The Budget 2016: key points

The big announcements from today's speech.

ISAs

ISA limit will rise from £15,240 to £20,000 a year from next April.

Lifetime ISA

A new Lifetime ISA is to launch, to help you save for your first home or for retirement. 

For every £4 you save, the Government will top it up by £1. 

Personal Tax Allowance

From April 2017, the tax-free personal allowance will increase to £11,500, while the threshold for higher rate taxpayers will increase to £45,000.

Insurance Premium Tax

Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) is to rise 0.5%, with all additional money going into flood defences.

Capital Gains Tax

Capital Gains Tax is to be cut from 18% to 10% for basic rate taxpayers and from 28% to 20% for higher rate taxpayers, coming into effect in April. However, the old rates will still apply to property transactions.

Sugar levy

A sugar levy on soft drinks is to be implemented from 2018.It’ll raise an estimated £520 million which will be used to double the amount of sport at school.

Stamp Duty

Surcharge on second and additional properties will now apply to large property investors.

Commercial properties will be subject to the same Stamp Duty calculations as residential properties.

'Sharing' economy

Two new £1,000 tax-free allowances. First covers the first £1,000 you make from occasional jobs, like sharing power tools and providing lift share. Second coveres first £1,000 from sharing property, such as renting out your home or your driveway.

Transport

HS3 (between Manchester and Leeds) and Cross Rail 2 (between north and south London) both get the go ahead.

Tolls on Severn River crossings to be halved by 2018.

Small businesses 

The threshold for small business rate relief is to increase to £15,000.

National Insurance

Class 2 National Insurance Contributions to be scrapped for self-employed workers

Duties

Fuel duty to be frozen for sixth year in a row.

Freeze on beer and cider duty as well as whisky. Other alcohols will rise in line with inflation.

Excise duties on tobacco to rise by 2% above inflation.

Tax avoidance and evasion

£12 billion to be raised from tax avoidance and evasion.

Public spending

Public spending to be cut by extra £3.5 billion by 2019/20

Schools

By 2022 will be or in process of becoming an academy.

Corporation Tax

Corporation Tax will fall to 17% from 20% by April 2019.

Help to Save

People on in-work benefits, like Working Tax Credits, will qualify for Government boost to their savings. Save up to £50 a month, and Government will top it up by 50% after two years.

Get 5% interest on your current account

Picture credit: PA / PA Wire/Press Association Images

Budget 2016:

What the Budget means for YOU

 

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