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Original poster

Anyone else in the South East worried about Andy Burnham bringing in a land tax?

944 replies

Beachbooks · 22/06/2026 12:17

With it looking likely that Andy Burnhan will be the next PM, I was interested to see if anyone else in London / the south east were worried about potential tax raises specifically around the land tax rather than stamp duty ?

A lot of my friends who live locally are worrying that he will make the land tax for the South East so high in proportion to other areas of the UK that it will be financially very difficult to afford but then also extremely difficult to sell!!

BTW we have very standard house and garden but we live in an expensive area

OP posts:
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Sewciopath · 22/06/2026 13:52

Hadit16 · 22/06/2026 13:38

For god’s sake. Everyone is scared of the northerner! Hilarious. I hope he does target “the south”. And I hope he refers to you as “the south”. I’ve been sick of anything north of Watford being described as “the north” for the last his knows how may years 🤦‍♀️

The King of the North is going to crown Lisa Nandy as his Queen (Deputy PM) and have Wigan running the country. The North is taking over

Tel12 · 22/06/2026 13:51

GasPanic · 22/06/2026 12:27

It's always easy to sell. You just drop your price until it meets the market.

There is no shortage of demand for property in the SE.

There are plenty of people who want properties but can't afford them though because sellers price their property too high.

If Burnham does increase land taxes or council taxes then it will be a good thing IMO. Owners of large houses get away with paying far too little compared with other properties and they are an easy group to tax, so why not.

Everyone keeps saying how Labour should tax the rich more, and here is one easy way of doing it.

This is not about taxing the rich.

ExtraOnions · 22/06/2026 13:50

Sewciopath · 22/06/2026 13:11

His first policy will be free pies for the north and tax the South more. His first official reception at Downing Street with a foreign leader will have a menu of chips, babbies yeds and gravy, washed down with cand of fizzy vimto and pints of mild.

Show quote history

What did Dandelion & Burdock ever do to you?

MachineBee · 22/06/2026 13:50

We sold a 5bed house in SE for £860k and moved to a 4bed house in W Mids for £690k. Our CT went from £3.5k pa, to £4.5k.

I’m not bothered about the rumoured Land Tax. Stamp duty is a ridiculous tax and something needs to change.

Ablondiebutagoody · 22/06/2026 13:49

Numbchill · 22/06/2026 13:41

One thing overlooked here is that those living in SE / London have the very least disposable income of all regions of the UK. Wages are high but tax on those wages are high too, and the price of housing is huge too. So the UK already gets a huge amount of tax from those in the SE compared to what those workers have to live off after tax and housing. A further tax? Why? Because those living there are NOT as rich as those in the north.

Why? It is designed so that valuable properties that haven't had their tax value updated for 25 years start paying their fair share. Everyone else pays less.

ThePieceHall · 22/06/2026 13:49

Sewciopath · 22/06/2026 13:11

His first policy will be free pies for the north and tax the South more. His first official reception at Downing Street with a foreign leader will have a menu of chips, babbies yeds and gravy, washed down with cand of fizzy vimto and pints of mild.

Show quote history

Wash your mouth out, it’ll be pans of scouse.

JacquesHarlow · 22/06/2026 13:45

Hadit16 · 22/06/2026 13:38

For god’s sake. Everyone is scared of the northerner! Hilarious. I hope he does target “the south”. And I hope he refers to you as “the south”. I’ve been sick of anything north of Watford being described as “the north” for the last his knows how may years 🤦‍♀️

Agreed, and I'm a lifelong Southerner who owns property in the South East.

Watching some of my contemporaries and the OP getting terrified about this is mildly amusing. People thought they could get rich quick forever by purchasing a life essential such as property, instead of creating wealth through jobs , or investing, or taking career risks.

MabelAnderson · 22/06/2026 13:41

So how would this affect farms and small holdings ? I have a small holding and live in an area where farmers are struggling generally.

Numbchill · 22/06/2026 13:41

One thing overlooked here is that those living in SE / London have the very least disposable income of all regions of the UK. Wages are high but tax on those wages are high too, and the price of housing is huge too. So the UK already gets a huge amount of tax from those in the SE compared to what those workers have to live off after tax and housing. A further tax? Why? Because those living there are NOT as rich as those in the north.

KTheGrey · 22/06/2026 13:41

FudgeFudy · 22/06/2026 12:32

Here we go. In the coming weeks I wonder what other things 'lots of my friends' are supposedly going to be worried about Andy Burnham doing even though he's made no mention of doing them. A tax on Agas? A £10 surcharge on Waitrose deliveries to fund a Makerfield bypass? Forced conscription of fee-paying schoolkids? Slaughter of the firstborn (but only in the south-east)?

Don’t be ridiculous, the VAT on private schools has made conscription the remaining students there uneconomic.

