Minimising Your Personal Tax Liability - November 2012

Minimising Your Personal Tax Liability - November 2012

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  ACTIVE PRACTICE UPDATES NOVEMBER 2012 Minimising your personal tax liability No one wishes to pay more tax than is necessary and good tax planning is an essential component in personal inancial planning. Everyone’s situation is different, and tax rates, allowances and legislation change every year. Without personal tax planning, you may pay more than is necessary. Here are some of the key personal tax issues to consider. Your Money UPDATE With increases in the rates of tax and reduced tax relief on pension contributions, we can help you plan. Minimising your personal tax Many individuals fail to optimise earns £50,000 or more. The liability their tax allowances. If you have a partner, spouse or child who charge equals 1 per cent of the child beneit for each £100 Let’s start by looking at some of the worthwhile strategies you could pays a lower rate of tax than you earned over this limit. This means apply within the family. do then consider allowing them that parents will face a marginal to hold some or all of the savings rate of tax above 50 per cent on Each member of your family is taxed as an individual - entitled to his in their name. It is worth noting earnings between £50,000 and or her own allowances and exemptions. that while any interest in excess of £60,000. £100 on money given to children For 2012/13: by parents will be treated as Investments Income Earnings, Savings UK the parents’ income, interest on etc Dividends money from grandparents may There are several tax-free First £8,105 Tax-free Tax-free 10% be set against the child’s personal vehicles in which investments allowance. Similarly, higher-rate can be easily made, including Next £2,710 20% 10%/20%* 10% or additional-tax paying landlords Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) Next £31,660 20% 20% 10% (the 2012/13 allowance is could transfer rented property Next £115,630 40% 40% 32.50% £11,280 for all adults) and some or a proportion thereof into the Above £150,000 50% 50% 42.50% spouse’s name, which may also National Savings products. Tax- produce a capital gains tax advantageous investment vehicles * The irst £2,710 of savings income is taxed at 10 per cent include the Self Invested Personal beneit. provided taxable non-savings income does not exceed £2,710. Pension (SIPP), which grants a From 7 January 2013, there is wide degree of investor choice Allowances and rate bands are allocated irst to your earned a new income tax charge where at the expense of accessibility. income (which includes pensions), then to your savings income, then child beneit is being claimed and Two other forms of investment, to any UK dividend income. If your non-savings income exceeds at least one parent or guardian the Enterprise Investment Scheme £2,710, the savings rate of 10 per cent does not apply. 18 Hyde Gardens www.plummer-parsons.co.uk Eastbourne BN21 4PT 01323 431 200 [email protected]
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  Minimising your personaltax liability (EIS) and the Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs), tax credit equal to one ninth of the a holiday property in the UK or elsewhere offer substantial tax relief for those who are dividend. If you are planning to sell shares in the EEA, or thinking of doing so, and happy to invest with a higher element of it may be possible to make a partial sale meet certain qualifying conditions, you can risk. straddling the tax year, thereby utilising claim capital allowances rather than the capital gains tax annual allowances each 10 per cent. Also since April 2012, there is a new year, provided these allowances have not Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) If your rental income relates to letting out a otherwise been used. If you make losses for those willing to invest in very young room in your own home, you are entitled to on your shares, it is also possible to carry companies, but obviously the risks are receive £4,250 per year tax free. this loss forward to offset against future higher. capital gains. For a full review of your available options Capital gains tax and how they might affect your tax liability, Rental property Tax-free gains of up to £10,600 are please contact us. available for each individual and this Rental property loan interest is an exemption can be valuable when seeking allowable deduction from rental income. Dividends and equity Landlords may claim an annual 10 per to minimise capital gains tax. Dividends from most companies including cent wear and tear allowance if the foreign dividends attract a non repayable property is fully furnished. If you are letting For advice, do please contact us. All year round tax planning checklist You should not leave tax planning until the inal months of the tax or inancial year. Opportunities can be lost, or tax savings reduced, if action is delayed. Take a few moments to complete this checklist and contact us now Yes No to discuss the planning opportunities arising from any ‘No’ responses. 1. Are you satisied that your liability to income tax and capital gains tax for this year will be as little as possible? 2. Are you claiming all your allowances and deductions for income tax? 3. Are you maximising your contributions to pension schemes? 4. In determining where to invest your family funds, will you seek to take advantage of tax-eficient investments such as ISAs, VCT, SEIS or EIS? 5. If you are a share holding employee in a limited company, have you considered whether there is a tax advantage in receiving dividends instead of salary/bonus? 6. Are your payments to charity attracting the higher rate (20%) or the additional rate (30%) claims? 7. Have you considered giving up your company car and instead claiming at the oficial mileage rate for business use of your car? 8. Would you consider the use of trusts in your tax planning? 9. If you are in a position to inluence your total remuneration package, have you sought tax-eficient beneits? 10. Have you reviewed your Will and explored opportunities for reducing your liability to IHT?