Income

Transfers out of private sector final salaries boomed in 2017. There was a dramatic increase in the value of number of transfers out of defined benefit (usually final salary) pension schemes in 2017. A recent Freedom of Information (FoI) request to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)...

A new report has proposed taxing the baby boomers to help resolve major issues around intergenerational fairness. The report, published by the Intergenerational Commission in May, offers ten policy recommendations which would represent a radical overhaul of the UK tax system. Examples include replacing inheritance tax...

The income threshold at which student loan repayments begin rose on 6 April 2018. English and Welsh students who started their courses after 31 August 2012 can now earn £25,000 a year – up from £21,000 – before they have to start repaying their student...

  A recently released report shows dividend payments in the UK grew more than 10% in 2017. The report included good news for investors, as UK listed companies paid out £94.4 billion of dividends in 2017. This was up 10.5% on the previous year and a new...

The rules for inheriting ISAs will change from 6 April. It was announced by George Osborne in 2014 that ISAs would become inheritable by surviving spouses and civil partners. At the time, nobody – not even the Treasury – was clear what the then chancellor meant. The...

There will be no Spring Budget this March, but that does not mean the Chancellor is staying silent. On 13 March, the Chancellor will present a Spring Statement to the House of Commons, not a Budget. The next Budget should be in the autumn, probably November....

Investors and their advisers should start to turn their focus to the end of the tax year on 5 April. ISA contributions have historically always been focused on the end of the tax year. This is the case even though it would make more sense to...

The world’s share markets were a profitable place to be in 2017. 2017 had its fair share of dramas. There was the unending reality show of Donald Trump and his tweets. On this side of the Atlantic the ongoing saga was Brexit and the “strong and...

An HMRC paper promised in the Budget could be bad news if you use Airbnb. The government has set out a call for evidence relating to rent-a-room relief in response to the rise in short term rentals facilitated by Airbnb and its competitors. Rent-a-room relief is...