Your voice, your choice: “How do I get into the real estate market?”

Sharon believes the threshold at which inheritance tax must be paid should be raised to keep pace with rising property prices, but neither party seems willing to change the rules.

You are right to point out that inheritance tax is relatively under-mentioned in manifestos. Some commentators claim it is the most ‘hated’ tax in Britain, but of course that depends entirely on who you ask!

Labour wants to tackle inheritance tax avoidance. The Greens want to reform it to make it fairer. Reform wants to abolish it for inheritances under £2 billion.

How this can be achieved or financed remains to be seen.

It should be remembered that in 2020 and 2021 only 4% of estates after death were subject to inheritance tax. However, rising wealth and a frozen threshold mean that this share is increasing.

Peter Green questions why tax increases are such a sensitive issue for the major parties. He believes taxes should be increased to improve public services, given the “terrible state” of the NHS, roads and public transport.

Each party makes general promises about taxation and spending on public services in its manifesto. The real details, of course, come from the party in power when its Chancellor presents a budget.

Remember that while both major parties claim they will not raise tax rates, the reality is that freezing income tax thresholds will encourage more people to pay more income tax. Overall, the tax burden for all of us will increase under both parties.

Smaller parties are somewhat more confident – ​​perhaps for political reasons – and say they would raise certain taxes to spend money on certain services.

Krista from Nottingham wants to know what measures could be taken to stimulate the property market in order to boost economic growth in the currently stagnating British economy.

The property market is actually a reflection of the UK economy as a whole. Cost of living, job security, interest rates and just general economic confidence all have an impact on people’s decision whether to buy or sell a home.

The sector has been relatively quiet of late, largely due to relatively high mortgage rates. This has meant little movement in house prices, which may come as a relief to some first-time buyers after their rapid rise.

The stamp duty reduction is a lever that finance ministers like to use to stimulate the sector. This is a concrete policy of the Conservatives and reformers.

But the real estate market alone will not create the economic growth that all parties want. This is why their economic policies in a broader sense are increasingly coming under criticism.