HMRC and Land Registry recognise the high degree of interest in our plans to deliver an electronic transfer service which incorporates a Stamp Duty Land Tax element.

To keep stakeholders up to date, both organisations have jointly prepared a statement that outlines the agreed policy decisions we have taken so far. We believe it also illustrates just how much work is still to be done.

Fundamental principles that have so far been agreed are:

� Responsibility for the administration of SDLT, including checking compliance, lies with HMRC

� Responsibility for registering title, including handling general registration queries, lies with HM Land Registry. In discharging that responsibility, the Land Registry will continue to ensure an SDLT return has been filed where appropriate.

Current planning assumptions are:

� In order to use the Land Registry e-transfer service any related SDLT return will have to be filed electronically.

� Land Registry will not act as an agent for HMRC, for example in collecting SDLT.

� To promote customer choice, HMRC and Land Registry will continue to support the provision of commercial Third Party Vendor Software solutions both for filing SDLT returns and Transfer of Title Registrations electronically.

� Land Registry's XML services will be PISCES compliant.

Future updates

As we progress with the development of e-transfers, and the detail of the service becomes more we will publish updated statements on our website.

Audience:
All customers

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