Government detailed plans yesterday to defend families from stamp duty when passing on property.

Finance Minister Paula Cox said the idea ? first announced in the Throne Speech ? followed models in other jurisdictions and would end the need to hide a home transfer behind a trust.

She said: ?Government will bring an amendment to shield the primary family home from stamp duty/estate tax that typically arises when property is included in the affidavit of value with respect to deceased estates.

?For most people, the purchase or construction of their own home is the largest asset that is acquired during a lifetime of work and sacrifice.

?In many other jurisdictions, the family home is shielded from any form of inheritance or estate tax if the owner occupied the home at the time of their death.

?Government proposes to establish a similar protection for family homesteads in Bermuda.

?Some families have placed their real estate and other assets in trust to avoid the tax that is assessed on the affidavit of value.?

There were no new Government housing developments announced in the budget but Ms Cox noted the Bank of Bermuda-HSBC Group has pledged a gift of $1 million for the emergency housing initiative. She said the sum will be placed in the General Reserve Fund and earmarked for that purpose.

Housing Minister Ashfield DeVent told that ten prefab homes will be delivered to Bermuda in June to help ease Bermuda?s housing crunch.

He said the American-built two and three-bed manufactured homes would be scattered around the island.

Mr. DeVent is now being assisted by a junior Housing Minister ? Raymond Tannock ? who will help him look at all the housing owned by Government and quangos and assess future need.

?We will look at what is available and what the need is,? Mr. DeVent explained, adding that the survey would use any means including telephone polls and talking to those in social services.

?We need to clearly define what we need ? what types of houses ? one-bedroom, two-bedroom, studio??

He said dormitory houses for expatriate single workers might take that group out of the housing market.

The waiting list for housing is the lowest it has been for a long time, said Mr. DeVent with 59 applications on the emergency list and 181 on the normal list. Most applications are from families.

Mr. DeVent said: ?There are 198 homes scheduled to come on board with Bermuda Homes for People and 160 that BHC presently has. Plus there?s ten emergency houses we have.?

Ms Cox said Government was partnering with the private sector on housing by providing the land and customs duty concessions on the building materials that will be imported for use in the construction of the units.

She said the Ministry of Works, Engineering and Housing also has plans already underway or at the launch phase for the construction of 160 housing units including the renovation of derelict or vacant premises such as the Ewing Street project and the construction of new units such as the project at Perimeter Lane.

Plans for housing developments at Butterfield Lane and Redcoat Lane are at an advanced stage said Ms Cox.

But she said the planned activities of the Bermuda Housing Corporation have had only a minimal impact on the $62 million budget of the Works Ministry in 2005/06 as the Corporation will be seeking the required financing in local capital markets.

Mr. DeVent said later: ?I would hope this new initiative would fuel a fire so that private developers might come with an initiative to say ?Hey Minister, this is what we would like to do and here?s how we could help you? as opposed to people just building million dollar homes to get rich quick.?