Buy-to-let landlords and second homeowners have twice the amount of time to report and pay capital gains tax after selling a residential property in the UK. The deadline to report and pay capital gains tax after completing the sale of additional UK residential property is now 60 days – up from 30 days. The change … Continued
Cladding tax to affect large property developers in 2022/23
A new levy on large residential property developers’ profits intends to raise around £2 billion over the next 10 years, starting from next spring. The ‘cladding tax’ will be a 4% tax on developers with company profits of £25 million or more from residential development, although student and build-to-rent developments are exempt. It expects to … Continued
Extension for temporary £1m annual investment allowance
The temporary increase to the annual investment allowance has been extended by 15 months, just eight weeks before it was due to expire. The allowance offers 100% tax relief on qualifying plant and machinery up to a specified annual limit. In 2019, the allowance was increased from £200,000 to £1 million – a rise that … Continued
Hospitality and tourism VAT rate increases to 12.5%
VAT for pubs, restaurants, holiday accommodation and entry to certain attractions increased from 5% to 12.5% last month, following the end of a tax break. A temporary cut first introduced on 8 July 2020 saw the standard rate of VAT for struggling businesses in the hospitality and tourism sectors fall from 20% to 5%. That … Continued
National Insurance and dividends tax rates to rise 1.25% in 2022/23
National Insurance contributions (NICs) and the three dividend tax rates will all increase 1.25% from April 2022 to pay for the social care system in England. This social care package will be funded through a new UK-wide health and social care levy, which is expected to raise around £12 billion a year. The levy will … Continued
Government launches new trust registration service
Millions of trustees need to register details of their trusts before next autumn, following the launch of a new trust registration service. The service was originally announced in draft form in 2017, at a time when it would only have applied to taxable-relevant trusts. Since then it has been expanded to include all UK-resident express … Continued
Curtain comes down on stamp duty land tax holiday
The stamp duty land tax holiday in England and Northern Ireland has come to an end, more than 14 months after it first came into effect. The tax break saw most buyers who purchased residential homes for £500,000 or less pay no stamp duty land tax until 30 June 2021, although landlords still had to … Continued
Capital gains tax receipts climb 3% to record-high
HMRC collected a record of £9.9 billion from capital gains tax receipts in 2019/20, according to official statistics published last month. The tax authority said this was 3% up on the previous tax year’s receipts, but the number of taxpayers paying tax on their gains fell 6% to around 265,000. Most of the liabilities collected … Continued
National Insurance contributions rates ‘poised to increase’
The Government could be set to raise National Insurance contributions (NICs) by 1% for both employers and employees, a report has claimed. The Times claimed senior ministers have agreed to increase rates to raise an extra £10 billion a year for the National Insurance Fund. This would initially be used to reduce NHS waiting lists, … Continued
Pensions tax traps catch out thousands more savers
The number of savers who breached the annual allowance and the lifetime allowance increased in 2018/19, according to government statistics. Figures from HMRC show 34,220 people reported saving more in their pension pots than the £40,000 annual allowance in 2018/19, triggering total tax charges worth £817 million. The amount of people who exceeded their annual … Continued