32 h. ago Angela Rayner 'tried to dodge council tax surcharge on grace and favour flat'

Questions are mounting for the former deputy prime minister who previously resigned after a row over stamp duty on her Hove home

Politics

33 h. ago Greater clarity will bring more certainty around Scottish property

Savills has reacted to the Budget announcement of a High Value Council Tax Surcharge on owners of residential property in England worth £2 million.

Politics

3 d. ago Radical Reeves? The chancellor’s mansion tax is a small but brave step forward | Phillip Inman

The high-value council tax surcharge may only raise £400m but it’s the best opportunity for a bigger, fairer tax on wealthRachel Reeves won little credit last week for lifting the lid on one of the most heated tax debates of the past three decades.Who in their right mind would consider engaging in the fight that would inevitably lead to some of the richest people in the land calling for your head? Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago From council tax discounts to energy bills and pension hacks – eight reprieves from Reeves’ £26bn Budget battering

CHANCELLOR Rachel Reeves may have hit us with £26billion of tax rises, but you can fight back by shielding your cash.  As a result of her Budget this week, average households face being £850 worse off in 2029-30 compared to this year, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation warns.  Lucy Andrews, Deputy Consumer Editor, presents her eight-step...

Economics

4 d. ago Full breakdown confirmed after new Council Tax bands announced

The Government announced that, from April 2028, it plans to introduce a new High Value Council Tax Surcharge (HVCTS) on owners of residential property in England worth £2 million or more

Economics

4 d. ago SNP Government can NOW afford a council tax freeze thanks to Rachel Reeves’ budget

THE SNP Government can now afford a council tax freeze thanks to Rachel Reeves’ budget, it emerged yesterday. The Chancellor’s block grant increase could be used by John Swinney to announce tax cuts after Christmas — with around £307million freed up for next year. It means Labour’s latest hike to Scottish Government funding — now...

Politics

4 d. ago London’s most affordable family home hotspots for well below the new £2 million 'mansion tax' threshold

The government has confirmed plans to impose a "mansion tax" by doubling the council tax on homes worth more than £2 million across the country.

Economics

5 d. ago Labour's new 'mansion tax' sparks fears of 'Big Brother snoopers' marauding the streets to spy on Brits' homes

In her Budget on Wednesday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she was introducing a 'high value council tax surcharge' in England for homes worth £2million or more.

Politics

5 d. ago ‘It was no longer a gift for my husband. It was all for me’: four women on how boudoir photography changed their lives

Now a hugely popular photographic genre, many women pay thousands to have intimate portraits taken of themselves by a professional. What do they get out of it?A few hours into Brittany Witt’s boudoir shoot, with the mimosas kicking in and the music going strong, the photographer asked: “How do we feel about some completely nude photos?” Witt was lying on the bed in lingerie, in a studio in Texas, and hadn’t considered nudity an option. “I was like: ‘OK, we’re on this trust path.’” She undressed. The photographer, JoAnna Moore, covered Witt with body oil and squirted her with water, then asked her “to crawl across the floor with my full trust,” Witt says. “I did so. The pose was nude, and it was completely open. I wasn’t covered with a sheet. It was all out, it was all open, and it brought that worst level of self-doubt. I was terrified.”Witt, 33, has come to see that terror as an important part of her experience. She used to be a competitive weightlifter. “I had a very masculine aur...

Culture

6 d. ago Government targets expensive homes and landlords with property taxes

Experts said the new high value council tax surcharge, dubbed a ‘mansion tax’, could have knock-on effects for the property market.

Politics

6 d. ago Huge change to council tax with four new categories and £7,500 annual charge

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the so-called 'mansion tax' measure during Wednesday's Budget speech

Economics

6 d. ago Autumn Budget 2025 major 'mansion tax' announcement and how it could impact property market

The UK's most expensive homes are set to be hit with a new high value council tax surcharge

Economics

6 d. ago Budget 2025 live: Rachel Reeves sets out tax rises and council tax changes as OBR apologises for leaking details

Office for Budget Responsibility blames ‘technical error’ after forecasts were published before chancellor gave her statementAt a glance: the key points from the budgetPaul Nowak, the TUC general secretary, has rejected the concerns raised by the Resolution Foundation (see 9.54am) about the rise in the minimum wage rates. Asked about the thinktank’s comments, Nowak told Times Radio:I don’t accept those concerns ...First of all, that recommendation is based on the Low Pay Commission, which brings together employers, unions, independent experts, they’re tasked with making a recommendation on the minimum wage, which balances getting money into people’s pockets and the impact on unemployment. Continue reading...

Economics

6 d. ago Next door neighbours and almost identical houses...but one could face paying hundreds of pounds more in council tax if homes are revalued under Rachel Reeves' 'mansion levy'

Two next-door neighbours with similar properties in Chandler's Ford, Hampshire, have criticised Chancellor Rachel Reeves's proposed changes to council tax to facilitate a 'mansion tax'.

Society

6 d. ago These next door neighbours live in almost identical houses... but one faces paying hundreds of pounds more under Rachel Reeves' 'mansion tax'

Two next-door neighbours in Chandler's Ford, Hampshire, branded the proposed mansion tax 'unfair' because only one will be affected even though they live in similar-sized houses.

Society

6 d. ago National Insurance rise adds £8m to West Lothian Council wage bill

At a meeting of the full council, SNP opposition group leader Councillor Janet Campbell branded the increase a “jobs tax” and raised a motion demanding the council write to Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, asking for its revoke.

Economics

7 d. ago Council tax bands explained and could you be hit by 'mansion tax' in Budget?

Rachel Reeves is said to be planning to revalue 2.4million the most expensive band F, G and H homes as part of her Budget

Economics

7 d. ago Job opportunity on Scottish estate for couple with £60k salary and private cottage

Council tax, electricity, heating and firewood are included.

Economics

7 d. ago South Lanarkshire Council to wipe over £1m in council tax debt

Councillors approved plans to scrap £1.86 million in unrecoverable council tax.

Economics

7 d. ago Why Keir Starmer's home will avoid Chancellor's 'mansion tax' set to hit thousands of Londoners

Rachel Reeves is expected to announce a surcharge – estimated at an average of £4,500 – on homes in the highest council tax bands in her Budget

Events