Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to the Treasury Select Committee, Work of HM Revenue and Customs - Oral evidence, HC 416, 13 January 2026, Question 465, if she will list the Office for National Statistics datasets that the Valuation Office Agency is using.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Valuation Office Agency is using the following data from the Office of National Statistics: Census geographies and House Price Index.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the Stamp Duty Land Tax rules for shared ownership properties, particularly the requirement for first‑time buyers to pay SDLT when staircasing above 80% ownership, despite not purchasing an additional property.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government already offers flexibility when SDLT is due on transactions relating to shared ownership properties. When a shared ownership lease is first granted, the purchaser can choose to either pay SDLT on the market value of the property, in which case no further SDLT will be due when purchasing additional interest in the property (including when staircasing above 80%); or instead choose to pay SDLT in stages. Purchasers of shared ownership properties can also claim First-time Buyers’ Relief (FTBR) on purchases where the value of their property does not exceed £500,000. For those purchasers who choose to pay SDLT in stages, SDLT will be payable on any staircasing transaction which takes them over 80% ownership. In those circumstances, FTBR is not available as the person staircasing is no longer a first-time buyer. The ability to choose when SDLT is due, along with the relief available to first-time buyers, can help reduce the amount of SDLT due when initially buying a shared ownership property as your first home.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions her Department has had with EU counterparts on EU regulations preventing the use of red diesel to power private leisure boats in the context of the maritime tourism industry.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Officials in my department regularly speak to EU counterparts on a range of issues.
Private Pleasure Craft (PPC)) across the UK incur the full duty rate on fuel used for propulsion (52.95 pence per litre (ppl)) and the rebated rate (10.18 ppl) for non-propulsion use.
PPC that refuel in Great Britain can use red diesel provided they pay a top up to reflect the difference in duty between the red diesel rate and the full duty rate to cover their propulsion use. PPC in Northern Ireland are not permitted to refuel with red diesel, but a relief scheme is in place to cover diesel used for non-propulsion purposes (e.g. heating and lighting the boat).
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will confirm that ticket sales for prize draws offering both paid and free entry routes – as set out by the voluntary Code of Conduct published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport – are subject to VAT under the Value Added Tax Act 1994.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC confirm that prize draws offering both paid and free entry routes are not eligible for VAT exemption and paid entries will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20%.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increasing number of Long Term Asset Funds and the risks they pose to investors, including forced sales or the inability to redeem investments, due to their holdings of illiquid investments.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government wants to make sure that those who have the ability to put away money for the long-term can do so. The Long-Term Asset Fund (LTAF) provides investors with the opportunity to invest in long-term alternative assets, such as venture capital, private equity, real estate and infrastructure, that can offer higher returns in exchange for limited liquidity.
The Financial Conduct Authority have designed robust governance requirements for the LTAF, so investors who understand the risks of investing in long‑term less liquid assets are able to invest with confidence. Where a firm markets an LTAF to a retail investor, the firm must provide appropriate risk warnings and conduct an appropriateness assessment.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the current period of six months after the death of the individual within which inheritance tax must be paid and after which interest starts to accrue.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
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 which have led to 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.
Inheritance tax should be paid within 6 months from the end of the month after the date of death, or late payment interest will begin to accrue on the outstanding tax. This is a longstanding requirement that ensures the tax is collected quickly and efficiently. However, the Government recognises the difficulties personal representatives may face in paying the inheritance tax due and offers several payment options to help. This includes the direct payment scheme, which allows personal representatives to instruct banks and building societies to transfer funds from the deceased’s bank or building accounts before probate is granted.
The Government also announced changes at the Budget in November 2025 which mitigate the risks to personal representatives by providing them with the ability to direct pension scheme administrators to withhold taxable benefits for up to 15 months from the date of death and to direct them to make payments of inheritance tax directly to HMRC. The changes also protect personal representatives from risk that lost pension pots emerge later by discharging them from liability where they have received clearance from HMRC. Furthermore, to ensure that the process of calculating, reporting and paying inheritance tax does not take longer than necessary, the Government will introduce regulations setting out deadlines for the parties involved to exchange information.
These changes are consistent with the process which already exists for administering estates and paying any inheritance tax due. Personal representatives are already responsible for administering the rest of the estate, including non-discretionary pension schemes which are already in scope of inheritance tax. The Government will publish further guidance and tools to support personal representatives in readiness for these changes being implemented in 2027.
Asked by: Baroness Altmann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ease the administrative burden on personal representatives responsible for assessing and paying inheritance tax on unused pensions due within six months of death.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
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 which have led to 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.
Inheritance tax should be paid within 6 months from the end of the month after the date of death, or late payment interest will begin to accrue on the outstanding tax. This is a longstanding requirement that ensures the tax is collected quickly and efficiently. However, the Government recognises the difficulties personal representatives may face in paying the inheritance tax due and offers several payment options to help. This includes the direct payment scheme, which allows personal representatives to instruct banks and building societies to transfer funds from the deceased’s bank or building accounts before probate is granted.
The Government also announced changes at the Budget in November 2025 which mitigate the risks to personal representatives by providing them with the ability to direct pension scheme administrators to withhold taxable benefits for up to 15 months from the date of death and to direct them to make payments of inheritance tax directly to HMRC. The changes also protect personal representatives from risk that lost pension pots emerge later by discharging them from liability where they have received clearance from HMRC. Furthermore, to ensure that the process of calculating, reporting and paying inheritance tax does not take longer than necessary, the Government will introduce regulations setting out deadlines for the parties involved to exchange information.
These changes are consistent with the process which already exists for administering estates and paying any inheritance tax due. Personal representatives are already responsible for administering the rest of the estate, including non-discretionary pension schemes which are already in scope of inheritance tax. The Government will publish further guidance and tools to support personal representatives in readiness for these changes being implemented in 2027.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to reform beer duty by reducing duty on beer sold in barrels while increasing duty on bottled beer; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of such an approach on (a) supporting pubs and local breweries, (b) reducing packaging and recycling waste and (c) encouraging alcohol consumption in supervised settings.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
A new duty structure for alcohol products was introduced in August 2023. This included the introduction of Draught Relief, which enables products served on draught below 8.5% alcohol by volume (ABV) to pay less duty. This relief provides vital support to pubs and other venues, whilst also helping breweries that supply eligible products.
This Government is proud to have been able to expand the generosity of Draught Relief this parliament. The Chancellor’s draught rate cut announced at Autumn Budget 2024 applied to approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs, with draught beer and cider now paying 13.9% less in duty than their packaged equivalents.
The Chancellor makes decisions on future tax policy at fiscal events, and, as with all taxes, the Government keeps alcohol duty under review as part of its Budget process.
This Government is also committed to moving towards a circular economy that delivers sustainable growth, and produces less waste, rubbish and litter. Implementing the Government’s Collection and Packaging Reforms, including Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) and the Deposit Return Scheme, is a critical step in this transition that will create a substantial incentive for investment in new and improved recycling services in the UK.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of business rates revaluations on indoor leisure and soft play businesses operating from large premises.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
I refer you to my previous answer to PQ 111499.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing sector-specific business rates relief and reform for indoor leisure and soft play facilities.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
I refer you to my previous answer to PQ 111499.