The majority of Britons think the chancellor Gordon Brown should reform stamp duty levels, with many believing exclusion bands should be determined on a regional basis.
Close to three quarters (71 per cent) of respondents to a GE Money survey think that stamp duty exclusion points need to be revised, with 32 per cent believing they should be fixed at regional house price averages.
Duncan Berry of GE Money said: "As Gordon Brown prepares to deliver his budget, it is clear that the vast majority of consumers feel that current stamp duty bands do not work and that something needs to be done."
The survey results suggest that while there is a fairly broad consensus that stamp duty needs to be revised, there is a greater schism on the issue of the plight of first-time buyers. Over half (56 per cent) of respondents felt the exclusion band should be raised specifically for that section of homebuyers, while 38 per cent did not feel it was fair to give them "special treatment".
Mr Berry added: "What is also interesting is the polarised levels of empathy consumers have when it comes to the plight of first-time buyers.
"It is important that lenders continue to understand the difficulties faced by this group, developing new and innovative ways of helping them to get onto the housing ladder."
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