Should homebuyers have to pay a higher rate of stamp duty if the property they are buying has a low energy rating? After all, motorists already pay a higher rate of road tax if they are buying a new car with high fuel consumption. The stamp duty idea has been advanced by a trade body called the Energy Efficiency Infrastructure Group, which takes the example of a two bedroom end-of-terrace property with an agreed sale price of £250,000. At present, the buyers would pay stamp duty of £2500 (or zero if they were first time buyers). Under the new system they would pay £847 if the property had an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of A, rising to £4796 if it had a rating of E. They would be able to gain a rebate if they undertook energy improvements within the first two years which succeed in improving the property’s rating.
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