Alistair Darling's hints over cutting stamp duty are affecting house sales

Estate agents have claimed that Alistair Darling’s dithering over stamp duty has “paralysed” the housing market, prompting a 20% fall in prospective buyers.

Thousands of house sales have reportedly collapsed since the chancellor confirmed that cutting tax was one of a number of measures being considered to boost the economy.

House prices are already falling at their fastest rate for 17 years and the hints about stamp duty this month have encouraged buyers to shelve purchases in the hope that they can save tens of thousands of pounds by waiting until the autumn.

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