Autumn Statement 2022 – National insurance contributions

Budget Summary

In September 2021 the government published its proposals for new investment in health and social care in England. The proposals were intended to lead to a permanent increase in spending not only in England but also by the devolved governments. To fund the investment the government introduced a UK-wide 1.25% Health and Social Care Levy based on the National Insurance contributions (NICs) system but ringfenced for health and social care.

The Health and Social Care Levy Act provided for a temporary 1.25% increase to both the main and additional rates of Class 1, Class 1A, Class 1B and Class 4 NICs for 2022/23. From April 2023 onwards, the NIC rates were intended to revert back to 2021/22 levels and be replaced by a new 1.25% Health and Social Care Levy.

However, the government has:

reversed the temporary increase in NICs and
cancelled the Health and Social Care Levy completely.

According to the government, not proceeding with the Levy will reduce tax for 920,000 businesses by nearly £10,000 on average next year.For SMEs, the government predicts that the savings will be around £4,200 on average for small businesses and £21,700 for medium sized firms from 2023/24.In addition, it will help almost 28 million people across the UK save £330 on average in 2023/24, with an additional saving of around £135 on average this year.

More detail for employees and employers

The changes took effect for payments of earnings made on or after 6 November 2022, so:

primary Class 1 NICs (employees) generally reduced from 13.25% to 12% and 3.25% to 2% and
secondary Class 1 NICs (employers) reduced from 15.05% to 13.8%.

The effect on Class 1A (payable by employers on taxable benefits in kind) and Class 1B (payable by employers on PAYE Settlement Agreements) NICs will effectively be averaged over the 2022/23 tax year, so that the rate will generally be 14.53%.

The government hopes that most employees will receive the NICs reduction directly via the payroll in their November pay but acknowledges that some will have to wait until December or January, depending on the complexity of their employer’s payroll software.

More detail for the self-employed

Following the principle detailed above, the changes to Class 4 NICs will again be averaged across 2022/23, so that the rates will be 9.73% and 2.73%.

NICs thresholds

A similar principle to that outlined above for income tax thresholds will be followed in respect of the NICs upper earnings limit and upper profits limit. From July 2022, the NICs primary threshold and lower profits limit were increased to align with the personal allowance and will be maintained at this level from April 2023 until April 2028. The Class 2 lower profits threshold will also be fixed from April 2023 until April 2028 to align with the lower profits limit. They will again be £12,570 and £50,270 as appropriate.

In addition, the government will fix the lower earnings limit and the small profits threshold at 2022/23 levels in 2023/24, namely £6,396 and £6,725 per annum respectively.

The government will uprate the Class 2 and Class 3 NICs rates for 2023/24 to £3.45 per week and £17.45 respectively.

Finally, the government will fix the level at which employers start to pay Class 1 NICs for their employees at £9,100 from April 2023 until April 2028.

The government states: ‘It is fair that businesses play their part in reducing the UK’s debt. The Employment Allowance means that 40% of businesses do not pay NICs and will be unaffected by this change, and the largest employers contribute the most.’

November 23, 2022

Autumn Statement 2022 – Capital gains

Budget Summary

The government has announced that the capital gains tax annual exempt amount will be reduced from £12,300 to £6,000 from April 2023 and to £3,000 from April 2024.

Combined with the changes to the Dividend Allowance, these measures will raise over £1.2 billion a year from April 2025.

November 23, 2022

Autumn Statement 2022 – Stamp duty land tax

Budget Summary

A number of changes were made to the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) regime earlier this year and these remain. Generally, the changes increase the amount that a purchaser can pay for residential property before they become liable for SDLT.

The residential nil rate tax threshold increased from £125,000 to £250,000.

The nil rate threshold for First Time Buyers’ Relief increased from £300,000 to £425,000 and the maximum amount that an individual can pay while remaining eligible for First Time Buyers’ Relief increased to £625,000.

The changes apply to transactions with effective dates on and after 23 September 2022 in England and Northern Ireland. These changes do not apply to Scotland or Wales which operate their own land transactions taxes.

There are no changes in relation to purchases of non-residential property.

