<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><rss xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">  <channel>    <title>Evening Standard Stamp duty</title>    <link>https://eveningstandard.ca/topic/stamp-duty/rss</link>    <description>Visit now for the latest news direct from Evening Standard Stamp duty and updated throughout the day</description>    <language>en-gb</language>    <copyright>Copyright 2026, ESI Media Ltd</copyright>    <pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2026 13:47:25 GMT</pubDate>    <dc:date>2026-06-09T13:47:25Z</dc:date>    <dc:language>en-gb</dc:language>    <dc:rights>ESI Media Ltd or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2026</dc:rights>    <link rel="self" href="https://eveningstandard.ca/topic/stamp-duty/rss" type="application/xml" />    <link rel="hub" href="https://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/" />        <item>          <title><![CDATA[Empty homes in London should be seized under new powers for councils to tackle housing crisis, say MPs]]></title>          <link>https://eveningstandard.ca/news/london/empty-homes-councils-seize-stamp-duty-reform-mortgage-rent-b1285332.html</link>          <description><![CDATA[<p>Ministers are also being urged to reform stamp duty by the Commons housing committee</p>]]></description>          <pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2026 07:47:34 GMT</pubDate>          <guid isPermaLink="false">b1285332</guid>        <media:content url="https://static.standard.co.uk/homesandproperty/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2020/07/08/12/StampDutyHPGettyImages-1224911610.jpg?width=1200&amp;auto=webp&amp;crop=3%3A2" type="image/jpeg" medium="image">            <media:credit>AFP via Getty Images</media:credit>                    </media:content>          <dc:creator><![CDATA[Nicholas Cecil]]></dc:creator>          <dc:date>2026-06-09T07:47:34+00:00</dc:date>          <category><![CDATA[London]]></category><category><![CDATA[News]]></category>        </item>        <item>          <title><![CDATA[Stamp duty reform needed to help first-time buyers afford homes, say MPs]]></title>          <link>https://eveningstandard.ca/news/politics/england-mps-stamp-duty-housing-government-b1285319.html</link>          <description><![CDATA[Rocketing house prices and slow wage growth have contributed to a deterioration in the affordability of home ownership in England, a committee said.]]></description>          <pubDate>Mon, 08 Jun 2026 23:01:00 GMT</pubDate>          <guid isPermaLink="false">b1285319</guid>        <media:content url="https://static.standard.co.uk/2026/06/09/00/c9a280d0eab8c123805c178b831a997eY29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzgxMDE1MTM1-2.57662859.jpg?width=1200&amp;auto=webp&amp;crop=3%3A2" type="image/jpeg" medium="image">            <media:credit>PA Archive</media:credit>            <media:text><![CDATA[Higher house prices in locations such as London often mean that buyers face particularly high stamp duty costs (Jonathan Brady/PA) -  (PA Archive)]]></media:text>        </media:content>          <dc:creator><![CDATA[Vicky Shaw]]></dc:creator>          <dc:date>2026-06-08T23:01:00+00:00</dc:date>          <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category><category><![CDATA[News]]></category>        </item>  </channel></rss>