HM Treasury is the government’s economic and finance ministry, maintaining control over public spending, setting the direction of the UK’s economic policy and working to achieve strong and sustainable economic growth.
This inquiry will examine quantitative tightening, including its impact on the economy and its fiscal costs. It will also investigate …
Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs
Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue
Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.
HM Treasury does not have Bills currently before Parliament
A Bill to Authorise the use of resources for the year ending with 31 March 2026; to authorise both the issue of sums out of the Consolidated Fund and the application of income for that year; and to appropriate the supply authorised for that year by this Act and by the Supply and Appropriation (Anticipation and Adjustments) Act 2025.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 21st July 2025 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to make provision about secondary Class 1 contributions.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 3rd April 2025 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to make provision about finance.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 20th March 2025 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to amend the Crown Estate Act 1961.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 11th March 2025 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to Authorise the use of resources for the years ending with 31 March 2024, 31 March 2025 and 31 March 2026; to authorise the issue of sums out of the Consolidated Fund for those years; and to appropriate the supply authorised by this Act for the years ending with 31 March 2024 and 31 March 2025.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 11th March 2025 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to make provision for loans or other financial assistance to be provided to, or for the benefit of, the government of Ukraine.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 16th January 2025 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to impose duties on the Treasury and the Office for Budget Responsibility in respect of the announcement of fiscally significant measures.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 10th September 2024 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to authorise the use of resources for the year ending with 31 March 2025; to authorise both the issue of sums out of the Consolidated Fund and the application of income for that year; and to appropriate the supply authorised for that year by this Act and by the Supply and Appropriation (Anticipation and Adjustments) Act 2024.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 30th July 2024 and was enacted into law.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
Raise the income tax personal allowance from £12,570 to £20,000
Gov Responded - 20 Feb 2025 Debated on - 12 May 2025Raise the income tax personal allowance from £12570 to £20000. We think this would help low earners to get off benefits and allow pensioners a decent income.
Don't change inheritance tax relief for working farms
Gov Responded - 5 Dec 2024 Debated on - 10 Feb 2025We think that changing inheritance tax relief for agricultural land will devastate farms nationwide, forcing families to sell land and assets just to stay on their property. We urge the government to keep the current exemptions for working farms.
Don't apply VAT to independent school fees, or remove business rates relief.
Gov Responded - 20 Dec 2024 Debated on - 3 Mar 2025Prevent independent schools from having to pay VAT on fees and incurring business rates as a result of new legislation.
Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.
At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.
Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.
The government recognises the importance of ensuring that all areas have strategies in place, and can drive forward improvements in transport, skills and infrastructure. Areas not part of a combined authority still receive investment in skills, transport and infrastructure, and are required to produce the relevant strategies.
In addition, for those areas which want greater devolution without being part of a Combined Authority, the government has invited them to bring forward with their neighbours an expression of interest for a Foundation Strategic Authority.
The government recognises the importance of ensuring that all areas have strategies in place, and can drive forward improvements in transport, skills and infrastructure. Areas not part of a combined authority still receive investment in skills, transport and infrastructure, and are required to produce the relevant strategies.
In addition, for those areas which want greater devolution without being part of a Combined Authority, the government has invited them to bring forward with their neighbours an expression of interest for a Foundation Strategic Authority.
The government has consulted extensively with stakeholders about plans to require the registration of tax advisers who interact with HMRC on behalf of their clients.
This includes the 2024 consultation ‘Raising standards in the tax advice market: strengthening the regulatory framework and improving registration’ and a technical consultation on draft legislation published in summer 2025.
HMRC will continue to work with the industry ahead of implementation and consider concerns raised by stakeholder groups, including conveyancers.
HMRC has released a tax information and impact note on GOV.UK. The note details how the measure is expected to affect businesses that provide professional tax services and interact with HMRC on behalf of their clients.
This would be a significant change, as National Insurance contributions (NICs) and Income Tax work quite differently at present.
