First-time buyers in Worcester saved £900,000 on stamp tax last year under a new Government scheme.
The policy, designed to help people onto the housing ladder, scrapped stamp duty land tax for first-time buyers paying up to £300,000 for their home, and reduced it by £5,000 for those paying up to £500,000.
But critics argue the move does not go far enough, and have called for further reform.
Figures from HM Revenue and Customs show 530 first-time buyers in Worcester benefited from the tax relief scheme in 2018-19 – the first full financial year since it was introduced.
The tax authority estimates it lost a total of £900,000 in tax income in the area, meaning each buyer will have saved an average of £1,700.
This was lower than the average across Worcestershire, where 2,350 saved £1,800 apiece.
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