ResidentialBand £	Rate%	Non-residentialBand £	Rate%
0 – 250,000	0	0 – 150,000	0
250,001 – 925,000	5	150,001 – 250,000	2
925,001 – 1,500,000	10	Over 250,000	5
Over 1,500,000	12

Higher rates may be payable where further residential properties are acquired.

However, the government has now confirmed that these changes will be a temporary SDLT reduction. The SDLT cut will remain in place until 31 March 2025 to support the housing market.

November 23, 2022

Autumn Statement 2022 – Land transaction tax

Budget Summary

The Welsh government also altered its rates in relation to land and buildings in Wales for transactions with an effective date on or after 10 October 2022.

ResidentialBand £	Rate%	Non-residentialBand £	Rate%
0 – 225,000	0	0 – 225,000	0
225,001 – 400,000	6	225,001 – 250,000	1
400,001 – 750,000	7.5	250,001 – 1,000,000	5
750,001 – 1,500,000	10	Over 1,000,000	6
Over 1,500,000	12

Higher rates may be payable where further residential properties are acquired.

November 23, 2022

Autumn Statement 2022 – Business

Budget Summary

Corporation tax rates

It had been previously announced that the expected increase in the rate of corporation tax for many companies from April 2023 to 25% would not go ahead. However the government announced on 14 October 2022 that this increase will now proceed and this has been confirmed.

This means that, from April 2023, the rate will increase to 25% for companies with profits over £250,000. The 19% rate will become a small profits rate payable by companies with profits of £50,000 or less. Companies with profits between £50,001 and £250,000 will pay tax at the main rate reduced by a marginal relief, providing a gradual increase in the effective corporation tax rate.

In addition:

bank corporation tax surcharge changes will proceed, meaning that from April 2023 banks will be charged an additional 3% rate on their profits above £100 million and
from April 2023 the rate of diverted profits tax will increase from 25% to 31%.

Capital allowances

The Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) gives a 100% write-off on certain types of plant and machinery up to certain financial limits per 12-month period. The limit has been £1 million for some time but was scheduled to reduce to £200,000 from April 2023. The government has announced that the temporary £1 million level of the AIA will become permanent and the proposed reduction will not occur.

Companies incurring expenditure on plant and machinery should carefully consider the timing of their acquisitions to optimise their cashflow.

The government will also extend the 100% first year allowance for electric vehicle chargepoints to 31 March 2025 for corporation tax purposes and 5 April 2025 for income tax purposes.

Research and Development

For expenditure on or after 1 April 2023, the Research and Development Expenditure Credit (RDEC) rate will increase from 13% to 20% but the small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) additional deduction will decrease from 130% to 86% and the SME credit rate will decrease from 14.5% to 10%.

This government states that ‘this reform ensures that taxpayer support is as effective as possible, improves the competitiveness of the RDEC scheme, and is a step towards a simplified, single RDEC-like scheme for all’. The government will consult on the design of a single scheme and consider whether further support is necessary for R&D intensive SMEs. As previously announced at Autumn Budget 2021, the R&D tax reliefs will be reformed by expanding qualifying expenditure to include data and cloud costs, refocusing support towards innovation in the UK, and targeting abuse and improving compliance.

Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme

From April 2023, companies will be able to raise up to £250,000 of Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) investment, a two-thirds increase. To enable more companies to use SEIS, the gross asset limit will be increased to £350,000 and the age limit from two to three years. To support these increases, the annual investor limit will be doubled to £200,000.

Company Share Option Plan

From April 2023, qualifying companies will be able to issue up to £60,000 of Company Share Option Plan (CSOP) options to employees, twice the current £30,000 limit. The ‘worth having’ restriction on share classes within CSOP will be eased, better aligning the scheme rules with the rules in the Enterprise Management Incentive scheme and widening access to CSOP for growth companies.

November 23, 2022

Autumn Statement 2022 – VAT

Budget Summary

The VAT registration and deregistration thresholds will not change for a further period of two years from 1 April 2024, staying at £85,000 and £83,000 respectively.

According to the government, at £85,000, the UK’s VAT registration threshold is more than twice as high as the EU and OECD averages.

November 23, 2022

Autumn Statement 2022 – Vehicles

Budget Summary

The government will set the rates for the taxation of company car benefits until April 2028 to provide long term certainty for taxpayers and industry. Rates will continue to incentivise the take up of electric vehicles.