NICs are charged on earnings on a per-employment, per-pay period basis, whereas Income Tax is an annual tax, and takes into account an individual’s total, cumulative earnings over the year. NICs also come with specific benefits e.g. State Pension, Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Maternity Allowance, and Bereavement benefits. This is in line with NICs’ role as a social security contribution, into which contributions are made from people’s earnings while in work to support them when they are out of work. NICs are currently not payable by those over State Pension age. As such, amalgamating NICs into, or even bringing them closer into line with, income tax would come with major transitional costs and considerations
The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) considered this in 2016 in its report on 'Closer alignment of Income Tax and National Insurance', which sets out their analysis on the range of challenges that would need to be taken into consideration before proceeding with such a radical reform as well as indications of potential winners and losers from closer alignment.
This would be a significant change, as National Insurance contributions (NICs) and Income Tax work quite differently at present.
NICs are charged on earnings on a per-employment, per-pay period basis, whereas Income Tax is an annual tax, and takes into account an individual’s total, cumulative earnings over the year. NICs also come with specific benefits e.g. State Pension, Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Maternity Allowance, and Bereavement benefits. This is in line with NICs’ role as a social security contribution, into which contributions are made from people’s earnings while in work to support them when they are out of work. NICs are currently not payable by those over State Pension age. As such, amalgamating NICs into, or even bringing them closer into line with, income tax would come with major transitional costs and considerations
The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) considered this in 2016 in its report on 'Closer alignment of Income Tax and National Insurance', which sets out their analysis on the range of challenges that would need to be taken into consideration before proceeding with such a radical reform as well as indications of potential winners and losers from closer alignment.
The Valuation Office Agency's guidance will be published when the Rating List is compiled on 1 April 2026.
The Government cannot comment on the bills of individual ratepayers.
At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic.
While rateable values have increased, the multipliers rates have decreased, meaning, from April, all ratepayers will face a lower multiplier than they do now, including those paying the high-value multiplier. The Government recognises that this does not necessarily mean a lower bill for everyone which is why, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including protection for ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation.
This support package includes a redesigned transitional relief scheme, which caps bill increases over the next 3 years. Compared to the 2023 transitional relief scheme, the redesigned scheme will provide more support for properties paying higher tax rates (such as the new high-value multiplier), including airports, hotels and key Industrial Strategy properties, who are facing large increases and are important for growth in the UK.
Guidance on whether you need to register as a tax adviser is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-and-when-you-need-to-register-as-a-tax-adviser-with-hmrc
Most unused pension funds and death benefits payable from a pension will form part of a person’s estate for inheritance tax purposes from 6 April 2027. This removes distortions resulting from changes that have been made to pensions tax policy over the last decade, which have led to some pensions being openly used and marketed as a tax planning vehicle to transfer wealth, rather than as a way to fund retirement. These reforms also remove inconsistencies in the inheritance tax treatment of different types of pensions
The Government will continue to incentivise pension savings for their intended purpose of funding retirement, with ongoing tax reliefs on both contributions into pensions and on the growth of funds held within a pension scheme. Pensions continue to benefit from very significant tax benefits, with gross income tax and National Insurance contributions relief costing £78.2 billion in 2023-24. It is therefore crucial to ensure that tax reliefs on pensions are being used for their intended purpose – to encourage saving for retirement and later life – rather than for passing on wealth free of inheritance tax
Estates will continue to benefit from the normal nil-rate bands, reliefs, and exemptions available. For example, the nil-rate bands mean an estate can pass on up to £1 million with no inheritance tax liability and the general rules mean any transfers, including the payment of death benefits, to a spouse or civil partner are fully exempt from inheritance tax. More than 90 per cent of UK estates will continue to have no inheritance tax liability in 2030-31 following these changes and the reforms will only affect a minority of those with inheritable pension wealth
As is standard practice, the costing and the assessment of the number of estates expected to be impacted by the reforms take account of the forecasts for changes in asset values. For example, pension wealth is grown over time using the equity prices determinant from the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) economic forecast. The OBR published detailed information on 30 January 2025 and this is available at https://obr.uk/docs/dlm_uploads/IHT-on-pensions-supplementary-release-Jan-2025.pdf.
