Budget Summary - March 2021

The deadline for applications for all the government-backed loan schemes including the Bounce Back Loan scheme, Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans and the Future Fund ends on 31 March 2021. The Chancellor did not announce any further extension to these loan schemes but instead announced that a new successor loan guarantee programme would be introduced from 6 April 2021. The Recovery Loan Scheme will allow businesses of any size to access loans and other kinds of finance between £25,000 and £10 million. The new scheme will remain open until 31 December 2021 (subject to review). The scheme will provide further support to businesses to help them recover and grow following the disruption of the pandemic and the end of the transition period. Under the new loan scheme, the government will provide lenders with a guarantee of 80% on eligible loans provided to UK businesses. The scheme will be open to all businesses, including those who have already received support under the existing COVID-19 guaranteed loan schemes. The following finance options will be available: Term loans and overdrafts will be available between £25,001 and £10 million per business. Invoice finance and asset finance will be available between £1,000 and £10 million per business. Finance terms are up to six years for term loans and asset finance facilities. For overdrafts and invoice finance facilities, terms will be up to three years. No personal guarantees will be taken on facilities up to £250,000, and a borrower’s principal private residence cannot be taken as security. Further details on how to apply and details of accredited lenders will be released in due course.

Designed to help offset the increased Corporation Tax main rate and promote investment, the Chancellor announced the introduction of a new ground breaking super-deduction tax relief. The new temporary tax relief applies on qualifying capital asset investments and will apply from 1 April 2021 until 31 March 2023. The new super-deduction is designed to help companies finance expansion in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and help to drive growth. The measure will apply to qualifying expenditures as follows: a super-deduction providing allowances of 130% of most new plant and machinery investments that ordinarily qualify for 18% main rate writing down allowances a first year allowance of 50% will apply to most new plant and machinery investments that ordinarily qualify for 6% special rate writing down allowances The measure will apply to qualifying expenditure from 1 April 2021 and will exclude expenditures incurred on contracts entered into prior to Budget day, 3 March 2021. Certain expenditures will be excluded. The government had also previously announced that the temporary Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) cap would be extended for a further 12 months. The AIA allows for a 100% tax deduction on qualifying expenditure on plant and equipment. The temporary limit of £1 million will remain in place until 31 December 2021 before reverting to the usual £200,000 limit.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) commonly known as the furlough scheme will be extended until the 30 September 2021. The Chancellor confirmed that employees will receive up to 80% of their salary for hours not worked subject to a monthly maximum of £2,500 until the scheme ends. The CJRS will also continue in its present form for employers until the end of June 2021. As the economy reopens and demand returns, the government will introduce employer contributions towards the cost of unworked hours of 10% in July and 20% in August and September. The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak also confirmed that the Self Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will continue for a fourth and fifth grant. The fourth grant covers the period from 1 February 2021 to 30 April 2021 and the fifth and final grant will cover the period from May onwards. The fourth grant will provide support covering 80% of average trading profits, up to a maximum of £7,500 for those who meet the eligibility requirements. The fifth and final grant will see those whose turnover has fallen by 30% or more continuing to receive the full 80% grant whilst those whose turnover has fallen by less than 30% will receive a 30% grant. The SEISS scheme will also be extended to the newly self-employed who filed a 2019-20 tax return by midnight, 2 March 2021.

It has been confirmed, by the Chancellor, that the taxable turnover threshold that determines whether businesses should be registered for VAT will be frozen at £85,000 until 31 March 2024. The taxable turnover threshold that determines whether businesses can apply for deregistration will also be frozen at the current rate of £83,000 for the same time period. Businesses are required to register for VAT if they meet either of the following two conditions: At the end of any month, the value of the taxable supplies made in the past 12 months or less has exceeded £85,000; or At any time, there are reasonable grounds for believing that the value of taxable supplies to be made in the next 30 days alone will exceed £85,000. It was also confirmed that the temporary VAT reduction to 5% for the tourism and hospitality sector that was first announced as part of the Summer Economic update last year and had been subsequently extended until 31 March 2021, will be extended for a further 6 months until 30 September 2021. A new reduced rate of 12.5% will then be introduced for the sector until 31 March 2022. It is hoped this VAT cut will help rehabilitate the tourism and hospitality sector that has been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Chancellor confirmed that the Corporation Tax main rate will remain at 19% from 1 April 2021 for the next 2 years. The main rate had been expected to increase to help pay the massive costs of the coronavirus pandemic to the public purse. However, the Corporation Tax main rate will increase to 25% from 1 April 2023 for companies with profits over £250,000. The Chancellor also announced the introduction of a Small Profits Rate (SPR) of 19% from the same date for companies with profits of up to £50,000. Where a company has profits between £50,000 and £250,000 a marginal rate of Corporation Tax will apply that bridges the gap between the lower and upper limits. The lower and upper limits will be proportionately reduced for short accounting periods and where there are associated companies. The Diverted Profits Tax (DPT) will increase from 1 April 2023 from 25% to 31% to maintain the current 6% differential with the main rate of Corporation Tax. The DPT is an anti-avoidance measure that targets large multinational businesses that are deemed to be using contrived and artificial arrangements to divert profits overseas thereby paying less or no tax in the UK. This announcement gives some short-term relief to businesses, many of whom had expected rates to increase before April 2023.

It has been confirmed as part of the Budget announcements that the 2021-22 personal allowance will increase to £12,570 (2020-21: £12,500) and the basic rate limit to £37,700 (2020-21: £37,500). As a result, the higher rate threshold will increase to £50,270 (2020-21: £50,000) from 6 April 2021. The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak revealed that these rates will be frozen until April 2026. This freeze is part of the Chancellor’s approach to improve public finances. This means that the allowances will not increase in line with inflation creating a stealth increase in the limits. The basic rate limit currently applies to non-savings and non-dividend income in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and to savings and dividend income across the UK. The Scottish Parliament sets the basic rate and higher rate thresholds for non-savings and non-dividend income in Scotland. Changes to the Scottish bands were announced on 28 January 2021 as part of the Scottish Budget measures. For high earning taxpayers the personal allowance is gradually withdrawn by £1 for every £2 of adjusted net income over £100,000 irrespective of age. Adjusted net income is total taxable income before any personal allowances, less certain tax reliefs such as trading losses and certain charitable donations and pension contributions. Any taxpayers with an adjusted net income of between £100,000 and £125,140 in 2021-22 will pay an effective marginal rate of tax of around 60% as the tax-free personal allowance is gradually withdrawn.The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.

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