The new 50 per cent tax band is encouraging high net worth individuals to invest in foreign property, with Gibraltar and Andorra proving particularly popular.Such is the claim of Dan Johnson, director of TheMoveChannel.com, who has anticipated a steep rise in the number of enquiries from affluent individuals looking to reduce their exposure to the top-band tax hike introduced in April's budget."When you are dealing with people with that earning capacity, they are also the kind of people that are going to be able to afford the professional advice that would allow them to mitigate their tax liabilities," he explained.Mr Johnson's comments followed research from the Sovereign Group showing that property prices in Gibraltar and Monaco have held strong during the downturn as the top end of the market supports buying activity.Meanwhile, the Cote d'Azur and the Costa del Sol saw house prices plummet as much as 50 per cent.