Most unused pension funds and death benefits payable from a pension will form part of a person’s estate for inheritance tax purposes from 6 April 2027. This removes distortions resulting from changes that have been made to pensions tax policy over the last decade, which have led to some pensions being openly used and marketed as a tax planning vehicle to transfer wealth, rather than as a way to fund retirement. These reforms also remove inconsistencies in the inheritance tax treatment of different types of pensions
The Government will continue to incentivise pension savings for their intended purpose of funding retirement, with ongoing tax reliefs on both contributions into pensions and on the growth of funds held within a pension scheme. Pensions continue to benefit from very significant tax benefits, with gross income tax and National Insurance contributions relief costing £78.2 billion in 2023-24. It is therefore crucial to ensure that tax reliefs on pensions are being used for their intended purpose – to encourage saving for retirement and later life – rather than for passing on wealth free of inheritance tax
Estates will continue to benefit from the normal nil-rate bands, reliefs, and exemptions available. For example, the nil-rate bands mean an estate can pass on up to £1 million with no inheritance tax liability and the general rules mean any transfers, including the payment of death benefits, to a spouse or civil partner are fully exempt from inheritance tax. More than 90 per cent of UK estates will continue to have no inheritance tax liability in 2030-31 following these changes and the reforms will only affect a minority of those with inheritable pension wealth
As is standard practice, the costing and the assessment of the number of estates expected to be impacted by the reforms take account of the forecasts for changes in asset values. For example, pension wealth is grown over time using the equity prices determinant from the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) economic forecast. The OBR published detailed information on 30 January 2025 and this is available at https://obr.uk/docs/dlm_uploads/IHT-on-pensions-supplementary-release-Jan-2025.pdf.
Ministers in HM Treasury have regular discussions with officials, external experts and ministerial colleagues on a range of issues, including national security, defence and resilience. This includes attending and speaking at public and sector events.
We hold the below information on officials holding professional accountancy qualifications. In each of the below years, there were at least:
2022 – 28 officials
2023 – 42 officials
2024 – 38 officials
2025 – 43 officials
holding professional accountancy qualifications.
Currently, there are 53 officials in the department holding a professional accountancy qualification.
Cabinet Office have set out the expectation that all duty bearers, including Departments and arm’s-length bodies, follow the law as clarified by the Supreme Court ruling and seek specialist legal advice where necessary. The Prime Minister has underlined this recently. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has submitted a draft Code of Practice on services, public functions and associations to Ministers, and Cabinet Office are reviewing it with the care it deserves. This will provide further guidance to duty bearers.
The Government is committed to tackling fraud, a key aspect in ensuring that the UK is a strong place for investment.
As detailed in Economic Crime Plan 2023-2026, the Government is working to strengthen international standards and build partnerships with overseas financial centres to reduce the threat international illicit finance, including fraud, poses to the UK. Agencies including HMRC, the Serious Fraud Office, and the National Crime Agency collaborate with overseas partners on this.
The upcoming Fraud Strategy will detail the Government’s plans to prevent fraud and protect the public beyond 2026.
Further Education (FE) funding is vital to ensure people are being trained in the skills they need to thrive in the modern labour market. The 2025 Spending Review provided an additional £1.2 billion per year by 2028-29 for skills and £1.7 billion of capital funding to help colleges maintain the condition of their estate. In addition, the Government is providing £375 million of capital investment to support the FE system to accommodate increasing student numbers.
