There has been a lot of speculation in the press that the Chancellor may introduce radical changes to capital gains tax to start to repay the substantial Government borrowings to support businesses and employees affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
It has been suggested that the current £12,300 CGT annual exemption will be reduced, and the rates aligned with the rates of income tax. It has also been suggested that the capital gains uplift on death may be abolished following recommendations by the Office of Tax Simplification and the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee.
The Treasury Committee has recently launched a new inquiry called ‘Tax after Coronavirus’. That inquiry will consider different ways of raising taxes, in particular a thorough review of UK tax reliefs which has also been recommended by the Public Accounts Committee.
The Chancellor has also hinted that there may be radical changes to the way that the self-employed and directors of family companies may be taxed in future.
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