by Hart Parry | Mar 3, 2016 | Hart Parry News |
Marriage allowance – guide your employees in the right direction The Marriage Allowance lets certain individuals transfer 10% of their personal allowance to their spouse or civil partner. This reduces the tax bill of the recipient of the transfer by up to £212 in 2015/16. The main scenario in which the transfer is allowed and worthwhile is where: one of the spouses has little income and is therefore not using the personal allowance the other spouse does not pay tax at the higher or additional rate. The default route for applying is online. If you are an employer, it is a good idea to signpost your employees to gov.uk/marriage-allowance-guide. This link gives full information as to eligibility, how to apply and a link to the online application. As we get towards the end of the tax year, couples may have a better idea as to whether they qualify. If a successful application is made, changes to the personal allowances are backdated to 6 April 2015. In future years the personal allowance will transfer automatically to the spouse until either of the couple cancels the Marriage Allowance or there is a change in circumstances. New tax dangers when buying residential property The Chancellor announced in his Autumn Statement in November 2015 that he would be introducing new rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) on purchases of buy to let properties or second homes. Few perhaps realised how much more complicated property transactions may well be as a result. At the end of December the government launched a consultation paper which revealed the proposed details of the regime. SDLT...
