Dec 2017
6
Autumn Budget 2017 - Employer Focus
The main points to be noted by employers from Autumn Budget 2017, as announced by Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond are:
- The personal tax allowance will increase by £350 from £11,500 to £11,850 from 6th April 2018. This is in line with the government's goal to have the personal tax allowance at £12,500 by 2020.
- The higher rate tax threshold will increase to £46,350 from £45,000.
- As previously announced, there has been a delay by one year on the series of changes for NICs to be implemented. These changes will now take effect from April 2019. They include the reforms to the NIC treatment of termination payments, abolition of Class 2 NICs and changes to NICs treatment of sporting testimonials.
- The planned increase in Class 4 NICs from 9% to 10% in April 2018 and to 11% in April 2019 by the government will no longer be happening.
- There is an increase in the Company Car Tax (CCT) diesel supplement to 4% from 3%. The supplement will apply to diesel cars registered on or after 1st January 1998 that are not certified to the Real Driving Emissions 2 standard. It will not apply to diesel hybrids or other vehicles except cars.
- From 6th April 2018 there will be no Benefit in Kind charge on electricity that employers provide to charge employees’ electric vehicles.
- The Government has announced its intention to consult on the extension to the private sector of the IR35 reforms, introduced in the public sector earlier this year.
- There is an increase of the lifetime allowance for pension savings, rising to £1,030,000 for 2018-19.
- The National Minimum Wage details for 1st April 2018 were published.
- HMRC's compliance team are monitoring employers that are claiming the Employment Allowance, as it has been reported that some employers are using avoidance schemes to avoid paying National Insurance amounts due.
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