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firm o f builders, o f which the solicitor to the
company is a director, containing a clause that the
deposit included all legal and architect’s fees. The
Council expressed the opinion that the advertisement
was open to objection and that it might be misleading
if it conveyed the impression that the company’s
solicitors would investigate the title for the lessee
free of charge. The Council further expressed the
opinion that it would be unprofessional for a
solicitor acting as director of a company publishing
such advertisements to act for lessees or purchasers
from the company or to permit his firm to do so.
A further note will be published in the next issue.
Entries in Directories.
T
he
Council on a report from a Committee decided
to modify the ruling published in the Society’s
Gazette for January 1951 on the subject of solicitors’
entries in Directories. The amended ruling will be
printed in the next issue.
Landlord and Tenant A c t ; Renewal Leases.
T
he
Council considered the scale o f costs chargeable
on renewal leases and decided to publish a recom
mendation to the profession which will be printed
in the next issue.
Draft Land Registration Rules (Solicitors’
Costs).
D
raft
Rules submitted giving effect to the recent
decision of the Land Registration Costs Committee
were considered and adopted. The rules will not
take effect until the Minister for Justice concurs.
BUDGET STATMENT ON
STAMP DUTIES
IN his Budget Statement on 21st April the Minister
for Finance made the following reference to stamp
duties on the sale o f land and house property—
“ The purchaser of a new house qualifying for a
Government grant gets the benefit of a special 1
per cent, rate of stamp duty. Many transactions
continue to carry 3 per cent, rate o f duty and in
certain circumstances this may give rise to hardship
—for instance, on young people setting up a home
who, for one reason or another, find it more con
venient to buy a house of the older type or perhaps
a new house in respect of which a previous occupier
has got the Government grant. This and similar
cases will be met by a general relief which I am
proposing for transactions under £2,500.
This relief will apply to all sales o f property which
at present attract rates o f duty up to 3 per cent,
and will take the form of a 1 per cent, rate o f duty
on property up to £1,000 in value and thereafter
v
scale of duties rising gradually from 1 per cent, at •
84
£1,000 to 3 per cent, at a point a little below £2,500.
A 2 per cent, rate will be reached at £1,500 and a
per cent, rate at £2,000. There will, o f course, be
no abrupt change in the rate o f duty at any point.
In this way some relief will be given on almost
all transactions under £2,500 in value, and, in the
lower ranges, the relief will be quite substantial.
Within the limits I have mentioned, the proposed
new rates o f duty will apply to conveyances and
transfers of lands as well as of houses. I am hoping,
therefore, that the changes will not alone help
persons buying the less expensive type of houses
to five in, but will also give a stimulus to the market
in small properties generally. They will come, into
operation on the 1st August, 1954, or on the passing
of the Finance Act, whichever is the later, and will
cost roughly £45,000 this year.”
HOUSING (AMENDMENT) BILL,
1954 .
T
he
attention of members is drawn to the Bill
which was introduced in Dail Eireann and quickly
passed through all stages. The Bill proposes to
continue for a further period o f two years the
payment o f grants at the present rates to persons
and Public Utility Societies. A number o f miscel
laneous amendments in the law in relation to these
grants are included in the Bill. The Bill proposes
to amend Section II of the Labourers (Ireland)
Act 1906 as applied by Section 50 o f the Housing
Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1931 to facilitate the
payment of compensation for land acquired for
housing purposes by rural and other housing
authorities by adopting £250 instead o f £60 as
heretofore as the maximum compensation for the
purpose o f applying the provisions simplifying the
requirements as to the investigation o f title. Section
11
(
8
) o f the Labourers Act 1906 dealing widi
payment o f compensation into the Circuit Court is
also amended by the substitution of £600 for £100.
Section 19 o f the Bill provides that the purchaser
o f a labourer’s cottage may devise the cottage.
Section 21 o f the Bill proposes to afford protection
to housing authorities who take a charge on lands
without sub division in connection with advances
under the Small Dwellings (Acquisition) Acts
1899-1954.
INTESTATES’ ESTATES ACT, 1954 .
T
he
Act which will come into operation on 1st June
1954 repeals the Intestates’ Estate Act 1890 and
substitutes more adequate provision for the widow