NAEA - Stamp duty is Britain's most unpopular tax

Stamp duty is a "persistent and pernicious" hurdle to overcome in order to purchase a new property, according to one industry body.

The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), which described the charge as "Britain's most unpopular tax", has called on the government to make stamp duty "fairer and more manageable".

Peter Bolton-King, the organisation's chief executive, said: "The stamp duty holiday has been a source of respite for beleaguered buyers who have been trying to achieve something that should be available to as many people as possible - to own their own homes."

The comments follow the publication of a recent report from the Council for Mortgage Lenders, which revealed that house buyers had rushed to beat the end of year deadline before the tax threshold was returned to £125,000.

Figures from the report showed that 21,500 properties valued between £125,000 and £175,000 were bought in December 2009.

This compared to 13,800 in the previous month.

Mr Bolton-King added: "These new figures confirm what our agents have been telling us - the buyers are out there but they just cannot get that first foot on the property ladder because of the amount of money required up front."

Get a cheap landlords insurance quote today from Simple Landlords Insurance.