In addition, from 6 April 2023 car and van fuel benefits and the van benefit charge will increase in line with inflation.

In addition, from April 2025 electric cars, vans and motorcycles will begin to pay Vehicle Excise Duty in the same way as petrol and diesel vehicles. According to the government, this will ensure that all road users begin to pay a fair tax contribution as the take up of electric vehicles continues to accelerate.

November 23, 2022

Autumn Statement 2022 – Welfare, work and pensions

Budget Summary

Cost of living payments

The government will provide households on means-tested benefits with an additional £900 cost of living payment in 2023/24. Pensioner households will receive an additional £300 and individuals on disability benefits will receive an additional £150.

Uprating of benefits

The government will increase benefits in line with inflation, including the state pension. The standard minimum income guarantee in pension credit will also increase in line with inflation from April 2023.

Around 19 million families will see their benefit payments increase from April 2023.

Raising the benefit cap

The benefit cap will be raised in line with inflation, so that more households will see their payments increase as a result of uprating from April 2023. The cap will be raised from £20,000 to £22,020 for families nationally and from £23,000 to £25,323 in Greater London. For single adults it will be raised from £13,400 to £14,753 nationally and from £15,410 to £16,967 in Greater London.

National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage uprating

The government will increase the National Living Wage (NLW) and National Minimum Wage from 1 April 2023 as follows:

the rate for 23 year olds and over to £10.42 an hour
the rate for 21-22 year olds to £10.18 an hour
the rate for 18-20 year olds to £7.49 an hour
the rate for 16-17 year olds to £5.28 an hour and
the apprentice rate to £5.28 an hour.

This represents an increase of over £1,600 to the annual earnings of a full-time worker on the NLW and is expected to benefit over two million low paid workers.

In-work conditionality for Universal Credit claimants

The government will bring forward the nationwide rollout of the In-Work Progression Offer, starting with a phased rollout from September 2023, to support individuals on Universal Credit (UC) and in work to increase their earnings and move off benefits entirely. This will mean that over 600,000 claimants on UC whose household income is typically between the equivalent of 15 and 35 hours a week at the NLW will be required to meet with a dedicated work coach in a Jobcentre Plus to increase their hours or earnings.

November 23, 2022

Autumn Statement 2022 – Energy

Budget Summary

The Autumn Statement sets out reforms to ensure businesses in the energy sector who are making extraordinary profits contribute more. From 1 January 2023, the Energy Profits Levy will be increased to 35% and extended to the end of March 2028 and a new, temporary 45% Electricity Generator Levy will be applied on the extraordinary returns being made by electricity generators.

The Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) will be maintained through the winter, limiting typical energy bills to £2,500 per year. From April 2023 the EPG will rise to £3,000.

The government is also setting a national ambition to reduce energy consumption by 15% by 2030, delivered through public and private investment, and a range of cost-free and low-cost steps to reduce energy demand.

November 23, 2022

Autumn Statement 2022 – Income tax

Budget Summary

On 17 November 2022, the government undertook the third fiscal statement in as many months, against a backdrop of rising inflation and economic recession. The Chancellor laid out three core priorities of stability, growth and public services. The government sought a balanced path to support the economy and return to growth, partially through public spending restraint and partially through tax rises.

Income tax rates

The government had previously announced that there would be a cut in the basic rate of income tax, from 20% to 19%, from April 2024. This was to be accelerated so that it took effect from April 2023. However, whilst the government aims to proceed with the cut in due course, this will only take place when economic conditions allow and a change is affordable. The basic rate of income tax will therefore remain at 20% indefinitely.

At the Mini Budget on 23 September 2022 the government announced a plan to abolish the 45% additional rate of income tax from April 2023. It was announced on 3 October 2022 that the government would not proceed with this plan.

From 6 April 2023, the point at which individuals pay the additional rate will be lowered from £150,000 to £125,140.

The additional rate for non-savings and non-dividend income will apply to taxpayers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The additional rate for savings and dividend income will apply to the whole of the UK.

Income tax allowances

The income tax personal allowance and higher rate threshold were already fixed at their current levels until April 2026 and will now be maintained for an additional two years until April 2028. They will be £12,570 and £50,270 respectively.

