Labour’s pre-election pledge to tax owners of properties over £2million was greeted with mixed reviews when it was unveiled in September last year.

Critics of Labour’s mansion tax say that it could be “very disruptive” to the housing market, whereas supporters claim that wealth taxation will have a positive effect on the public purse.

But what exactly is the mansion tax? And how would it affect those looking to buy and sell higher value property in Wales? Find out more by reading this brief overview from Howells Solicitors. 

Mansion Tax – Explained

The mansion tax, if put into place, would be an annual tax on properties worth over £2million. The vast majority of houses in the UK are worth far less than this, and as such the tax would apply to less than 0.5% of homes in the country. The £2million threshold would rise in line with the average rise of prices of high-value properties – so the number of properties paying the tax will not increase unless more are built. More...

Finding out you’re pregnant can bring with it a whole host of emotions, but worrying about your employment should not be one of them. While you’re pregnant, and throughout your maternity leave, not only are you protected by your statutory employment rights, but also by specific rights to protect you from pregnancy and maternity discrimination.

Examples of these include:

•    The right to a health and safety risk assessment
•    The right to paid time off for ante-natal care
•    The right to one year’s statutory maternity leave
•    The right to pay, holiday and benefits to which you are entitled

A full list of the rights and benefits to which pregnant women and women on maternity leave are entitled is available on the Maternity Action website. These rights are applicable to all women regardless of the number of hours they work or the length of their service.

If an employer fails to observe these rights and treats you unfavourably in any way, you can claim unlawful sex discrimination and take them to an Employment Tribunal.More...

The internet has revolutionised the property market – and the changes that it has brought with it are only accelerating as online marketing, mobile technology and distribution networks consistently evolve.

Customer journeys are changing. Researching the multi-faceted property market online is more convenient than ever, and perhaps even more significantly, it’s completely free.

The range and quality of properties available to view online has improved, as many store-based estate agents have been forced to adapt their business models to account for this change in customer behaviour.

However, no matter how important the internet is becoming for those buying, selling and developing property, it’s important to remember that estate agents, conveyance solicitors, and the expert services they offer are still essential, and the vast majority of sales do, and almost certainly will continue to, occur entirely offline.More...

As the Easter holiday comes around once again, thoughts of summertime and distant beaches aren’t far from our minds. A couple of days here, a fortnight there, and then there’s Christmas to contend with; before long those precious holidays are all used up. But what’s the law surrounding annual leave? How much pay are we really entitled? The law governing holiday pay has recently had a shake-up, so let’s take a look at the impact.

Lock vs. British Gas Trading Ltd.

The employment tribunal’s decision in Lock vs. British Gas Trading Ltd. held that in calculating holiday pay, the Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR) should be interpreted so as to include commission in holiday pay in respect of the four week’s annual leave entitlement, in accordance with the EU Working Time Directive (the Directive). But what exactly does this mean?

The Facts (In Plain English)

Mr Lock brought a case before an employment tribunal for unlawful deduction of wages when he realised that his employer had failed to take into account his commission when calculating his holiday pay. The commission Mr Lock earned amounted to around 60% of his overall wages, meaning that when his employer failed to take it into account when calculating his holiday pay, he was left at a financial disadvantage.More...