n [ U ] ( BrE )
a tax that requires you to pay for a document to receive an official stamp in order to make it valid. In the past, stamp duty was paid on documents used to transfer houses and flats/apartments from one person to another. In December 2003 this was replaced by a Stamp Duty Land Tax . The new tax is paid directly to the government rather than by paying for a document to be stamped. The amount depends on the value of the property bought. Homes sold for between £60 000 and £250 000 are taxed at one per cent and the rate increases for more valuable properties. The new tax is often still referred to as ‘Stamp Duty’:
After we’d paid the solicitors’ fees and the stamp duty we had no money left for furniture.