For their non-business activity, FE colleges are unable to reclaim VAT incurred. We operate VAT refund schemes for schools and academies which are designed variously to ensure that VAT is not a burden on local taxation, and that academies are not disincentivised to leave LA control. FE colleges do not meet the criteria for either scheme.
In relation to business activity, FE colleges enjoy an exemption from VAT which means that they do not have to charge VAT to students but cannot recover it either.
The changes to SDIL announced at Budget 2025 were confirmed following extensive industry engagement through the ‘Strengthening the Soft Drinks Industry Levy’ consultation, which was open from 28 April to 21 July 2025. Representations from businesses, and the trade bodies representing them, were received and considered as part of this process.
On 25 November 2025, the government published its summary of responses to the consultation. An assessment of impacts – including economic impacts for businesses – of the announced policy changes can be found within the Summary of Responses document here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/strengthening-the-soft-drinks-industry-levy/outcome/strengthening-the-soft-drinks-industry-levy-summary-of-responses#assessment-of-impacts
The Strategic Plan sets out the National Wealth Fund’s ambition to accelerate place-based investment across all four nations of the UK. It has a dedicated director based in Northern Ireland, and opened a Belfast office in December 2024.
The National Wealth Fund is already investing in Northern Ireland, for example in rural broadband development
The Chancellor considers a wide range of impacts when taking decisions on tax policy. At Budget 2025, the Government announced that the 5p cut in fuel duty would be extended until the end of August 2026, with rates then gradually returning to March 2022 levels by March 2027. The planned increase in line with inflation for 2026/27 will also not take place, with RPI uprating resuming from 2027/28 onwards.
The Government’s decision on fuel duty will save the average car driver £49 in 2026/27. Those driving more than average, which includes drivers in rural communities, will generally experience larger savings.
The Rural Fuel Duty Relief Scheme provides a 5p per litre reduction to motorists buying fuel in certain areas. The areas included in the scheme demonstrate certain characteristics such as: pump prices much higher than the UK average; remoteness leading to high fuel transport costs from refinery to filling station; and relatively low sales meaning that retailers cannot benefit from bulk discounts.
ISA reform forms part of our strategy to support people into the higher returns that investing can provide.
Rules will be introduced to avoid circumvention of the lower limit for cash ISAs where an individual is under the age of 65. The industry is being consulted on the draft rules, which will be made by amendments to the ISA Regulations and laid in Parliament ahead of April 2027. Building societies and mortgage lenders are part of the industry consultation.
We will consult on the final rules as soon as these are ready, so that firms have enough notice before the new limit applies in April 2027.
The availability and pricing of mortgages is a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene. However, mortgage rates are influenced by a range of factors, including Base Rate, which has been cut six times since this Government came to power.
ISA reform forms part of our strategy to support people into the higher returns that investing can provide.
Rules will be introduced to avoid circumvention of the lower limit for cash ISAs where an individual is under the age of 65. The industry is being consulted on the draft rules, which will be made by amendments to the ISA Regulations and laid in Parliament ahead of April 2027. Building societies and mortgage lenders are part of the industry consultation.
We will consult on the final rules as soon as these are ready, so that firms have enough notice before the new limit applies in April 2027.
The availability and pricing of mortgages is a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene. However, mortgage rates are influenced by a range of factors, including Base Rate, which has been cut six times since this Government came to power.
ISA reform forms part of our strategy to support people into the higher returns that investing can provide.
Rules will be introduced to avoid circumvention of the lower limit for cash ISAs where an individual is under the age of 65. The industry is being consulted on the draft rules, which will be made by amendments to the ISA Regulations and laid in Parliament ahead of April 2027. Building societies and mortgage lenders are part of the industry consultation.
We will consult on the final rules as soon as these are ready, so that firms have enough notice before the new limit applies in April 2027.
The availability and pricing of mortgages is a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene. However, mortgage rates are influenced by a range of factors, including Base Rate, which has been cut six times since this Government came to power.
