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The ‘getting it...

11 March 2020

3 min read

The ‘getting it done’ Budget

Wide package of measures designed to counter the shock of the coronavirus outbreak on the UK economy.

Jeannie Boyle
Jeannie Boyle,

Executive Director & Chartered Financial Planner

The Chancellor launched a £30bn fiscal stimulus package to counter the shock of the coronavirus outbreak with breathing space granted to small businesses, whilst at the same time looking to deliver on the Conservatives’ pledge to address regional inequalities.

Earlier in the day, the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee unanimously agreed to reduce the main bank rate by half a percentage point to 0.25 per cent at a special meeting, along with measures to help the flow of credit and support businesses potentially facing cash flow issues.

What it means for your money

Here is a summary of how the key measures will affect your personal finances:

Pensions taper threshold to increase by £90,000 to £200,000

The adjustment to the annual allowance taper applies to all high earners in the private and public sector, not just NHS staff. Although it remains just as complex.

Some people will find their ability to save into pension increase by up to £30,000 from this April. However, for those affected by the tapered annual allowance their allowance could reduce to as low as £4,000 instead of the current £10,000, where adjusted income is over £312,000.

Pension Lifetime Allowance

The Chancellor announced an increase in lifetime allowance for 2020 to 2021, in line with the Consumer Price Index. So, from 6 April the pensions Lifetime Allowance will be £1,073,100.

Junior ISA hike

The amount families can save into a JISA or Child Trust Fund will be more than doubled in 2020-21, increasing from £4,368 to £9,000, and is designed to encourage a long-term savings habit.

Adult ISA limits remain at £20,000.

Entrepreneurs’ relief

Entrepreneurs’ relief changes come in immediately today, reducing lifetime limit on qualifying gains from £10 million to £1 million with some anti avoidance measures for those who have tried to sell before the change.

Interest rate cut

The emergency cut to interest rates will immediately reduce mortgage repayments for homeowners on tracker and variable-rate mortgages. The cut was another blow for savers, making the personal savings allowance virtually redundant.

National Insurance threshold

The government has raised the National Insurance threshold from £8,632 to £9,500 a year, giving 31 million employees a tax cut. The average worker will be better off by £100 a year.

No delay to IR35 changes

Controversial IR35 reforms will be in the Finance Bill as previously announced to start this April.

Coronavirus support

A £12bn package of measures to support public services, individuals and businesses was unveiled, making it easier for the self-employed to claim universal credit and Employment Support Allowance benefits if they cannot work, including a £500m hardship fund to be distributed by local authorities.

As previously announced, statutory sick pay will be made available from the first day of self-isolation.

Other measures

£600bn in infrastructure investment unveiled

The Chancellor pledged to triple the average net investment made over the last 40 years into rail and road, affordable housing, broadband and research.

Low-carbon economy

Now, more than ever we need to invest in a low carbon economy and the Chancellor unveiled several initiatives, including:

  • £500m to support the rollout of new rapid charging hubs, so that drivers are never more than 30 miles away from being able to charge up their car.
  • A new plastic packaging tax to encourage the use of more recycled packaging.
  • £640 million to plant more than 40 million trees and restore £35,000 hectares of peatland.
  • Diesel subsidies will be scrapped for most sectors, excluding agriculture.

New non-UK resident stamp duty surcharge

From April 2021, a new stamp duty land tax surcharge of 2% will be brought in for non-UK resident buyers of property, affecting overseas buyers and expats.

The 2% surcharge will be used to end rough sleeping in this Parliament.

Further analysis

We’ll be exploring several of these measures in further detail over the coming weeks.

Jeannie Boyle

Jeannie Boyle


Executive Director & Chartered Financial Planner

Jeannie has been working in financial services for over 14 years. She joined EQ in 2008 as a Technical Consultant and since 2010 has been a Director of the firm. When providing advice, Jeannie focuses on clear communication, so that her clients fully understand the facts, options and recommended solutions, enabling them to make well-informed decisions. As a Director, Jeannie concentrates her efforts on ensuring the advice provided across EQ is of an exceptional standard, putting in place processes and systems to ensure our clients remain at the heart of our business. Jeannie is a Chartered Financial Planner, a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society and in 2015 won Money Management’s Ethical Financial Planner of the Year Award. She appears regularly in national and trade media outlets discussing personal finance issues. Outside of work, Jeannie enjoys yoga, hiking, triathlons and live music.

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