own personal experience, which gave it both immediacy and moral authority.

That she was a doctor gave it an additional dimension, because she knew the realities of care from the medical professional’s point of view, as well as that of a patient’s.

Her writing about being terminally ill was vivid and moving, buoyant and full of humour, and will continue to inspire others.

And that is what Dr Kate Granger was above all else – inspirational.

We are all the poorer for her passing, but the greatest tribute we can pay her memory is to continue to support the campaign that she started.

Dover gridlock: Unacceptable delays at port

CHAOTIC scenes at Dover that have seen Yorkshire holidaymakers caught up in delays of many hours amid tightened security should not have happened.

It was inevitable and entirely right that security should have been increased in the wake of the terrorist attack on Nice, but both the British and French authorities had a duty to ensure that cross-Channel travel continued as smoothly as possible.

The weekend was always going to be one of the busiest of the year, being the first after schools broke up for summer, and a huge influx of traffic into Dover was entirely predictable.

Yet only when families had been stuck in their cars for up to 16 hours were additional borders staff assigned to the

port.

This was a failure of management.

Sufficient staff must now be kept in place to ensure that both holidaymakers and commercial traffic are able to travel without long delays.