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Hopes of inheritance tax reform were dashed in the 2023 Autumn Statement, as chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced tax cuts for corporations and workers instead.
No mention was made in Hunt’s speech of the anticipated IHT decrease, with the slashing of national insurance from 12 per cent to 10 per cent taking up most of the headlines.
The lack of reform to the ‘death tax’ will come as a disappointment to wealthy estates who were hoping for a reduction, and eventual abolition, of the levy.
IHT will continue to be charged at 40 per cent for estates worth more than £325,000, plus an additional £175,000 allowance for a main residence.
Inheritance tax is no longer a tax on the wealthy.
Married couples are entitled to share their allowance, enabling parents to pass on £1mn to their beneficiaries tax-free.
Jack Gill, managing director of probate broker Final Duties, said: “Hopes of an IHT cut have been dashed today, with the government instead choosing to pander to the masses in order to boost popularity ahead of the next general election.
"This is disappointing given that IHT is no longer a tax on the wealthy and more and more of us face falling foul of it as our estates grow in value and become liable.”
He said that an oversaturated property market in recent years has pushed more and more people over the threshold.
“Given that the government is largely to blame for such an out of kilter housing market, you’d have thought they would make amends by reducing their inheritance tax grab - a grab that has seen the total sum of receipts paid increase by 17 per cent in the last year alone.”
Indeed Hunt’s decision to cut national insurance over inheritance tax may be both an appeal to a broader base of voters and a preserving of a particularly lucrative source of government finances.
Rising receipts
HM Revenue and Customs collected £3.9bn in IHT from April to September this year, £400mn higher than the same period in 2022.
Rachael Griffin, tax and financial planning expert at Quilter, said the lack of change to a tax that affected just 4 per cent of the population would probably not make too many people that unhappy.
“The abolition of IHT or a change to the headline rate may also have been unpopular with accusations that it would have benefited the rich at a time when the nation is struggling with the cost of living crisis,”she said.
She added that there was a missed opportunity to address the complexity of the IHT system, mainly the Residence Nil Rate Band, which is available to those passing on their residence upon death.
“The RNRB, while well-intentioned, is marked by its complexity and often excludes a significant demographic, particularly the rising number of childless elderly.
"As we look towards an ageing population with increasing childlessness, the RNRB's exclusionary nature becomes increasingly problematic.
"A more equitable and simplified IHT system involving raising the nil rate band to £500,000 would not only be fairer but more reflective of the changing demographics and societal structures of this country.”
Joseph Wilkins is a freelance journalist
