Budget 2014: Overview

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November 5th 2024
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Budget 2014: Overview

Read our overview of the key points and issues provided by today's 2014 UK Budget.

The 2014 UK Budget has now been delivered. Taking a total of 55 minutes to get through the statement, Chancellor George Osborne led a Budget aimed squarely at savers and pushed the issue of growth, reduction of deficit and opportunity.

Key announcements include:

  • General

    • Introduction of new one pound coin from 2017 - set to combat forgery of the current coin in circulation. £45 million worth of one pound coins out there are fake.
    • Energy bills to be reduced with new £7bn package - saving families around £15 per year - but manufactures can save from £50,000 per annum.
  • Taxation

    • Personal allowances are set to rise to £10,000 from April 2014 - this was previously announced. It is however confirmed that the tax free allowance for people born after 5th April 1948 is to rise to £10,500 from April 2015. People born before that date continue to have their allowances frozen as last year.
    • The higher rate threshold will continue to fall in response to rises to the personal allowance. This year, the band starts at £31,865 - a fall from £32,010. Next year the band falls again to £31,785. No adjustments to the the higher rate or pushing of the band upwards as was speculated.
    • Savings income has a major change. From April 2015, people with non-savings income of below £5,000 will have a savings income rate of 0% applied to the first £5,000 of savings income (bank or building society interest).
    • Transferable tax free allowances to come in from April 2015, will be set at 10 percent of the basic personal allowance. So, £1,050 can be transferred between partners for 2015.
    • Inheritance taxes waived for people working in the emergency services who lose their lives in work.
  • Welfare

    • The welfare cap to be £119bn for the 2015 tax year - and thereafter rising with inflation. The cap excludes JSA and the state pension.
  • Alcohol and Tobacco

    • Beer duty once again dropped by one penny - effective next week.
    • Spirits, wine and cider duty frozen.
    • Tobacco duty to continue to rise by 2% - on health grounds.
  • Savings and Pensions

    • Premium bonds cap raised by £10,000 to £40,000 from June 2014 - and up to £50k in 2015.
    • From this July, the current cash and stocks ISA's will be merged into a new ISA, renamed to NISA. The annual investment limit will be raised to £15,000. The NISA can have up to 100 percent of the allowance invested in cash or stocks (in any proportion). Junior ISA limits will be raised to £4,000.
    • Pensioners drawing their pension fund no longer required to purchase an annuity.
    • Up to 25 percent of pension can be drawn as lump sum tax free - but above that amount is now chargeable to tax at the marginal rate (normal bands), rather than the previous punitive 55 percent.
    • Pensioners to have access to a new 'Pensioner Bond'. Rates available from 2.8 to 4.0 percent depending on length of bond - and up to £10,000 can be invested in each bond.
  • Business

    • OBR states growth higher than expected and country to be in budget surplus in 2018, equivalent to £5bn.
    • People attempting to avoid stamp duties by purchasing residential property through companies to see previous stamp duty threshold on property worth over £2 million applied to property worth more than £500,000.
    • Annual Investment Allowance raised to £500,000 to the end of 2015.
    • Enterprise zones see business rate discounts and raised allowances extended for another 3 years.
  • Transportation

    • VED bands over 130g/km will be increased by £5 per year - with £10 increase over 225g/km.
    • Fuel duty rise for September 2014 scrapped.
    • Air Passenger Duties to be standardised for long haul flights, so all long haul flights to carry the same lower rate as trips to the US incur.
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