Candy brothers lose £4m stamp duty battle over Georgian mansion

Candy brothers lose £4m stamp duty battle over Georgian mansion

Gordon House was set to be purchased by Christian Candy, left with his wife, Emily, but is home to Nick Candy and Holly Valance When the billionaire Christian Candy struck a £68 million deal to buy a Georgian mansion in London, the stamp duty appeared the least of his problems.

The property developer and his brother Nick have found themselves on the wrong end of an HM Revenue and Customs decision, however. In a ruling that Nick insists is “patently unfair” they have been taxed almost £4 million for the single purchase.

Christian, 46, and Nick, 48, have fallen victim to a little-known quirk in property taxation law designed to stop buyers avoiding tax by transferring ownership during the middle of a sale.

A tribunal has backed the government department’s earlier decision that they must each pay a stamp duty land tax (SDLT) levy of £1.92 million on the

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