The Treasury has enjoyed a sharp rise in stamp duty and VAT receipts, official figures disclose.

Income from stamp duty land tax climbed 36.5% to £852m, official public finance figures for last month reveal. This helped lift receipts for the first seven months by 38%. The Office for Budget Responsibility forecast in March that stamp duty receipts this year would rise to £800m but, after seen months, they are already £1.14bn ahead of last year. Reports conflict on whether the increased receipts offer the chance of a tax giveaway in next month’s Autumn Statement.