The government will uprate the married couple’s allowance and blind person’s allowance by inflation for 2023/24.

Dividends

The government has also confirmed that, from April 2023, the rates of taxation on dividend income will remain as follows:

the dividend ordinary rate – 8.75%
the dividend upper rate – 33.75%
the dividend additional rate – 39.35%.

As corporation tax due on directors’ overdrawn loan accounts is paid at the dividend upper rate, this will also remain at 33.75%.

In addition, the government will reduce the Dividend Allowance from £2,000 to £1,000 from April 2023 and to £500 from April 2024.

These changes will apply to the whole of the UK.

November 23, 2022

Autumn Statement 2022 – Inheritance tax

Budget Summary

The inheritance tax nil-rate bands are already set at current levels until April 2026 and will stay fixed at these levels for a further two years until April 2028. The nil-rate band will continue at £325,000, the residence nil-rate band will continue at £175,000 and the residence nil-rate band taper will continue to start at £2 million.

November 23, 2022

U-turns and changes – what happened to the mini-Budget announcements?

The majority of measures in former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-Budget have been scrapped after new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt tried to settle markets and politicians across the House of Commons with an Emergency Statement on October 17.

Gone is the controversial plan to remove the 45% top rate of tax, and the basic rate of tax will remain at 20% from April next year. Corporation Tax will also increase to 25% from the current 19% from April next year, an announcement made by now former Prime Minister Liz Truss days before she resigned the top job, to be replaced by Rishi Sunak. In addition, the IR35 and dividend tax cut reforms will not go ahead.

What about the measures to help people with their energy bills?

The planned help with the Energy Price Guarantee – one of the key policies in Liz Truss’s short tenure – will remain in place until April 2023, but after this there will be a Treasury-led review into how best to help businesses and consumers with their bills going forwards.

Energy analysts Cornwall Insight have warned that following the removal of this support, bills could reach as high as £4,347 a year. How the Government plans to support bill payers after this time remains to be seen.

Were any of the benefits kept in place?

Thankfully, some of the mini-Budget announcements that were beneficial were kept in place by Mr Hunt. For example, the Stamp Duty Land Tax changes that came into effect on September 23 mean homebuyers will not pay any Stamp Duty on property purchases up to £250,000, and first-time buyers would not have to pay Stamp Duty on the first £425,000 of the property purchase.

Is the National Insurance rise still being scrapped on November 6?

The mini-Budget announcement to scrap the 1.25% rise in National Insurance from November 6 was another measure that escaped the chop by Mr Hunt, and the Health and Social Care Levy which was due to come into effect from April next year will not be implemented as Mr Hunt continued with the plan outlined by his predecessor.

Warning of pain ahead

However, both Mr Hunt and the new PM Rishi Sunak have been at pains to outline that there are likely to be difficult times ahead. Mr Hunt made this clear in his speech on October 17, when he also referenced Ms Truss’ “mistakes”.

The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement will now take place on November 17, delaying a planned medium-term fiscal statement on October 31 to offer a more comprehensive Autumn Budget. This will also include the Office for Budget Responsibilities’ forecast, a key ingredient that was missing in Mr Kwarteng’s mini-Budget which was part of the reason markets reacted so badly to the apparently unfunded announcements. We will keep you updated at the end of November with any further changes.

Contact us

There is no doubt things are currently changing at pace, so if you want any assistance to keep up with what is going on to protect your own or your business’s finances, please contact us and we will give you all the help, support and information you need.

November 1, 2022

Mini-Budget wreaks havoc on markets and the pound – but will you benefit?

New chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng delivered his first mini-Budget, officially labelled ‘The Growth Plan 2022’, on September 23, and while it largely consisted of tax giveaways, it was not well received by markets.

The FTSE 100 fell sharply on the day from 7,221 on September 22 to 6,986 on September 23, breaching the psychologically important 7,000 barrier before recovering some ground in the following days. The pound reached a record low against the US dollar briefly on September 26 at US$1.0327, as the biggest programme of tax cuts for 50 years was digested by economists and investors.

