Rishi Sunak received a “hospital pass” when he was appointed Chancellor and was required to deliver the first Budget in nearly 18 months within a month of his appointment. He announced extra spending on roads, rail, broadband and other infrastructure projects as well as extra money for the NHS to help cope with the coronavirus epidemic.
As we are in unprecedented times and there are no doubts that business is going to be tough over the coming weeks / months. This is a guide to some support available to you as business owners at the moment, with links to the appropriate websites and government support mechanisms.
We are expecting major changes to inheritance tax in the March Budget following two reviews by the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) and also a report by an All Party Parliamentary Committee. Inheritance tax is perceived as a complicated tax with numerous fairly trivial reliefs and exemptions. Currently the tax only generally applies to transfers on death and gifts within 7 years of death.
Another tax relief that may be further restricted or even abolished is Capital Gains Tax entrepreneurs’ relief. This relief allows business owners to pay just 10% Capital Gains Tax on the first £10 million of capital gains when they dispose of their business and was tightened up in the Autumn 2018 Budget.
Have you used your 2019/20 £12,000 annual capital gains exemption? Consider selling shares where the gain is less than £12,000 before 6 April 2020. Also, if you have any worthless shares consider a negligible value claim to establish a capital loss. You may even be able to set off that capital loss against your income under certain circumstances which could save tax of up to 45% of the loss.
There are frequent rumours that pension tax relief will change in the Budget. This is even more likely this year as the new Government looks for additional tax revenue to fund its ambitious spending pledges such as the HS2 rail link.
For every £2 that your adjusted net income exceeds £100,000 the £12,500 personal allowance is reduced by £1. Pension contributions and Gift Aid can help to reduce adjusted net income and save tax at an effective rate of 60%.
For most taxpayers the maximum pension contribution is £40,000 each tax year, although this depends on their earnings. This limit covers both contributions by the individual and their employer. Note that the unused allowance for a particular tax year may be carried forward for three years and can be added to the relief for the current year, but then lapses if unused.
Your maximum annual investment in ISAs for 2019/20 is £20,000. Your investment needs to be made before 6 April 2020. In addition, have you thought about investing for your children or grandchildren by setting up a Junior ISA? In the 2019/20 tax year, you can invest £4,368 into a Junior ISA for any child under 18.
If you are looking for investment opportunities, have you considered the Enterprise Investment Scheme? These investments in certain qualifying companies allow you to set off 30% of the amount invested against your tax bill as well as the ability to defer capital gains tax until the shares are sold.
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