Tax Systems Share Discussion Threads

[imastu pidgitaswell] 28/9/2012 08:54

Missed out an 'F' in that acronym...

[miata] 28/9/2012 08:31

R T Q. "My wife is a housewife and has no income of her own."

[snatander] 27/9/2012 22:21

why the lower rate of CGT?

[sandbag] 27/9/2012 20:35

Thanks very much Miata!

[miata] 27/9/2012 16:09

I have used the 18% lower rate of capital gains tax which is not an income tax rate.

Politicians cannot help but add unnecessary complexity to the already overcomplicated tax system, Anthony Barber being the only honourable exception in modern times.

[goatherd] 27/9/2012 16:04

Miata -

You have used an 18% rate of tax which surely indicates an association with Income Tax?

[miata] 27/9/2012 15:28

No. Capital gains and income are treated separately, so £20,039.98 is subject to CGT (= £3,607.20).

[sandbag] 26/9/2012 21:49

This question has probably been asked before but I've done a search and can't find the answer:

My wife is a housewife and has no income of her own. I donated Free of Charge an amount of AIM shares to her last year. She sold the shares and made £30,639.98 above what I had paid for them. Am I correct in thinking that she is entitled to £10,600 CGT allowance and then the single persons income allowance before she pays CGT?

TIA.

[serratia] 26/9/2012 14:35

Thanks MIATA

[miata] 26/9/2012 12:46

In addition to Fares/Taxis, Mileage Rates, Postage, Printing & Stationery, Periodicals & Magazines, Hotel receipts and a percentage of telephone costs against a copy of the relevant bill, £5 per week can be claimed for Use of Home based on suitable facilities and not just a corner of the kitchen table.

Larger amounts can be claimed but may need to be substantiated if queried.

[brancho] 26/9/2012 12:43

.Sorry my post irrelevant as releted to income from letting

[serratia] 26/9/2012 10:46

I do a some paid consultancy and was wondering about the allowances section on the relevant form.
It would be quite tedious to work out what proportion of my heat/light/phone/council tax etc is directed towards the consultancy.Is there a lump sum figure the tax man would accept rather than try to proportion everything? Earnings are likely to be around 5k.

[imastu pidgitaswell] 24/9/2012 21:23

I was in tears by the end of that episode, the press pics of them at the top of the slide for a mobile signal...

I'm certainly not saying it's a good idea, just that I've heard worse. A crisis of confidence where no-one can move on can ( not always) be addressed by something like this approach. Keynesian for sure, and in an ideal world you wouldn't advocate this - more state intervention - but I can't see that the unregulated free market approach to the housing market has gone too well...

Politicians have utterly failed this country for decades, short termism over long term stability. The problem is we are where we are, what do you now do?

[jeffian] 24/9/2012 17:47

893/894,

Providing a 'guarantee' against a deposit (rather than actually taking the 25% and using it as the deposit) is just another way of going back to the awful 100% loans.

Apparently, the scheme is targeted at people with a £40,000 pension pot. Even that whole magnificent sum would probably only buy you an annuity around £2k at best, so of course they can afford to risk £10k, can't they? Stick it to the rich, eh, Cleggy?

Last week's "The Thick of It" posed the ludicrous scenario of a pair of hapless LibDem coalitionists letting themselves be talked into providing a 'People's Bank' with £2bn of taxpayers' money while the Tory Minister was on an 'awayday'. Well I thought it was ludicrous until I woke up this morning and saw the Vince Cable had promised exactly that to the LibDem conference! (OK, only £1bn from the Treasury matched by a similar amount from the private sector).

When there is no distinction between real life and a surreal political satire show, one really has to despair of our politicians and fear for the future.

[miata] 24/9/2012 13:12

VAT to be extended next week:

[snappy] 24/9/2012 11:17

"but that's a problem for later, as with all government financial strategy for the past 100+ years."

Very well said imastu

[imastu pidgitaswell] 24/9/2012 10:33

Ah.

Apart from the moaning about pensions being too small and not paying for a bus pass etc, I've heard worse ideas. Promises of guarantees rather than actual use of (non-existent) money is something Cable mentioned recently, and this is an example of it.

Given the government has no money, might be worth it in some cases - getting a benefit (a mortgage deposit) without actually spending anything. Until prices crash 25% that is, but that's a problem for later, as with all government financial strategy for the past 100+ years.

[imastu pidgitaswell] 24/9/2012 10:06

Big difference between top 10% by wealth and top 10% by income. Could get interesting...

Can't fathom this pension lump sum / kids deposit thing. If you can already take a 25% lump sum as cash and do what you want with it, what does a scheme that transfers (instead?) 25% as cash deposit for your kids' property give?

[miata] 24/9/2012 09:59

Deputy Prime Minister says 'top 10 per cent' should face new levies
He tells Lib Dem conference he is certain Tories will sign up to the plans

With the nation facing its longest period of belt-tightening since the war, the Deputy Prime Minister said the 'top 10 per cent' – around 3million earning more than £50,500 – should brace themselves for new levies.

Options include an end to tax relief on pension contributions for higher-rate taxpayers, an 'accessions tax' to replace inheritance tax, and further increases in capital gains tax.

Mr Clegg said he was confident that the Conservatives would sign up to new taxes on the top 10 per cent. New taxes on those earning over £50,500 would hit middle-class families in Conservative heartlands in London and the South East.

The Lib Dems have long campaigned for a 'mansion tax' – an annual levy on high-value properties – but are devising alternative proposals having failed to persuade Mr Osborne to go ahead.

The Lib Dems also want to target tax breaks offered to high earners on their pension contributions. Currently, annual retirement contributions of up to £50,000 are exempt from tax. The Chancellor cut that threshold from £255,000 in his first emergency Budget, but the Lib Dems want to go further.

Mr Clegg said there was a 'very considerable chance' of the Tories agreeing new wealth taxes, pointing out that the Coalition has already increased capital gains tax and stamp duty, while clamping down on tax avoidance.

[goatherd] 21/9/2012 12:47

Thanks Miata - I suppose I was looking for advantages akin to CGT!

[miata] 21/9/2012 12:41

Spreadbets running would be closed on notification of death and the funds remaining would be an asset of the Estate.

You could technically say the valuation at the date of death but there would be a contingent gain/liability at that date until the closure date, so the net amount would be the same.

[goatherd] 21/9/2012 10:52

Miata,

If someone dies who has still spread bets running, and who has used all his IT nil rate band, how are the open bets and margins treated for IT, please?

[joan of arc] 17/9/2012 17:49

Thanks, Miata