Rules relating to document duty (anti-avoidance) in Guernsey are set to be tightened to ensure that the tax is payable whenever the ownership of a property is transferred and prevent individuals dodging stamp duty by holding property through a corporate envelope.

Under the present document duty regime, where Guernsey real property is transferred by way of conveyance, the document is registered at Guerney\'s Royal Court (the Greffe) and the transfer of ownership (and the payment) is clearly ascertainable for the purposes of assessing document duty.

However, where a property is owned by a company limited by shares, for exampl...