Chief executive Gerald Ronson said bankers and other successful people were a victim of the politics of envy

The boss of property developer Heron International, Gerald Ronson, has lambasted the government for a hike in stamp duty on homes worth over £2m from 5% to 7%.

He is reported by City AM as saying that public opinion and policy was being driven by “hypocrisy and envy” of successful people.

“If we create a tax regime that punishes success it will kill aspirations to succeed,” he said at the firm’s annual lunch at the Dorchester hotel.

He added that the supply of prime London property was at an all time low.

He said the recent outrage over the bonus paid to RBS chief executive Stephen Hester was a “lynch mob attack”.

Heron International owns a number of large commercial buildings in the square mile including the Heron Tower.

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