Home ownership doubled during Queen Elizabeth’s reign but families were subject to tougher tax treatment – Telegraph Blogs

Home ownership doubled during Queen Elizabeth’s reign but families were subject to tougher tax treatment – Telegraph Blogs

The Queen’s diamond jubilee reminds us how the United Kingdom has changed since Her Majesty Elizabeth II ascended the throne in 1952 – not least in financial affairs. Married couples with children were much more lightly taxed then than they are now, for example, and twice as many of us are homeowners today than 60 years ago.

Perhaps surprisingly, bricks and mortar do not appear to have provided the greatest returns of all the stores of value favoured by millions of savers and investors during the Queen’s reign. Shares seem to risen by more than house prices, according to data from Barclays Capital and Nationwide Building Society, although there is plenty of scope to debate these calculations and it should be noted that there were legal restrictions on individuals investing in gold in 1952.