The market shocks have prompted the Bank of England to state it would not hesitate to raise rates if needed to help bolster the UK markets, and there are already rumours that the BoE base rate – which is currently 2.25% – could rise as high as 6% next year. Some mortgage lenders have temporarily pulled products from their offering as a result.

What are the tax cuts?

Despite the poor reaction to the mini-Budget, the Chancellor’s tax cuts will mean we all have a little more money in our pockets. The highest rate of tax – the 45% band for those earning more than £150,000 per year – is set to be scrapped completely from April 2023. In addition, the current 20% starting rate of income tax will fall to 19% from April 2023 rather than the previous planned introduction date of April 2024.

There have also been changes to National Insurance, with the 1.25% Health and Social Care Levy which was introduced in July being scrapped from November 6 this year, and the plan for this to come into force as a separate tax from April 2023 is also scrapped. The statement on the reversal of the Health and Social Care Levy stated: “This tax cut reduces over 920,000 businesses’ tax liabilities by £9,600 on average in 2023-24…It means 28 million people across the UK will keep an extra £330 a year on average in 2023-24.”

Stamp Duty Land Tax Changes

Stamp Duty Land Tax – the tax you pay when you buy a property in England and Wales – also changed with immediate effect on September 23, with the threshold at which you start to pay SDLT doubling from £125,000 to £250,000. This means no SDLT is payable on any property worth less than £250,000. The Government stated that this measure should save homebuyers an average of £2,500 in SDLT.

For first-time buyers, the threshold at which SDLT is charged rose from £300,000 to £425,000 on the same day. This now applies to properties worth up to £625,000 rather than the previous £500,000 limit. The Government stated this should save first-time buyers an average of £8,750 in SDLT.

Planned rise in Corporation Tax cancelled

The current rate of Corporation Tax was also due to rise in April 2023 from its current level of 19% to 25% for companies making more than £250,000 in profit. But this move has been cancelled by the Chancellor in his statement.

Companies that were making profits of between £50,000 and £250,000 were also expecting to see an incremental increase in the amount of Corporation Tax they would pay from April next year, but this has also been cancelled. So, all companies will pay 19% Corporation Tax on profits no matter how much profit they make in a single year.

Why have markets reacted so badly to the mini-Budget?

There has been widespread alarm about the changes made and planned for the tax system, as the tax cuts are seen as a way primarily to help the wealthier members of society, while giving less assistance to those who may need it more. For example, top earners will see a 5% reduction in their highest marginal tax rate, while the lower paid will see just a 1% reduction.

The theory behind this is something called ‘Trickle-down economics’ where cutting the tax burden of the highest earners should encourage them to spend more and those further down the economic chain should see the benefit of this as more money goes into their own pockets. But this is a theory that is yet to work in practice.

The other reason for the poor market reaction is because these tax cuts are going to be paid for by increasing Government borrowing. Borrowing more money to fund these cuts – especially when we are in an economic environment where interest rates are rising – is not considered by many to be a good plan.

However, we will have to wait and see what the result of all these changes are to discover whether it will benefit the UK.

Contact us

To find out how you can benefit from the measures announced in The Growth Plan 2022, please get in touch with us and we can give you any assistance and support you need.

October 3, 2022

Mini-Budget September 2022

Budget Summary

Chancellor reveals his plan for growth

The week leading up to Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s ‘Mini Budget’ may have been a short one due to the Queen’s funeral but the new government managed to fill it with a stream of policy announcements.

Before Mr Kwarteng stood up to make his statement on ‘The Growth Plan’ much of what he had to say about energy support for businesses and households, bankers’ bonuses, investment zones and reversals to NICs had already been announced. The government also said that the Chancellor’s statement would not be subject to a forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility. However, this did not stop the media from dubbing this event a Mini Budget.

The Growth Plan set out a new approach to the economy built around three central priorities:

reforming the supply-side of the economy
maintaining a responsible approach to public finances
cutting taxes to boost growth.

September 27, 2022

Mini-Budget September 2022 – Income Tax

Budget Summary

Income Tax

Income tax rates

The government had previously announced that there would be a cut in the basic rate of income tax, from 20% to 19%, from April 2024. This was to be accelerated so that it took effect from April 2023.

