§ Mr. Stephen O'BrienTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will conduct a public consultation on modernising stamp duty, with particular reference to(a) lease duty, (b) anti-avoidance measures and (c) tax reliefs. [105600]
§ Ruth KellyThe Chancellor announced a wide-ranging reform of stamp duty on land and buildings in the UK in his 2002 Budget. Consultation on this reform was launched with the publication of a consultative document on 17 April 2002 entitled "Modernising Stamp Duty on Land and Buildings in the UK", seeking views on the detail of the modernised regime. This document included the three particular aspects to which the question refers. In addition, a number of discussions were held last year with representative bodies.