Retire Invest Spring 2021

Spring Budget 2021 – the bridging Budget The first of two Budgets in 2021 signals larger tax bills to come. Once upon a time, the concept of ‘Budget Purdah’ meant that very little of a Budget’s contents trickled out before the day. The latest Budget on 3 March underlined how far that principle has been eroded. Despite extensive coverage, some rumours proved true, others didn’t materialise and Mr Sunak still had some surprises. Income tax The personal allowance will rise to £12,570 and the higher rate threshold will increase to £50,270 for 2021/22. Both will then be frozen for the next four tax years. In Scotland, the higher rate threshold for non-savings, non-dividend income is set to rise to £43,662 in 2021/22. Many of the important tax thresholds were once again frozen, such as the £50,000 starting point for the High Income Child Benefit Charge. Pensions The lifetime allowance for pension savings was frozen at £1,073,100 and will remain at that level until April 2026. There were no changes to the annual allowance. The possibility that the Chancellor will reduce tax relief on contributions in his next Budget, due in the autumn, remains a real one. Capital gains tax The capital gains tax (CGT) annual exempt amount was also frozen for five tax years at its 2020/21 level of £12,300. The Chancellor made no mention of the report he commissioned last year from the Office for Tax Simplification (OTS) on the reform of CGT which he received in November. Inheritance tax After being frozen since 2009, the inheritance tax (IHT) nil rate band was due to increase in 2021/22. Instead, it has joined the freeze-until-2026 tax group. Had the band been linked to inflation since 2009, it would be about £90,000 higher from 6 April 2021. The residence nil rate band will also remain at its current level (£175,000) until 2026. As with CGT, Mr Sunak also has a report from the OTS on reform of IHT in his inbox. Corporation tax In April 2023, the main rate of corporation tax will jump by 6% to 25%. At the same time a new small companies’ rate, equal to the current 19% rate, will apply to companies with profits of up to £50,000. The changes will reduce the relative tax efficiency of operating a business via a company rather than as a sole trader. The freezing of so many tax thresholds until 2026 counts as a set of stealth tax increases. It will mean that over time, inflation will drag a growing number of people across tax thresholds, triggering new or higher tax liabilities. If you need any guidance on how the changes (and many non-changes) announced in the March 2021 Budget could affect you, or actions to consider before its autumn sequel, please get in touch. B The value of tax reliefs and tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances. Tax laws can change. The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate tax advice. The value of your investment and the income from it can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount you invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Investing in shares should be regarded as a long-term investment and should fit with your overall attitude to risk and financial circumstances. Going electric: the changing face of company cars The UK’s best-selling car for three months in 2020 did not even have an engine. The top-selling car in the UK for the months of April, May and December last year was a Tesla Model 3, a car that currently costs just over £43,000. One major reason for Tesla’s popularity is tax. For 2020/21, the employee who chose a zero-emission company car like the electric Tesla paid no company car tax. A BMW 3 series of the same value would have cost a higher rate taxpayer up to £5,200 in tax. The company car scales have been revised for the tax year 2021/22, but the Tesla is still only taxable on 1% of its value – meaning a bill of about £175 for a higher rate taxpayer. The tax on the BMW is increasing by the same amount. The tax benefits of going electric extend to fuelling the car, too. There is no tax to pay for electric car charging at the workplace. If the employer fuelled the BMW 3 series, then in 2020/21 the higher rate taxpayer would have up to an additional £2,940 tax to pay – and would probably have been advised to pay for their own petrol. If you are due to change your company car soon, be sure to consider the electric option. B The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate tax (or motoring) advice, and levels and bases of taxation and tax reliefs are subject to change and their value depends on individual circumstances. BUDGET TAX The capital gains tax annual exempt amount was frozen for five years at £12,300. The November OTS report on CGT reformwas not mentioned. C r e d i t: A s c a n n i o / S h u t t e rs t o c k. c o m