At Budget 2024 the Government announced a new independent review of the loan charge. The purpose of the review was to bring the matter to a close for people who have not settled and paid their loan charge liabilities. The review identified affordability as a key barrier preventing those individuals from settling and made recommendations to remove this barrier.
The Government has gone further in supporting people on the lowest incomes by providing an additional £5,000 deduction for those in scope of the review. This entirely removes approximately 10,000 individuals from the charge. Most others will see their liabilities reduced by at least half.
Under the review recommendations, an individual earning £30,000 who used a disguised remuneration scheme for three years would have their liability reduced by 66 percent. Under the Government’s plans, they will instead see 89 percent written off. It represents the Government’s attempt to provide a fair route to resolution for those who have not settled with HMRC. In turn, those people need to come forward and engage with HMRC in good faith.
Exempting the State Pension from income tax entirely would undermine the public services we all rely on, including the NHS.
The Government is committed to making sure older people can live with the dignity and respect they deserve in retirement. The State Pension is the foundation of the support available to them. Over the course of this Parliament, the yearly amount of the full new State Pension is currently projected to go up by around £2,100. This reflects the Government’s commitment to the Triple Lock for the duration of this Parliament. This will increase the basic and new State Pension by 4.8% next April, boosting pensioner incomes by up to £575 a year and strengthening retirement security.
The Chancellor has said that those whose only income is the basic or new State Pension without any increments will not have to pay income tax over this Parliament. At the Budget, the Government announced that it will achieve this by easing the administrative burden for pensioners so that they do not have to pay small amounts of tax via Simple Assessment from 2027/28. The Government will set out more details in due course.
HMRC has published guidance on GOV.UK to support tax advisers who are required to register with HMRC.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-and-when-you-need-to-register-as-a-tax-adviser-with-hmrc
Further guidance will be published before May 2026 and HMRC is working with key industry stakeholders to get the detail of this guidance right.
The government has consulted extensively with stakeholders about plans to require the registration of tax advisers who interact with HMRC on behalf of their clients.
This includes the 2024 consultation ‘Raising standards in the tax advice market: strengthening the regulatory framework and improving registration’ and a technical consultation on draft legislation published in summer 2025.
HMRC will continue to work with the industry ahead of implementation and consider concerns raised by stakeholder groups, including conveyancers.
HMRC has released a tax information and impact note on GOV.UK. The note details how the measure is expected to affect businesses that provide professional tax services and interact with HMRC on behalf of their clients.
The revaluation is required to be carried out in relation to the relevant valuation date, 01 April 2024 for the 2026 rating list.
The current rating list valuation is carried out in relation to the relevant valuation date, 01 April 2021 for the 2023 rating list.
The annual value at each valuation reflects the economic circumstances at each valuation date. The average Rateable Values of civil airports increase 295% reflects the different economic circumstances at each valuation date.
At the Budget, the Government published a Call for Evidence seeking further evidence on the role business rates and its reliefs play in investment. Through this Call for Evidence, the Government is considering options to provide greater predictability and stability in the business rates system for long-term, high-value investments. The Call for Evidence has recently closed, and a Government response will be published in due course.
This government is committed to supporting founders and innovative companies to start, scale, stay and list in the UK.
At Budget we increased the generosity of our enterprise tax reliefs, to support scaling companies raise finance and attract top talent, and committed to being a better customer to innovative businesses, through the use of advance market commitments and wider procurement reforms.
We have also increased the financial capacity of the British Business Bank, enabling them to invest £5 billion into scaling companies over this Parliament.
The Government also launched a Call for Evidence on Tax Support for Entrepreneurs, examining how the tax system supports investment in high growth companies and exploring potential options to go further. The consultation closed on 28 February 2026.
We have already delivered an ambitious set of reforms to make it easier for firms to list and stay on UK markets, and capital markets are a core pillar of the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, launched at Mansion House.
