While home-buyers in London and the South East are hardest hit, more people across the country are being hit by Stamp Duty at the 3 per cent rate, which acts as a barrier both for an increasing number of first-time buyers, as well as many hard-working families wanting to buy a new home. Families buying a home for between £250,000 and £500,000 pay between £7,500 and £15,000 in Stamp Duty. The TaxPayers' Alliance has published new research which exposes the punitive amounts paid in Stamp Duty each year, as it launches a campaign calling for a cut in the hated tax on buying a family home.