2017/18 tax rates

Summer budget

Main allowances

• *PA will be withdrawn at £1 for every £2 by which ‘adjusted income’ exceeds £100,000. There will therefore be no allowance given if adjusted income is £123,000 or more (2016/17: £122,000).
• † 10% of the PA (2017/18: £1,150; 2016/17: £1,100) can be transferred to a spouse or civil partner who is no more than a basic rate taxpayer.
• ** If gross income exceeds this limit, the limit may be deducted instead of actual expenses.

• BRB and additional rate threshold are increased by personal pension contributions (up to permitted limit) and Gift Aid donations.

• General income (salary, pensions, business profits, rent) usually uses personal allowance, basic rate and higher rate bands before savings income (interest). To the extent that savings income falls in the first £5,000 of the basic rate band, it is taxed at nil rather than 20%.
• The PSA will tax interest at nil, where it would otherwise be taxable at 20% or 40%.
• Dividends are normally taxed as the ‘top slice’ of income. The DNRB taxes the first £5,000 of dividend income at nil, rather than the rate that would otherwise apply.

High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC)

• 1% of child benefit for each £100 of adjusted net income between £50,000 and £60,000.

Registered pensions

• Annual relievable pension inputs are the higher of earnings (capped at AA) or £3,600.
• *The AA is usually reduced by £1 for every £2 by which relevant income exceeds £150,000, down to a minimum AA of £10,000. The AA can be reduced to £4,000, where certain pension drawings have been made.

State pension (per week)

• †applies to those reaching state retirement age after 5 April 2016.

Class 1 (Employees)

• *Nil rate of employer NIC for employees under the age of 21 and apprentices under 25, up to £866pw.
• Employer contributions (at 13.8%) are also due on most taxable benefits (Class 1A) and on tax paid on an employee’s behalf under a PAYE settlement agreement (Class 1B).
• **Some businesses do not qualify, including certain sole director companies.

Class 2 (Self-employed)

Class 3 (voluntary)

Class 4 (self-employed)

Cars

Taxable benefit: Chargeable value multiplied by chargeable %.

Chargeable value:

Initial list price of car (including most accessories), reduced by any capital contribution (maximum £5,000) by employee when the car is first made available.

Chargeable percentage:

Vans

Chargeable value of £3,230 (2016/17 £3,170) if private use is more than home-to-work.

Fuel

Employer provides fuel for private motoring in an employer-owned:

Car: CO2-based percentage from above table multiplied by £22,600 (2016/17 £22,200).

Van: £610 (2016/17 £598).

Employee contributions do not reduce taxable figure unless all private fuel is paid for by the employee (in which case there is no benefit charge).

• *Individuals are taxed at 18%/28% on gains on residential property and receipts of carried interest. Trusts are taxed at 28% in these circumstances.
• **ER is available for lifetime gains of up to £10m. Qualifying disposals include a trading business and shares in a trading company (from a minimum 5% holding) by an officer/employee. Various conditions apply.
• Shares in an unquoted trading company may be eligible for a 10% CGT rate on lifetime gains up to £10m, if disposed of after 5 April 2019 by someone who is neither a paid officer nor employee of the company (Investors’ Relief).

• *Additional deduction for qualifying R&D
• **Taxable expenditure credit for qualifying R&D
• SMEs that make losses can surrender the deduction to HMRC in exchange for a payment of 14.5% of the loss.

• The special rate pool includes long life assets, integral plant in buildings, thermal insulation.

Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings (ATED)

ATED applies to ‘high value’ residential properties owned via a corporate structure, unless the property is used for a qualifying purpose. The tax applies to properties valued at more than £500,000.

Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) and Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT)

• A supplement of 3% of the total purchase price applies for both SDLT and LBTT where a second home is purchased for more than £40,000 from 1 April 2016.
• *A rate of 15% applies to the total purchase price where the property is valued above £500,000 and purchased by a ‘non-natural person’ (e.g. a company).

Flat rate scheme (FRS)

• If using FRS, the VAT paid by the business is a fixed percentage (based on business category) of “FRS turnover” rather than the net of output tax over input tax. Input tax is usually not recoverable.

Cash accounting and Annual accounting schemes

Option to tax property

Notify HMRC within 30 days.

• †RNRB is available for transfers of a main residence to direct descendents. It tapers away at the rate of £1 for every £2 of estate value above £2m.
• *Up to 100% of the proportion of a deceased spouse’s/civil partner’s unused NRB and RNRB band may be claimed to increment the current NRB and RNRB when the survivor dies.
• **Rate reduced to 36% if at least 10% of the relevant estate is left to charity. Unlimited exemption for transfers between spouses/civil partners, except if UK domiciled transferor and foreign domiciled transferee, where maximum exemption £325,000.
• 100% Business Property Relief (BPR) for all shareholdings in qualifying unquoted trading companies, qualifying unincorporated trading businesses and certain farmland/buildings.

Reduced tax charge on gifts within 7 years before death

• Annual exemptions for lifetime gifts include £3,000 per donor and £250 per recipient.

• *Non-residents with gains on UK residential property must pay CGT within 30 days of disposal unless already filing a self assessment tax return.
• Corporation tax is due 9 months and 1 day from the end of the accounting period, unless a ‘large’ company paying by quarterly instalments.

You are advised to consult us before acting on any information contained herein.

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