The Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG) is calling on the government to address issues with the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC).

The HICBC is designed to claw back child benefit where the claimant or their partner earns in excess of £50,000. According to LITRG some households think making a child benefit claim is not worthwhile if it will be clawed back in full via the tax charge, with the added administrative burden of needing to complete a tax return. LITRG warns that this trend will have unforeseen consequences for the lower-earning partner and for the child.

LITRG is calling for the Government to reconsider the £50,000 threshold at which the HICBC  starts to apply, if it is retained in its current form.

Victoria Todd, Head of LITRG Team, said:

‘Despite its name, the high income child benefit charge can have consequences for the lower earner in a couple even though the liability to the tax charge falls to the higher earner. This is because where the tax charge applies a household may decide, quite understandably, not to claim child benefit at all. But this means that the lower earning individual may miss out on National Insurance credits, due for the first 12 years, which help to build entitlement towards a state pension.

‘The Government’s solution is to allow couples to claim child benefit regardless and, if they wish to avoid the charge, they can choose not to receive payments – but this is not widely known and to many, claiming and receiving a benefit are the same thing.

‘This is a problem which is affecting an increasing number of families because the £50,000 threshold has remained static since the charge was introduced in 2013. At that time, the HICBC was intended to affect only the top 10 percent of earners, but each year the proportion of those affected increases as wages rise. LITRG recommends that the next Government considers uprating the £50,000 threshold, just like some other tax thresholds and allowances, to minimise the adverse consequences for those families it affects and ensure the policy works in the way originally intended.’

Please contact us for help and advice on HICBC.

Internet link: LITRG press release

The Secretary of State has confirmed that the commitments being entered into, to make payments to clinicians affected by annual allowance pension tax, will be honoured when clinicians retire.

In a written statement Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care stated:

‘I have agreed to support this proposal from NHS England and NHS Improvement for reasons of urgent operational necessity….

‘The scheme involves employers making binding contractual commitments to be given to every affected NHS clinician so as to ensure that this commitment is honoured. Full details of the terms of the payment arrangements are set out in letters that are being sent to each affected clinician by their employer including the terms and conditions of the offer.

‘Clinicians are therefore now immediately able to take on additional shifts or sessions without worrying about an annual allowance charge on their pensions.’

Internet link: GOV.UK statement

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sajid Javid has announced that the major review of all aspects of self-employment, promised in the Conservatives’ manifesto, will include the proposed extension of the Off-Payroll working rules to the private sector from April 2020.

Speaking on Radio 4’s Money Box Election Special, Sajid Javid said that, as part of the review, he wanted in particular to look again at the proposed changes to the IR35 rules. He said:

‘I value the work of consultants and I want to make sure that the proposed changes are right to take forward.’

Internet link: economia news

The government has announced a 6.2% increase in the National Living Wage (NLW), which applies to workers aged 25 and over. From 1 April 2020 the NLW will rise from the current rate of £8.21 to £8.72 an hour, in the largest raise since it was introduced two decades ago.

The government has confirmed that the new rate will start on 1 April 2020 and will result in an increase of £930 annually for 2.8 million full-time workers earning the NLW.

Workers aged under 25 earning the National Minimum Wage (NMW) will also see increases of between 4.6% and 6.5%, depending on their age.

Bryan Sanderson, Chair of the Low Pay Commission (LPC), said:

‘The NLW has been an ambitious long-term intervention in the labour market. The rate has increased faster than inflation, faster than average earnings and faster than most international comparators.

‘This has raised pay for millions without costing jobs, although employers have had to make a variety of other adjustments to deal with the increases.’

Internet link: GOV.UK news

The government has announced it will make a number of changes to the loan charge rules, in response to Sir Amyas Morse’s independent review of the loan charge policy and its implementation.

The government has announced the following key changes to the loan charge:

• the loan charge will apply only to outstanding loans made on, or after, 9 December 2010
• the loan charge will not apply to outstanding loans made in any tax years before 6 April 2016 where the avoidance scheme use was fully disclosed to HMRC and HMRC did not take action
• affected taxpayers can elect to spread the amount of their outstanding loan balance evenly across three tax years: 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21.

Please contact us for advice with this issue.

Internet link: GOV.UK independent loan charge review