The most striking change to SDLT is a new exemption, to apply from 1 October 2007 to 30 September 2012, for the first purchase of a newly-built, "zero carbon" accountants costing up to £500,000. This relief does not apply on subsequent sales.

Further changes include:

• the value of properties exchanged between connected persons will no longer be aggregated in deciding whether the higher rates of SDLT apply;
  
  

• the general anti-avoidance rule announced for SDLT in the December Pre-Budget Report is put on a permanent statutory footing.