IFS Finds Help to Buy Scheme Benefited Higher-Income Households Most

In Brief

The distribution of benefits from the Help to Buy scheme has raised questions about its impact on social mobility.

Key Facts

• The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) found that higher-income households were the main beneficiaries of the Help to Buy scheme.
• Help to Buy was launched by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government in 2013.
• The scheme involved two separate initiatives aimed at making home ownership more achievable.
• The IFS analysis indicated that people with lower incomes benefitted less from the scheme.
• The IFS described the scheme as having little effect on social mobility.

What Happened

The Institute for Fiscal Studies released an analysis showing that the Help to Buy scheme, introduced in 2013, primarily benefited higher-income households, with lower-income groups seeing less impact.

Why It Matters

The findings suggest that the scheme may not have achieved its intended goal of improving access to home ownership for lower-income individuals, raising policy questions about its effectiveness in promoting social mobility.

What's Next

Further discussion and potential policy reviews may follow as stakeholders assess the implications of the IFS findings for future housing initiatives.