Homes with scenic views, conservatories, large garages and other features will be targeted by property tax ‘police’ assessing who should pay punitive housing tax, it was claimed today.
Inspectors charged with figuring out which homes are worth enough to be affected by the new home invasion have a checklist of features they can use to increase their taxable value.
They include a wide range of popular home characteristics, as well as more subjective measures such as the quality of a property’s appearance and its architectural style.
The Conservatives said an HMRC tax manual, obtained under freedom of information laws, showed inspectors would also flag houses with conservatories, balconies, large garages or larger numbers of parking spaces.
They are included alongside more obvious signs of opulence, such as swimming pools or tennis courts, stables and land for horses, outbuildings and outbuildings, and whether the home is in a gated community.
Agricultural land adjacent to a home may also be subject to the levy.
Ministers have previously admitted that valuers could carry out ‘internal inspections’ of homes to check whether they are worth more than the £2m threshold.
Anyone who visits the HMRC The inspectors would be committing an offense punishable by a fine of up to £200.
Inspectors charged with figuring out which homes are worth enough to be affected by the new home invasion have a checklist of features they can use to increase their taxable value
Conservative leader Kevin Hollinrake said: ‘This is the sinister reality of Labour’s secret tax board plot exposed’
Conservative leader Kevin Hollinrake said: ‘This is the sinister reality of Labour’s secret tax espionage scheme. HMRC agents will soon enter your home and note the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, parking spaces, balconies, conservatories and even the quality of the view from the window.
‘They will feed that information into their Big Brother database to make more and more homes eligible for Labour’s new family home tax. And hardworking families and retirees are at risk of being spied on, even if they ultimately don’t have to pay for it.
‘This is a huge invasion of privacy and a new tool in Labour’s arsenal, designed to tax ambitions even more.’
The high council tax surcharge – also known as mansion tax – will come into force in 2028 after it was unveiled by then Chancellor Rachel Reeves in last year’s Budget.
HMRC agents will use third-party data and publicly available information to value properties, but will also be able to carry out ‘internal inspections’.
The government’s budget watchdog estimates that 165,000 properties will be affected in the first year of the policy, rising to 167,000 by 2030.
The charge will be introduced in four price bands, starting at £2,500 per year for properties worth more than £2 million, rising to £7,500 for properties worth more than £5 million.
A reassessment of high-value properties will determine the new tax, which is expected to impact properties in council tax bands F, G and H.
A government spokesperson said: ‘The surcharge will apply to less than 1 per cent of properties in England.’