Hadit16 · 22/06/2026 13:38

For god’s sake. Everyone is scared of the northerner! Hilarious. I hope he does target “the south”. And I hope he refers to you as “the south”. I’ve been sick of anything north of Watford being described as “the north” for the last his knows how may years 🤦‍♀️

AlpineMuesli · 22/06/2026 13:33

You can do a calculator to find out the proposed amount you'd pay (or not pay if you rent).

https://fairershare.org.uk/counciltaxcalculator/

Ablondiebutagoody · 22/06/2026 13:31

Burnham has been keen to replace council tax (and possibly stamp duty) with LVT for about 20 years so I think it is quite likely to happen. All the projections that I have seen show a few hundred thousand wealthiest households paying a couple of grand more per year than now. Sounds politically doable.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 22/06/2026 13:30

We’re in an expensive outer London area, but with a pretty titchy garden, so TBH I’m not too worried.

Mcdhotchoc · 22/06/2026 13:29

I can't get het up about it. We live in SE. Moved a few years ago into a newer house (built 2005) vs our 1970s previous home. They are identical in terms of size, bedrooms. Current one has a small garden. Old house was D, currently one is F. Current one was £35k cheaper. So it's already a lottery.
We now pay £4k a year. We will likely pay that regardless of the method of calculation cos the local authorities have to raise the money to pay for local sevices.

Sewciopath · 22/06/2026 13:28

GasPanic · 22/06/2026 13:26

You forgot the pudding.

A proper pudding, not one of those fancy desserts.

Spotted Dick, or Eccles cakes.

Show quote history

A trio of deserts, Chorley cake, eccles cake and a slice of Manchester tart

ThePieceHall · 22/06/2026 13:27

FudgeFudy · 22/06/2026 12:32

Here we go. In the coming weeks I wonder what other things 'lots of my friends' are supposedly going to be worried about Andy Burnham doing even though he's made no mention of doing them. A tax on Agas? A £10 surcharge on Waitrose deliveries to fund a Makerfield bypass? Forced conscription of fee-paying schoolkids? Slaughter of the firstborn (but only in the south-east)?

You should put yourself forward for PM. I’d actually vote for one or two of those…

GasPanic · 22/06/2026 13:26

Sewciopath · 22/06/2026 13:11

His first policy will be free pies for the north and tax the South more. His first official reception at Downing Street with a foreign leader will have a menu of chips, babbies yeds and gravy, washed down with cand of fizzy vimto and pints of mild.

Show quote history

You forgot the pudding.

A proper pudding, not one of those fancy desserts.

Spotted Dick, or Eccles cakes.

CompleteMere · 22/06/2026 13:23

How is the land value tax calculated? If the high-value land becomes devalued because you can’t sell any houses on it because the tax would be so high, does that then reduce the land value and the tax?

MrsPapillon · 22/06/2026 13:23

ACynicalDad · 22/06/2026 13:08

Council tax is ridiculous, but the percentage I read would be horrific. Outside London but still in SE, a nurse gets the same wage as an equivalent up north, but the houses are way cheaper. Not all salaries down here are high, but the houses are much more expensive than the equivalent elsewhere.

Not necessarily. Where I live, a 3 bed semi is about £500-600K. There will be parts of the south where they’ll be much cheaper, and parts where they’re a lot more.

Not all property in the north is cheap. I suspect lots of southerners would be shocked at how some places in the north aren’t a million miles from the prices where they’re living.

Sewciopath · 22/06/2026 13:11

ExtraOnions · 22/06/2026 12:57

Those bloody Northerns… going “down south” eating pies and drinking Gravy, punishing the Middle Classes with extra taxes, to pay for Lard & Whippet racing

His first policy will be free pies for the north and tax the South more. His first official reception at Downing Street with a foreign leader will have a menu of chips, babbies yeds and gravy, washed down with cand of fizzy vimto and pints of mild.

aliceyyyy2654 · 22/06/2026 13:09

MrsPapillon · 22/06/2026 12:59

I’m paying £4000+ a year CT in the north for a 4 bed and receiving practically nothing in way of services in return. It’s about time London paid its fair share for all the wonderful things on offer there like excellent transport, museums and parks instead of owning a £2m house and paying £1200 a year. I’d welcome a land tax.

Show quote history

The south east and London are not synonymous. Where I live in the south east there is one of the highest levels of deprivation in the UK. The public services and opportunities are awful and council tax is still astronomically high.

ACynicalDad · 22/06/2026 13:08

Council tax is ridiculous, but the percentage I read would be horrific. Outside London but still in SE, a nurse gets the same wage as an equivalent up north, but the houses are way cheaper. Not all salaries down here are high, but the houses are much more expensive than the equivalent elsewhere.

aliceyyyy2654 · 22/06/2026 13:03

Seagulldancing · 22/06/2026 12:32

I have California based relatives and I like their land tax system. Its based on the sale price of your house when you bought it. So a house bought in 1970 has a low tax compared to a recent sale i a rising market. Much better than random bands or land prices.

No that’s terrible and would shaft new and first time buyers over those who bought their home for pennies 60 years ago

Catwalking · 22/06/2026 13:01

HelenaWaiting · 22/06/2026 12:23

It would be hilarious but I really don't think he'll do it. He's a Brownite. Soft left. He isn't Stalin.

& just look see what Brown did with our gold😳🙄!???