‘Scrap landlord tax relief and help the young buy homes’

Ministers should end tax breaks for buy-to-let landlords, a group of Tory modernisers has urged. Onward, a think tank set up by former advisers to Theresa May and George Osborne, the former chancellor, calls for the government to shift the tax system away from landlords and overseas buyers and towards young homeowners. “The growth of the private rented sector in part reflects its strongly tax-advantaged status,” it says. “Advantages like mortgage interest relief for landlords and the ability of landlords to avoid paying capital gains tax on residential property (by shifting their primary residence) favour buy-to-let over other investments which might have more positive impacts on productivity.” The Independent adds that more than 2m families have been locked out of home ownership as a result of landlords buying up properties to rent out,  according to the report. Click here for the full Times article (£) Click here for the full Guardian article Click here for the full FT article (£) Click here for the full Independent article