Overview
- Reports on 28 November say the Valuation Office Agency will use aerial photography and automated techniques to help assess properties for a surcharge targeting homes valued at £2 million or more.
- The agency says professional valuers use modern technology with open-source information such as sales records, property attributes, government data and mapping tools like Google Maps, and it rejects claims of spying.
- Coverage cites potential annual bills of up to about £7,500 for properties valued above roughly £5 million, with assessment data provided to the Treasury.
- The approach draws on a model developed for Welsh council tax work that used an automated system to verify house and garden sizes, with broader Welsh reforms now delayed to 2028.
- Opposition politicians and campaign groups criticize the plan on privacy grounds, while Treasury ministers have previously said they are exploring adapting the Welsh methods in England and may consider private-sector datasets to reduce costs.