Stamp Duty

In the UK, stamp duty is a tax payable on certain transactions: In England and Northern Ireland, Stamp Duty Land Tax is a tax payable by people buying property or land over a certain price. People buying shares electronically in the UK are obliged to pay a Stamp Duty Reserve Tax. Transactions that go through CREST (the computerised register of shares and shareholders operated by Euroclear) have SDRT automatically deducted and paid to the UK tax authority (HMRC). For transactions off CREST, share buyers have to report transactions directly to HMRC. Buying shares using a stock transfer form for transactions above £1,000. Stamp duty is payable on shares in UK-incorporated companies, options to buy shares, an interest in shares (e.g. an interest in the money from selling them), shares in a foreign company that has a share register in the UK, and rights arising from shares (e.g. rights to new shares issued).