REUTERS/Andrew BoyersSept 21 (Reuters) - Shares in British homebuilders rose sharply on Wednesday morning after a media report said the government would cut stamp duty - a tax on property purchases - in a mini-budget on Friday. Peel Hunt analyst Sam Cullen said any stamp duty cut could help housebuilders better offset inflation in building costs, which has been largely cushioned by higher house prices. The Times said the plan to cut stamp duty would be part of new Prime Minister Liz Truss's drive to boost economic growth. A temporary stamp duty cut was used to support the market by previous finance minister Rishi Sunak during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, no stamp duty is paid on the first 125,000 pounds ($141,650) of any property purchase.

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