However, whilst the government aims to proceed with the cut in due course, this will only take place when economic conditions allow and a change is affordable. The basic rate of income tax will therefore remain at 20% indefinitely.

At the Mini Budget on 23 September the government announced a plan to abolish the 45% additional rate of income tax from April 2023. However, it was announced on 3 October that the government would not proceed with the abolition of the 45p tax rate.

Dividends

The government has also confirmed that, from April 2023, the 1.25% proposed reduction in rates of taxation will not proceed, meaning that the rates will stay as follows:

the dividend ordinary rate – 8.75%
the dividend upper rate – 33.75%
the dividend additional rate – 39.35%

As corporation tax due on directors’ overdrawn loan accounts is paid at the dividend upper rate, this will also remain at 33.75%.

These changes will apply in Scotland and Wales as the rules on dividends apply to the whole of the UK.

September 27, 2022

Mini-Budget September 2022 – Business

Budget Summary

Business

Corporation tax rates

Capital allowances

Up to 31 March 2023, companies investing in qualifying new plant and machinery are able to benefit from capital allowances, generally referred to as ‘super-deductions’. These reliefs are not available for unincorporated businesses. Interestingly, these allowances were not mentioned in any statement, other than minor amendments to the current rules, so it appears the scheduled withdrawal of them will occur in 2023.

Businesses incurring expenditure on plant and machinery should carefully consider the timing of their acquisitions to optimise their cashflow.

Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme

Company Share Option Plan

September 27, 2022

Mini-Budget September 2022 – Stamp Duty Land Tax

Budget Summary

Stamp Duty Land Tax

A number of changes are made to the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) regime. Generally, the changes increase the amount that a purchaser can pay for residential property before they become liable for SDLT.

The residential nil rate tax threshold is increased from £125,000 to £250,000.

The nil rate threshold for First Time Buyers’ Relief is increased from £300,000 to £425,000 and the maximum amount that an individual can pay while remaining eligible for First Time Buyers’ Relief is increased to £625,000.

There are no changes in relation to purchases of non-residential property.

Residential Band £	Rate %	Non-residential Band £	Rate %
0 – 250,000	0	0 – 150,000	0
250,001 – 925,000	5	150,001 – 250,000	2
925,001 – 1,500,000	10	Over 250,000	5
Over 1,500,000	12

Residential rates may be increased by 3% where further residential properties are acquired.

Land Transaction Tax

The Welsh government has also altered its rates in relation to land and buildings in Wales for transactions with an effective date on or after 10 October 2022.

Residential Band £	Rate %	Non-residential Band £	Rate %
0 – 225,000	0	0 – 225,000	0
225,001 – 400,000	6	225,001 – 250,000	1
400,001 – 750,000	7.5	250,001 – 1,000,000	5
750,001 – 1,500,000	10	Over 1,000,000	6
Over 1,500,000	12

Higher rates may be payable where further residential properties are acquired.

IR35 and off-payrolling

Over the last 20 years, there have been numerous changes to the tax system to try and address ‘disguised employment’ and to generate additional tax and NICs accordingly. In a surprise announcement, the government had stated that it would repeal the off-payroll working rules from 6 April 2023. However, it has been confirmed that this change will not go ahead and the off-payrolling rules will remain in force.

VAT-free shopping areas

The government had announced that it would introduce a modern, digital, VAT-free shopping scheme with the aim of providing a boost to the high street and creating jobs in the retail and tourism sectors. However, this change will not go ahead either.

Alcohol duties

The government had announced that it would freeze alcohol duty rates from 1 February 2023 but this will not go ahead.

September 27, 2022

Mini-Budget September 2022 – Other comments

Budget Summary

Other comments

There were a number of other interesting comments made by the Chancellor which suggest future policies and changes, although lacking detail at the moment.

IR35 and off-payrolling

Over the last 20 years, there have been numerous changes to the tax system to try and address ‘disguised employment’ and to generate additional tax and NICs accordingly. In a surprise announcement, the government has stated that it will repeal the off-payroll working rules from 6 April 2023. From this date, workers providing their services via an intermediary will once again be responsible for determining their employment status and paying the appropriate amount of tax and NICs.

