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Stamp duty land tax could be temporarily suspended on all house purchases, as the Government attempts to revitalise the UK's fiscal situation.
The Chancellor refused to rule out the possibility when asked by Radio 4 about media reports that SDLT will be temporarily withdrawn later in the year as part of a Treasury strategy to revive the economy.
However, he would not be drawn on the specifics of his plans.
'I'm looking at a number of measures,' said Mr Darling. 'I want to look at a range of options that would help people.'
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Vince Cable claimed the move would have negative results.
The former economist remarked: 'We are already likely to see a shortfall in taxation. Suspending stamp duty, even on a temporary basis, will only make this situation worse.
'The stamp duty system is deeply unfair, as the slab structure creates massive distortions in the market - but this needs to be dealt with in a methodical way, not through panic decisions.'
Earlier this year, the Government downgraded its calculation of the amount of tax it received from stamp duty in 2007-2008 by £1 billion, and it forecasted that the credit crunch will reduce receipts from SDLT by a further 5% in the current tax year.
