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Budget 2024 live: PM insists income tax threshold freeze won’t break manifesto pledge

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Budget 2024 live: PM insists income tax threshold freeze won’t break manifesto pledge

Starmer refuses to rule out national insurance rise at PMQs

Sir Keir Starmer has insisted the government will keep its manifesto pledges amid reports the Chancellor could extend the freeze on income tax thresholds in this month’s Budget.

Rachel Reeves may be considering pushing the freeze beyond its current expiry date of 2028 in a move that could raise £7 billion, according to the Financial Times.

Continuing the freeze could help plug some of the £40 billion gap the Chancellor is grappling with in an effort to avoid a return to austerity.

Labour’s manifesto promised not to increase rates of income tax, but included no mention of tax thresholds.

The Treasury has so far declined to comment on Budget speculation, but when asked about possible tax changes during a press conference in Berlin, Sir Keir Starmer said: “We are going to keep our manifesto pledges.”

He added: “I’m not going to pre-empt the individual measures that will be outlined by the Chancellor in due course.”

Other measures reported to be under consideration include increasing employers’ national insurance contributions, raising fuel duty for the first time since 2010, changes to rules on inheritance tax and stamp duty, and a levy on e-cigarettes

We’ll be bringing you all the latest updates ahead of the big event on 30 October here, on The Independent’s liveblog.

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Record number of UK firms facing serious financial strain, report finds

A record number of UK businesses are facing a serious financial strain, as post-Covid debts squeeze all corners of the economy, a report has found.

The warning comes after a series of businesses have been on the brink of collapse or faced insolvency this year, including retailers Ted Baker and Carpetright, restaurant group TGI Fridays and construction firm ISG.

There were 632,756 firms flagged as being in “significant” financial distress between July and September.

Ric Traynor, the executive chairman of Begbies, said the decline in the level of firms heading toward collapse was a “welcome surprise after a challenging year”.

“That said, it is too early to say if this is a trend that will continue into the autumn – traditionally a busy period for corporate insolvencies,” he added.

“While there are tentative signs of a recovery, uncertainty continues to loom over UK businesses.

“In response, many business leaders are holding their breath as they await clarity over what the forthcoming Budget will bring.”

Many business leaders “expect companies and investors to bear the brunt of changes to the tax regime”, he said, with an increase to employer national insurance among the measures which the Government has not ruled out.

Jabed Ahmed19 October 2024 16:29

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What should I do with my savings ahead of the Budget?

Jabed Ahmed19 October 2024 15:30

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Workers set for income tax hike as Rachel Reeves ‘to extend freeze on thresholds’

Jabed Ahmed19 October 2024 14:31

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Reeves’ capital gains tax plans will sidestep homeowners, reports say

Experts have long anticipated that Labour will put capital gains tax up in the Budget on 30 October. This is the levy is paid on the profit made when an asset which has increased in value is sold. This includes houses, assets and shares, all paid between 20 and 28 per cent.

The latest reports indicate that Ms Reeves will respond to calls to raise capital gains tax in line with income tax bands – meaning rates of 20 to 40 per cent – but will exempt property from the new rates.

Jabed Ahmed19 October 2024 13:28

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Reeves considers raising tax on vaping in Budget

Rachel Reeves is considering raising the tax on vaping products in the upcoming Budget as figures lay bare how many children access them in the UK, The Guardian reports.

The tax on vaping products was originally announced by the Conservatives in March, to come in to force in 2026. It is now understood that Ms Reeves could look to increase this.

Under current plans, the new rates from April 2026 will range from £1-3 per 10ml of liquid, depending on nicotine level.

Jabed Ahmed19 October 2024 12:29

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Stamp duty threshold to drop as Reeves denies extension

The chancellor is reportedly planning to confirm that the heightened stamp duty threshold will drop back to previous levels in March, costing housebuyers up to £2,500 more.

In 2022, the Conservatives under Liz Truss increased the ‘nil rate’ threshold – when stamp duty starts being paid – from £125,000 to £250,000. For first-time buyers, it rose from £300,000 to £425,000.

The approach is expected to raise £1.8 billion a year by 2029-30, but experts have warned the news will cause “chaos” in the property market as buyers rush deals to save money.

Property expert Kirstie Allsopp told Times Radio: “It’s become so complicated that I can no longer tell anyone what they would be paying in stamp duty.”

“It won’t claw back any money. Stamp duty is a dead tax.”

Jabed Ahmed19 October 2024 11:31

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Government will keep manifesto pledges, says Starmer

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said that the government will keep to manifesto pledges ahead of the Budget.

Asked about whether reported tax changes under consideration would keep to their promise of not increasing taxes for working people, Sir Keir told a press conference in Berlin: “We are going to keep our manifesto pledges.”

He added: “I’m not going to pre-empt the individual measures that will be outlined by the Chancellor in due course.

“This is going to be a Budget that will fix the foundations and rebuild our country.”

When asked further about potential tax rises, the Prime Minister said that “you’ll just have to wait until the Chancellor lays that out in full, but the structure if you like, the framework, is going to be to fix the foundations and to rebuild our country.”

Jabed Ahmed19 October 2024 10:29

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When is the 2024 Budget and what might be in it?

Chancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver Labour’s first Budget on Wednesday 30 October.

Each year, the chancellor of the exchequer – who is in charge of the government’s finances – makes a Budget statement to MPs. .

The speech outlines the government’s plans for spending and taxes.

The Budget speech usually starts around 12:30pm and lasts about an hour. The Independent will be bringing you all the latest updates on the big day.

Ms Reeves may be considering pushing the freeze beyond its current expiry date of 2028 in a move that could raise £7 billion, according to the Financial Times.

Other measures reported to be under consideration include increasing employers’ national insurance contributions, raising fuel duty for the first time since 2010, changes to rules on inheritance tax and stamp duty, and a levy on e-cigarettes, according to reports across the media.

The Treasury has so far declined to comment on Budget speculation.

Jabed Ahmed19 October 2024 09:43

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What should I do with my savings ahead of the Budget?

Ahead of the Budget on 30 October, there has been fevered speculation about changes to pension savers’ tax allowances and other perks.

Reports that pensioners could have tax breaks cut or axed led to savers withdrawing chunks of their retirement pots ahead of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s big announcement.

Howard Mustoe19 October 2024 03:00

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The real problem facing Rachel Reeves over the death tax…

… is that not only is it deeply unpopular, cautions James Moore – but it’s only a drop in the ocean when it comes to plugging the UK’s vast fiscal black hole

James Moore19 October 2024 01:00

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