Stamp duty jumped 67% to £10.2bn in the first half of the tax year, compared to 12 months ago, according to HMRC monthly data.

It said the rise was due to the slump in the property market caused by the pandemic in the first half of last year, followed by the surge sparked by the last July’s launch of the government’s stamp duty holiday.

Last month, stamp duty on property was up a record 76% from October last year, and 25% higher from the same month in 2019.

However, HMRC says: “Comparisons against receipts in the same period last year are not representative as they were heavily impacted by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The overall tax take from the Treasury jumped 34% to £392bn in the first half of the current tax year between April and October, with higher receipts from a range of taxes, including the three largest revenue earners – VAT, income tax and national insurance.

The rise reflects more people leaving the government’s furlough scheme and returning to the workforce after the disruption of the pandemic.

Inheritance tax only made up £3.6bn of the tax take, but is a 20% rise on the same period a year earlier.

Hargreaves Lansdown personal finance analyst Sarah Coles says: “The enormous jump in stamp duty this tax year demonstrates the impact of the stamp duty holiday. And while the taxman may be rubbing his hands in glee, buyers are more likely to be wringing theirs.

“Tax is up a third in the first half of the tax year and stamp duty has soared by two thirds. And while the figures are distorted enormously by the impact of the pandemic, the dramatic impact of the stamp duty holiday is clear.

“It’s difficult to compare tax years, because the government brought in a set of rules to try to make it easier to manage tax bills, and another set to get us to spend more money and buy more property.

“However, we can see the enormous impact of the stamp duty holiday. It has pushed the average house price to a record high of £270,000 – up £28,000 in a year, and driven transactions higher. This year we had the busiest ever September in the property market, as buyers rushed for the final stamp duty holiday deadline.

“In terms of stimulating the market and generating tax, the move was clearly effective. However, if you’re trying to get onto the property ladder, or move up it, the impact is likely to be far less welcome.

“As the tax break dies away, buyers now have nothing to gain from the short-term measure, and in the process it has made the challenge of buying a home even harder.”