It’s only just over the first 100 days in office, but the new government already feels bedded in with talks of five- and 10-year plans and anticipation of the first Labour Budget in 14 years. Following the surprise announcement at the end of July of the removal of the universal winter fuel allowance for pensioners from this winter, many will be waiting anxiously for what comes next.
The number of taxpayers continues to rise and taxes that would once have only affected those on higher incomes are now kicking in lower down the pay scale. In the latest edition of our newsletter we explore two areas where people have found themselves affected. Basic rate taxpayers with cash savings in higher interest earning accounts may now find themselves tipping past the £1,000 savings allowance (or £500 for higher-rate payers). Where they are not yet filing a self-assessment tax return they may now need to do so. Similarly, the dividend allowance reduction could also catch out small-scale investors who haven’t previously met the dividend threshold for taxation. Now only £500, a quarter of the allowance limit it was two years ago, the number of those expected to face a tax charge for 2024/25 is now double that it was just three years ago.
Preferential tax arrangements were once a hallmark of the rental sector, but in recent years the government has eroded the tax breaks on offer in an attempt to redress the balance between tenant and landlord. The Renters’ Rights Bill is the latest iteration of this process and is designed to give those renting more security in their homes by cancelling the rights of landlords to evict with no reason and extending notice periods for selling the property. At the same time the Bill spells out the terms for landlords to remove problem tenants, which they can instigate at any point in the contract. The erosion of previous tax breaks will have already been enough for some to leave the market, but the introduction of this new Bill is expected to deter more investors from seeing property rental as a viable way to make money.
We discuss these issues plus the coming challenge of VAT on private school fees and the increased number of HMRC investigations of R&D tax relief claims in the latest October/November 2024 edition of our newsletter.