Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HM Revenue and Customs is taking to tackle tax avoidance in the property market.

In 2013 HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) set up a dedicated Counter Avoidance Directorate, bringing together technical, policy and operational expertise from across the Department into one place, in order to concentrate their focus on tackling marketed tax avoidance schemes.

HMRC has a team within the Counter Avoidance Directorate that focuses on Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) avoidance. Budget 2013 contained a package of measures to tackle avoidance of SDLT. Since 2013 HMRC has settled over 4,000 enquires into this type of avoidance bringing in over £200 million additional tax.