Possible Reforms to Intestacy Rules

/in , , , , /by

Firstly we should mention that we are not solicitors and therefore you should seek professional advice (e.g. a solicitor) before making a will.

What we did want to report on, however, is that the Ministry of Justice is proposing some changes to the intestacy rules governing England and Wales. The changes would affect the scenario in which a person with no children dies leaving no valid will. Currently the surviving spouse or civil partner receives the personal possessions, £450k and half of anything over that amount, with the remaining half going to the parents, or to siblings if there are no living parents, or the siblings’ offspring if the deceased’s siblings are also deceased.  The proposed new rules would instead mean that the surviving spouse or civil partner would inherit the whole estate.

But that is only if the deceased has no children. If they have children then other rules currently apply and changes are being suggested in relation to those too. Read more

Stocks & Shares ISAs …

/in , , /by

The Pros and Cons of ‘Pound Cost Averaging’

ISAs represent a tax-efficient vehicle for savings because any interest gained on them does not attract tax. At Taxfile, particularly in respect of Stocks & Shares ISAs, we’re often asked whether a lump sum investment is better or worse than a regular ‘drip-feed’ of smaller payments. If the two total the same amount over the course of a year, which is the best method of paying into an ISA?

Well, it all comes down to market conditions, timing and ‘Pound Cost Averaging’. A regular drip-feeding of smaller investments can take the worry out of investment decision-making because it reduces exposure when markets are falling and also it results in a smoother, less volatile, ride. If a larger lump sum were invested and the market fell, it could clearly be a disaster. Compared to that, regular, smaller payments would mean that only a small amount was invested while the market was at its lowest – and even then it would have purchased comparatively more shares because they were then much cheaper (an opportunity which would have been missed with the earlier one-off lump sum approach). Similarly, with a regular drip-feed of smaller payments, fewer shares are purchased when they are at their most expensive. Read more

HMRC now see payments you receive via credit card!

/in , , , , , , , , , , /by

On September 1st 2013 new legislation kicked in which allows HMRC automatic access to data showing payments made to businesses via credit card, going back as long as 4 years. HMRC will receive this information direct from the companies who process credit card payments on behalf of businesses (‘merchant acquirers’).

No personal data identifying the card owners, nor the credit card numbers, will be supplied as part of the data — it will primarily show the quantity of transactions and values credited to any particular business via credit card. On its own this may reap £50 million per annum in otherwise ‘lost’ tax revenue and the exercise will be helped by HMRC’s ‘Connect’ system which compares data coming in from various sources and cross-refers for consistency. The scheme’s implementation has been aided by a £1 billion budget given to HMRC aimed at tackling tax evasion and fraud.

The new legislation is part of the Finance Act 2013 and is part of a major crackdown on tax evasion which overall costs the taxpayer £9 billion a year Read more

Bank Base Rate to stay at 0.5% until 2016 (…probably)

/in , , , /by

Bank Base Rate changesMark Carney, the Bank Of England’s new Governor, has announced his ‘forward guidance’ that the Bank does not intend to raise Bank Rate from 0.5% until the unemployment rate falls to 7%, which it forecasts will happen in mid 2016 — three years away. The Governor hopes that the announcement of this 3 year plan will instil confidence in the economy and help to encourage companies and consumers to borrow money without having to worry about any sudden, unforeseen rises in interest rates. It may well help, but of course it does hinge on that all-important unemployment rate falling to the desired level.

The Governor also stated 3 additional scenarios in which earlier action would become necessary: Read more