This really is a terrible suggestion. It should be obvious that we should be trying to ensure the nation's wealth goes into productive assets, not non-productive assets like property.

James Bingham, London,

Just to add - such a poor policy shouldn't need an MP to explain the change of heart, it beggars belief they could even dream it up in the first place.

Mike, Cheltenham,

Madness. Merely delays the time when next generation can afford to buy a house in UK

There are already too many market distortions. Why does a BTL get tax relief on interest and a FTB does not? Beats me

As for property as an asset class for pensions - agree but surely there are already funds?

Rob, bath,

SIPPS was a dreadful idea and was quite rightly dropped after lots of criticism. Giving rich property investors tax breaks to buy up houses when people cant afford a house to live in would be an absolute disgrace. Prices are still prohibitive, the market will move when prices are much more realistic

Mike, Cheltenham,

Stupid idea. We have a brain drain with young professionals emigrating to Australia, Canada etc because they can't afford to get on the property ladder. Also how can we compete with emerging economies when we have such high wages so that people can rent/buy a home. Let market forces work.

Jane, Sutton, UK

Another way to make buying a house cheaper for the investor than the owner occupier

neil, portadown, ni

Absolute nonsense! The housing market in the UK is artificially kept high by stringent planning laws. The quality and size of even the best new build houses in the UK is appalling when compared to continental homes, the construction industry is a laughing stock. That's why so many friends have left!

Jon Kingsbury, Southampton, UK

What a dreadful idea. Why should I subsidise some one else's business, leaving me with even less money to pay rent or the inflated purchase price on a property that such a subsidy helps sustain? The market should be allowed to find its true equilibrium, leading to cheaper housing for all.

M Johnson, London,

To allow BTLs into SIPPS would return us to Edwardian days when the poor had no choice but to rent from people who did no work for a living. It is an appalling suggestion.

Alexander Davidson, Crawley, UK

Great idea, you should be able to invest your property in SIPPS. However brown has no money as hes spent it all in the good years. Stamp duty should be raised to 5% for 2nd homes or BTL.

hee, Bath,

Buy to let was and is part of the problem - what we have is neo-feudalism, where those with land (half a dozen buy to lets) do no useful work while the peasants pay to rent and worse, pay the tax that provides housing benefit that subsidises more buy to let properties

Tom, Aldershot, UK

"400 billion has been wiped off property and home owners are feeling poorer"
so you are suggesting get house prices flying up so the poor people can release more equity that does not exist, to spend on our debt driven economy. i say no. let them CRASH.

d humphrey, bedford, uk

I think its safe to assume that they will make a mess of it whatever they try.They cant reflate the bubble and they don't want it to deflate completely.

Mitch, Wolverhampton, England

The government must not intervene in the housing market. They let it rise to this foolish level, so now they should let it fall. Giving reckless buy to letters unfair tax breaks will keep the value of houses unnaturally high, and first time buyers will never get on the impending property snake.

Martin Cousins, Salford,

I am a home owner and would rather the property market be left to market forces, with no goverment bodies or BOE interfering, OK if they drop 50% in value then there will be affordable housing for first time buyers with a good depsit saved up, no saved deposit should mean no mortgage. Less IH Tax?

Contax, Brigg,

What, chairman Brown would allow a cut in tax?
Pull the other one. Not part of his plan.
BTL saved at a stroke. Think it through. Modern BTL was based on asset value increase which is now in meltdown.
Now economic zero growth.
This is getting interesting.
Prices will plummet.

Np, England, UK

The underlying problem is the extreme leverage of debt which the average consumer has incurred in the last decade.

Ian, Madison, USA

Does he want high house prices or low ones? Neither - he wants house prices to rise constantly but slowly. This is what most of us want and indeed expect, that house prices should rise gently in line with inflation.

Andrew Montgomery, Oxford, UK

the trouble is that a lot of consumer confidence is credit based - people think they are rich if they can afford to service their debt every month after living costs are paid. Now those who have borrowed beyond their means are not running up debt on the high street suddenly we are in recession ?

fi, newcastle upon tyne , uk

Property in SIPPs. Sounds like stoking another property bubble rather than letting properties migrate to the mean of its inherent value. People need to save and not borrow to speculate.
I say leave the market do its damnedest and let the people wanting to be home owners have a fair go.

Andy, Cardiff,

Bang up the interest rates and make maximum mortgages
70% of value. That should stop them squandering money on cigarettes and booze and football matches. With a bit of care you can manage quite nicely on 50 pounds a week.

m wilson, bidache, france