According to the government, this will free up time and money for businesses that engage contractors, that could be put towards other priorities. The change will also reduce the risk that genuinely self-employed workers are impacted by the off-payrolling rules.

Infrastructure

The Chancellor announced plans to accelerate new roads, rail and energy infrastructure with new legislation which will cut barriers and restrictions. This will make it quicker to plan and build new roads, speeding up the deployment of energy infrastructure such as offshore wind farms and streamlining environmental assessments and regulations.

According to the government, in 2021 it took 65% longer to get consent for major infrastructure projects than in 2012.

State benefits

Universal Credit claimants who earn less than the equivalent of 15 hours a week at the National Living Wage will be required to meet regularly with their work coach and take active steps to increase their earnings or face having their benefits reduced, broadly from January 2023. Jobseekers over the age of 50 will also be given extra time with Jobcentre work coaches, to help them return to the job market.

VAT-free shopping areas

The government will introduce a modern, digital, VAT-free shopping scheme with the aim of providing a boost to the high street and creating jobs in the retail and tourism sectors. The delivery will include modernising the scheme that currently operates in Northern Ireland and introducing a new digital scheme in Great Britain. The new VAT-free shopping scheme for non-UK visitors to Great Britain will enable them to obtain a VAT refund on goods bought in the high street, airports and other departure points and exported from the UK in their personal baggage.

Alcohol duties

Reforms to modernise alcohol duties will also be taken forward and the government has published a consultation response on these plans. The reforms will be implemented from 1 August 2023. The government is also freezing the alcohol duty rates from 1 February 2023 to provide additional support to the sector.

Further announcements

Over the next few weeks, the government will set out further details of plans to speed up digital infrastructure, reform business regulation, increase housing supply, improve our immigration system, make childcare cheaper, improve farming productivity and back the financial services sector.

September 27, 2022

Mini-Budget September 2022 – Government announces plans to cut energy bills for businesses

Budget Summary

Government announces plans to cut energy bills for businesses

On 21 September 2022 the government announced a new scheme, the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which is designed to cut energy prices for non-domestic energy customers, such as businesses, charities and public sector organisations. The new scheme is in addition to the recently announced Energy Price Guarantee for households.

The scheme will apply to fixed contracts agreed on or after 1 April 2022 in addition to deemed, variable and flexible tariffs and contracts. Running for an initial six-month period, the scheme will apply to energy usage from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. According to the government, savings will first be seen in businesses’ October bills.

Businesses are not required to take action or apply for the scheme, support will be automatically applied to bills.

The government intends to conduct a review of the scheme in three months to assess:

how effective it has been in giving support to vulnerable, non-domestic customers
which groups of non-domestic customers remain vulnerable to energy price rises
the extent to which the scheme could either be extended or further targeted.

Support after 31 March 2023 will be determined following the review.

September 27, 2022

Mini-Budget September 2022 – new plan for patients aims to tackle NHS backlog

Budget Summary

New plan for patients aims to tackle NHS backlog

Health and Social Care Secretary Thérèse Coffey unveiled the government’s new ‘Our plan for patients’ on 22 September 2022, which aims to tackle NHS backlogs.

The centrepiece of the plan is the expectation that everyone who needs an appointment at a GP practice should get one within two weeks, with patients with the most urgent needs being seen the same day.

The plan also includes changing funding rules to recruit extra support staff so that GPs can focus on treating patients. The government says this will free up over one million appointments per year.

There will also be ‘more state-of-the art telephone’ systems to make it easier for patients to get through to their GP surgeries. In addition, more information will be available for patients, with appointments data published at a practice level for the first time ever.

Pharmacies will help ease pressures on GPs and free up time for appointments by managing and supplying more medicines without a GP prescription and taking referrals from emergency care for minor illnesses.

September 27, 2022

Mini-Budget September 2022 – Energy Price Guarantee plan caps household bills

Budget Summary

Energy Price Guarantee plan caps household bills

The government has announced unprecedented support to protect households and businesses from high energy prices. The Energy Price Guarantee and the Energy Bill Relief Scheme are supporting millions of households and businesses with rising energy costs and the government has stated that these schemes will continue to do so from now until April next year.

However, the government states ‘that it would be irresponsible…to continue exposing the public finances to unlimited volatility in international gas prices’.

