Monday newspaper round-up: housing, Brexit, stamp duty, RBS

The chancellor, Philip Hammond, is considering using this month’s budget to introduce a “good landlord” tax break rewarding investors who sell properties to sitting tenants amid a housing crisis that has left 40% of young adults unable to buy a home. The Treasury is weighing up a new Help to Buy proposal whereby landlords would not have to pay capital gains tax when selling up to tenants who had been living in a property for at least three years. The plan has been drawn up by the right-wing thinktank Onward, which suggests the £1.3bn-a-year cost of the policy could be covered by curtailing other tax perks enjoyed by buy-to-let investors. – Guardian

British businesses are the most anxious they have been about Brexit since the 2016 referendum, with more bosses reining in hiring and investment plans, a study has found. The accountancy group Deloitte has warned that worries over the long-term impact of Brexit are mounting. This is pushing down optimism over future prospects as firms fear their trading relations with customers in the European Union could be disrupted next year. – Guardian

The head of estate agent Knight Frank has hit out 
at plans to charge higher stamp duty on overseas purchases of UK homes, warning the move will hammer the property market. Alistair Elliott, who chairs the partnership, said he was open to measures to tackle the effect of foreign speculators on the market but said “another levy on top of a very high level for our market is not the answer”. – Telegraph

Having enjoyed a bumper run in the years following the financial crisis, London’s vast and wealthy commercial property industry came unstuck when Britain voted to leave the European Union two years ago. Office landlords such as Land Securities, Derwent and British Land saw millions wiped off the value of their shares and investor cash flowing into the capital waned amid fears the City would lose its dominance of Europe’s financial sector, leading to an exodus of employers. – Telegraph

Brexiteers warned Theresa May last night that she could keep Britain within EU customs arrangements only until 2022 as negotiations with the bloc entered a vital week. The prime minister hopes to unlock talks that have become stuck over the so-called Irish backstop with a commitment to keep all of the UK in the European Union’s present customs arrangements after the transition period ends in December 2020. – The Times

Royal Bank of Scotland is considering ditching its corporate name after suffering severe reputational damage from the financial crisis and ten years of painful restructuring, according to the bank’s chairman. Sir Howard Davies told The Times that the RBS name was “under review” as the bank had now resolved most of its historical problems and was shifting its focus to investing in its other brands - Natwest, Coutts and Ulster Bank. – The Times