The Know Daily - Tuesday 1 April 2025

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580k trees are being planted in Scotland to expand forests and restore peatland, helping to boost biodiversity and remove atmospheric carbon dioxide 🌳 The regeneration project will become a “haven for nature” and an education resource for schools and researchers.

🏡 Pricing properties 

From 1 April, stamp duty is changing – here’s what that means.

What is stamp duty?

It’s a tax that’s paid on property purchases over a specific price in England and Northern Ireland. The actual amount you pay is determined by the purchase price of a home. When you start paying it depends on whether or not you’re a first time buyer. 

What is at the moment?

• Any house under £250k is exempt

• 5% stamp duty is paid on the portion of any property price between £250k and £925k

• 10% is paid on the portion above £925k, up to £1.5m

• 12% is due on any portion above £1.5m

• First-time buyers don’t have to pay stamp duty on houses up to £425k, but are charged a 5% rate on the portion priced above that

What’s changing?

The thresholds to start paying stamp duty are dropping on 1 April to:

• £300k for first-time buyers – you’ll have to 5% on the portion of the property price above that

• £125k for all other buyers – you’ll pay 5% on anything over that up to £925k, 10% up to £1.5m and 12% above that

You can use this handy calculator to work out exact stamp duty rates.

Anything else I should know?

Experts have said it’ll be tough for first-time buyers who’ll need to ensure they can cover the stamp duty alongside a deposit. If you’re going to be impacted by this, check out this helpful guide breaking down all the upcoming changes.

🤡 April Fools: The international tradition of jokes and hoaxes arrives for another year, but why do we celebrate it?

• The bigger story: Check out some of this year’s best pranks here.

🚖 Taxi talk: A fleet of free taxis encouraging football fans to discuss mental health will launch this week, with specially-trained cabbies providing support along a particular route in London.

💷 Money matters: New National Minimum and Living Wages take effect in the UK from today, boosting the annual income of over 3 million people.

🚄 Train travel: A cross-Channel railway rival to Eurostar has been unveiled.

🌌 Mars mission: The first British-built space rover is set to land on Mars in 2030, where it will collect samples to continue the search for “life beyond Earth”.

🐕 Dog detectives: Researchers have found some dogs can detect specific bacteria, which may help treatment for people with cystic fibrosis.

🇮🇩 Pretty places: Indonesia’s Komodo National Park has been named “the most beautiful place in the world” by Time Out - see which other destinations made the list.

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Trivia answer: B) Stormzy will receive an honorary degree from Cambridge – here’s why.

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