[M25 WAR]

Before judging me, maybe you should ask for the facts!

Circumstance has dictated that I have 2 properties, a house in Wales that I've owned for 9 years, and a flat in Herts that I've owned for 18 months.

I took up a new job in Herts at the end of 2007 as things in South Wales weren't looking very positive and we rented a flat for a year to see how things were going to pan out. During that year the recession hit big time and as a result interest rates were slashed and it then made more economic sense to buy a flat rather than rent.

I am not a property investor, just someone who's trying to provide for his family as best he can and further my career. Being in the construction sector my job has not been secure for the past 18 months, and will remain so for at least the next 12 months. Should the axe fall on my job, which is an ever present possibility I will be forced to sell the flat.

I have taken a risk buying a 2nd property, as the depth of the recession at that time was still unknown (and maybe still isn't), but for me it was a simple question of economics.

Yes we do not yet know the detail of what the changes to capital gains tax are, but to raise it to the levels that the media are speculating about seems crazy to me!

My point is that the general perception of capital gains tax is that it only affects the rich, but being mortgaged up the hilt I certainly don't fall into that category. We are just an ordinary family on an average income, trying to make the most of the opportunities that come our way!