Consequently, a Treasury-led review will be launched to consider how to support households and businesses with energy bills after April 2023. The aim is to design a new approach that will cost the taxpayer significantly less than planned whilst ensuring enough support for those in need. The government has also stated that any support for businesses will be targeted to those most affected and that the new approach will better incentivise energy efficiency.

However, this is not the end of the story. Government departments will be asked to find efficiencies within their budgets and the Chancellor is expected to announce further changes to fiscal policy on 31 October to put the public finances on a sustainable footing.

September 27, 2022

Mini-Budget September 2022 – National Insurance Contributions

Budget Summary

National Insurance Contributions

However, the government has confirmed that it will:

reverse the temporary increase in NICs from November and
cancel the Health and Social Care Levy completely.

The Health and Social Care Levy was expected to raise around £13 billion a year to fund health and social care and the Chancellor has confirmed that funding will be maintained at the same level as if the Levy was in place, funded from general taxation.

More detail for employees and employers

According to the government, not proceeding with the Levy will reduce tax for 920,000 businesses by nearly £10,000 on average next year.For SMEs, the government predicts that the savings will be around £4,200 on average for small businesses and £21,700 for medium sized firms from 2023/24.In addition, it will help almost 28 million people across the UK save £330 on average in 2023/24, with an additional saving of around £135 on average this year.

The changes take effect for payments of earnings made on or after 6 November 2022, so:

primary Class 1 NICs (employees) will generally reduce from 13.25% to 12% and 3.25% to 2% and
secondary Class 1 NICs (employers) will reduce from 15.05% to 13.8%.

The government hopes that most employees will receive the NICs reduction directly via the payroll in their November pay but acknowledges that some will have to wait until December or January, depending on the complexity of their employer’s payroll software.

More detail for the self-employed

Following the principle detailed above, the changes to Class 4 NICs will again be averaged across 2022/23, so that the rates will be 9.73% and 2.73%.

September 27, 2022

Category: Budget 2022

Autumn Statement 2022 – National insurance contributions

Budget Summary

More detail for employees and employers

More detail for the self-employed

NICs thresholds

Autumn Statement 2022 – Capital gains

Budget Summary

Autumn Statement 2022 – Stamp duty land tax

Budget Summary

Autumn Statement 2022 – Land transaction tax

Budget Summary

Autumn Statement 2022 – Business

Budget Summary

Corporation tax rates

Capital allowances

Research and Development

Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme

Company Share Option Plan

Autumn Statement 2022 – VAT

Budget Summary

Autumn Statement 2022 – Vehicles

Budget Summary

Autumn Statement 2022 – Welfare, work and pensions

Budget Summary

Cost of living payments

Uprating of benefits

Raising the benefit cap

National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage uprating

In-work conditionality for Universal Credit claimants

Autumn Statement 2022 – Energy

Budget Summary

Autumn Statement 2022 – Income tax

Budget Summary

Income tax rates

Income tax allowances

Dividends

Autumn Statement 2022 – Inheritance tax

Budget Summary

U-turns and changes – what happened to the mini-Budget announcements?

What about the measures to help people with their energy bills?

Were any of the benefits kept in place?

Is the National Insurance rise still being scrapped on November 6?

Warning of pain ahead

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Mini-Budget wreaks havoc on markets and the pound – but will you benefit?

What are the tax cuts?

Stamp Duty Land Tax Changes

Planned rise in Corporation Tax cancelled

Why have markets reacted so badly to the mini-Budget?

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Mini-Budget September 2022

Budget Summary

Chancellor reveals his plan for growth

Mini-Budget September 2022 – Income Tax

Budget Summary

Income Tax

Income tax rates

Dividends

Mini-Budget September 2022 – Business

Budget Summary

Business

Corporation tax rates

Capital allowances

Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme

Company Share Option Plan

Mini-Budget September 2022 – Stamp Duty Land Tax

Budget Summary

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Land Transaction Tax

IR35 and off-payrolling

VAT-free shopping areas

Alcohol duties

Mini-Budget September 2022 – Other comments

Budget Summary

Other comments

IR35 and off-payrolling

Infrastructure

State benefits

VAT-free shopping areas