The UK is a hub for growth capital, with UK growth markets providing funding to growing companies from across the world. Over the last 10 years, over half of all capital raised on European growth markets was raised on AIM.
The government maintains a range of targeted tax reliefs for growth market shares, supporting capital raising for quoted companies, and investors in those shares. This supports growth in the broader UK economy.
Collectively these measures support companies access investment across their life cycle, alongside supporting access to government contracts and talent. We will monitor and evaluate the impact of these measures.
This government is committed to supporting founders and innovative companies to start, scale, stay and list in the UK.
At Budget we increased the generosity of our enterprise tax reliefs, to support scaling companies raise finance and attract top talent, and committed to being a better customer to innovative businesses, through the use of advance market commitments and wider procurement reforms.
We have also increased the financial capacity of the British Business Bank, enabling them to invest £5 billion into scaling companies over this Parliament.
The Government also launched a Call for Evidence on Tax Support for Entrepreneurs, examining how the tax system supports investment in high growth companies and exploring potential options to go further. The consultation closed on 28 February 2026.
We have already delivered an ambitious set of reforms to make it easier for firms to list and stay on UK markets, and capital markets are a core pillar of the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, launched at Mansion House.
The UK is a hub for growth capital, with UK growth markets providing funding to growing companies from across the world. Over the last 10 years, over half of all capital raised on European growth markets was raised on AIM.
The government maintains a range of targeted tax reliefs for growth market shares, supporting capital raising for quoted companies, and investors in those shares. This supports growth in the broader UK economy.
Collectively these measures support companies access investment across their life cycle, alongside supporting access to government contracts and talent. We will monitor and evaluate the impact of these measures.
This government is committed to supporting founders and innovative companies to start, scale, stay and list in the UK.
At Budget we increased the generosity of our enterprise tax reliefs, to support scaling companies raise finance and attract top talent, and committed to being a better customer to innovative businesses, through the use of advance market commitments and wider procurement reforms.
We have also increased the financial capacity of the British Business Bank, enabling them to invest £5 billion into scaling companies over this Parliament.
The Government also launched a Call for Evidence on Tax Support for Entrepreneurs, examining how the tax system supports investment in high growth companies and exploring potential options to go further. The consultation closed on 28 February 2026.
We have already delivered an ambitious set of reforms to make it easier for firms to list and stay on UK markets, and capital markets are a core pillar of the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, launched at Mansion House.
The UK is a hub for growth capital, with UK growth markets providing funding to growing companies from across the world. Over the last 10 years, over half of all capital raised on European growth markets was raised on AIM.
The government maintains a range of targeted tax reliefs for growth market shares, supporting capital raising for quoted companies, and investors in those shares. This supports growth in the broader UK economy.
Collectively these measures support companies access investment across their life cycle, alongside supporting access to government contracts and talent. We will monitor and evaluate the impact of these measures.
Charities make a valuable contribution across the country, and it is important that they can access suitable banking services.
Decisions about the provision of banking services, including whether to offer accounts to particular organisations, are primarily commercial matters for banks who must meet strict financial crime and customer diligence obligations. Charities and community groups often have more complex account structures (for example, multiple trustees), making their banking needs more expensive and operationally demanding. The varying complexity and features of non-personal accounts, together with financial crime obligations, mean there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution for the sector.
At the Government’s encouragement, however, UK Finance - working with banks and charity representative groups - have produced the Voluntary Organisation Banking Guide, which supports charities and community groups in accessing banking services. This includes an account finder tool for charities and community groups.
The Government continues to monitor evidence on access to banking services, including for charities and community groups, while recognising the need to balance customer protection with providers’ obligations to prevent financial crime and maintain the integrity of the financial system.
The Rateable Value of a property is a measure of its annual rental value. The best evidence to use in undertaking such valuations is actual rental evidence. For some classes of property there is a paucity or indeed no rental evidence as these properties are rarely or never let on the open market. In such cases Valuers use other methods such as the Receipts and Expenditure method, which estimates the rental value from an analysis of the trading accounts of the business occupying them.
