UK News
Insights from the UK and beyond
from The Great Debate UK:
Taxes and the emergency budget
-Julia Whittle is head of International at Punter Southall Financial Management. The opinions expressed are her own. Join Reuters for a live discussion with guests as UK Chancellor George Osborne makes an emergency budget statement at 12:30 p.m. British time on Tuesday, June 22, 2010.-
It is highly unlikely previous Capital Gains Tax proposals will be reversed in Chancellor George Osborne's first budget.
The new rate is due to increase in line with income tax – and the option of taking it up to the highest rate of 50 percent has not been ruled out. The change could start from June 22, or even be backdated to April 6, 2010
This will hit second properties as well as investment portfolios. The tightening up of the definitions around “private residence relief” which enables people to sell their main residence free if tax could pour salt on the wound for second-property owners.
from The Great Debate UK:
A budget of woes? Where has our imagination gone?
-Ruth Porter is communications manager at the Institute of Economic Affairs. The opinions expressed are her own. Join Reuters for a live discussion with guests as Chancellor George Osborne makes an emergency budget statement at 12:30 p.m. British time on Tuesday, June 22, 2010.-
George Osborne has the chance to do something really radical on Tuesday in his budget statement.
Another “slap in face with wet kipper” Budget
By Francesca Lagerberg, head of the national tax office, Grant Thornton
Most Budgets have all the attraction of being slapped in the face with a wet kipper and sadly this one is unlikely to reverse the trend. As expected, from today up goes the cost of booze (4p on a pint) and fags (11p on a packet). Also for those who like driving larger less-green new cars there is a “showroom” tax coming in from 2009 that could cost them around 950 pounds.
However, for the entrepreneur there was a little cheer. After strong representations from business, Chancellor Alistair Darling has deferred the “income shifting” rules that were due to start from this April. These were a direct attack on family-owned businesses that include lower tax paying family members who take out dividends or profits but make a less significant contribution to the business. A case last year (Jones v Garnett) went against the government and it was looking to legislate to get the result it wanted. The proposals were wide-ranging and ill-targeted. A deferral will hopefully allow time to revisit this whole approach.
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The Wall