When valuing by Receipts & Expenditure method considering accounts is a material consideration. The valuation is required to be carried out in relation to the relevant valuation date (01 April 2024 for the 2026 rating list). The accounts available for the years preceding that date should be considered to ensure that they fairly reflect the proper trading position at the valuation date. The outcomes of such valuations are then compared to the limited rental evidence available.
Vehicle Excise Duty is a tax on vehicles used or kept on public roads. For certain vehicle classifications, VED liability is partially calculated in accordance with the vehicle’s weight, reflecting the greater road damage caused by heavier vehicles. For example, Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) VED rates are set based on a vehicle’s weight, suspension and trailer.
The Government annually reviews the rates and thresholds of taxes and reliefs to ensure that they are appropriate and reflect the current state of the economy. The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of the public finances.
The number of people forecast to pay tax by marginal rate can be found in Table 3.19 in the OBR’s November 2025 Economic and fiscal outlook – detailed forecast tables: receipts, linked below:
The previous Government made the decision to maintain income tax thresholds at their current levels from April 2021 until April 2028 and this is reflected in the numbers.
The Chancellor has said that those whose only income is the basic or new State Pension without any increments will not have to pay income tax over this Parliament. At the Budget, the Government announced that it will achieve this by easing the administrative burden for pensioners so that they do not have to pay small amounts of tax via Simple Assessment from 2027/28. The Government will set out more details in due course.The UK’s capital markets play a key role in delivering on the government’s growth mission. We have already delivered an ambitious set of reforms to make it easier for firms to start, scale, list and stay on UK markets, and capital markets are a core pillar of the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, launched at Mansion House.
The UK is also a hub for growth capital, with UK growth markets providing funding to growing companies from across the world. Over the last 10 years, over half of all capital raised on European growth markets was raised on AIM.
The government maintains a range of targeted tax reliefs for growth market shares, supporting capital raising for listed businesses, and investors in those shares. This supports growth in the broader UK economy.
Details on the eligibility criteria for the Audio Visual Expenditure Credit (AVEC) and Independent Film Tax Credit (IFTC) can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-audio-visual-expenditure-credits-for-corporation-tax.
The Government continues to monitor the use of AI in film production and keeps the tax system under constant review.
Details on the eligibility criteria for the Audio Visual Expenditure Credit (AVEC) and Independent Film Tax Credit (IFTC) can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-audio-visual-expenditure-credits-for-corporation-tax.
The Government continues to monitor the use of AI in film production and keeps the tax system under constant review.
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 February 2026 to UIN 109841.
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 February 2026 to UIN 109841.
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 February 2026 to UIN 109841.
MTD for Income Tax will be introduced across the UK from April 2026 for sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000. It will be extended to those with qualifying income over £30,000 from April 2027 and for those with qualifying income over £20,000 in April 2028.
HM Treasury engages regularly with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on a range of regulatory issues, including the regulation of financial advice.
The FCA plans to consult on simplifying and consolidating its investment advice rules and guidance to reduce unnecessary complexity and to clarify its regulatory expectations under the Consumer Duty. This will also cover the rules relating to ongoing advice services to make sure they are appropriate and relevant in future. An FCA consultation paper is expected by the end of Q1 2026.
In addition, the Government is working closely with the FCA to roll out targeted support for consumers from April this year. This represents the biggest reform of the financial advice and guidance landscape in more than a decade, and will represent a step change in the support that consumers receive to invest. Targeted support can be provided free at the point of use with firms recovering costs through cross-subsidisation, which is how HM Treasury expects most firms to operationalise the service. Firms can choose to charge a fee, but will need to follow FCA rules around fair value.
At Autumn Budget 25 the government announced that it will publish a consultation in early 2026 on the implementation of a new, simpler ISA product to support first time buyers to buy a home. Once available, this new product will be offered in place of the Lifetime ISA.
The new design will include the government bonus being paid at the point the individual makes a withdrawal for a house purchase. This removes the need for a withdrawal charge and means a saver can withdraw funds, should their circumstances change, without penalty.
It will remain possible to open a Lifetime ISA until the new product becomes available and for account holders to continue to save into their Lifetime ISA in line with the existing rules indefinitely.
At Autumn Budget 25 the government announced that it will publish a consultation in early 2026 on the implementation of a new, simpler ISA product to support first time buyers to buy a home. Once available, this new product will be offered in place of the Lifetime ISA.
The new design will include the government bonus being paid at the point the individual makes a withdrawal for a house purchase. This removes the need for a withdrawal charge and means a saver can withdraw funds, should their circumstances change, without penalty.
It will remain possible to open a Lifetime ISA until the new product becomes available and for account holders to continue to save into their Lifetime ISA in line with the existing rules indefinitely.
The Government wants to see more people benefit from the higher returns and long-term financial resilience that investing can provide. That is why the Chancellor’s Leeds Reforms included bold actions to boost retail investment.
The Government welcomes the industry-led retail investment campaign which will promote the benefits of investing to the public, and will launch in April 2026. The inaugural meeting of the campaign steering group was held on 22 September 2025, and the steering group has met regularly since then. The Investment Association is the secretariat to the campaign, and HM Treasury supports the campaign in an observer capacity.
The Government wants to see more people benefit from the higher returns and long-term financial resilience that investing can provide. That is why the Chancellor’s Leeds Reforms included bold actions to boost retail investment.
The Government welcomes the industry-led retail investment campaign which will promote the benefits of investing to the public, and will launch in April 2026. The inaugural meeting of the campaign steering group was held on 22 September 2025, and the steering group has met regularly since then. The Investment Association is the secretariat to the campaign, and HM Treasury supports the campaign in an observer capacity.
Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is a tax on vehicles used or kept on public roads. As announced by the previous Government at Autumn Statement 2022, from April 2025, zero emission and hybrid cars, vans and motorcycles now pay VED in a similar way to petrol and diesel vehicles. Revenue from motoring taxes helps ensure we can continue to fund the vital public services and infrastructure that people and families across the UK expect.
The rates payable by electric vehicle owners are set out in the V149 rates tables published by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rates-of-vehicle-tax-v149
The Tax Information and Impact Note published alongside Autumn Finance Bill 2022 set out the expected individual, business, equalities and other impacts of the change, and it can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introduction-of-vehicle-excise-duty-for-zero-emission-cars-vans-and-motorcycles-from-2025/introduction-of-vehicle-excise-duty-for-zero-emission-cars-vans-and-motorcycles-from-2025
The government remains fully committed to the electric vehicle transition, and at Budget 2025 announced £3.6bn of additional support for the electric vehicle market. This included £1.3 billion of additional funding for the Electric Car Grant, £200 million for chargepoint rollout, and increasing the Expensive Car Supplement threshold to £50,000 for electric vehicles.
As announced at Budget 2025, the Government is introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED), a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, recognising that electric vehicles (EVs) contribute to congestion and wear and tear on the roads but pay no equivalent to fuel duty. The taxation of motoring is a critical source of funding for public services and investment in infrastructure.
PHEVs have the capacity to drive in either electric or petrol mode and will continue to pay fuel duty on miles driven in petrol mode. In recognition of this, they will be subject to a reduced eVED rate of 1.5 pence per mile upon its introduction in April 2028 – half the rate that will apply to fully electric cars.
An average EV driving 8,000 miles per year will pay £240, or £20 a month in eVED (and no fuel duty), with a PHEV paying £120 in eVED (and fuel duty on petrol/diesel used). In contrast, an average petrol/diesel car driving the same distance will pay around £480 in fuel duty.