The UK has now been in lockdown, on and off, for the best part
of a year. With the COVID-19 vaccination programme now in full
swing in the UK, and hopefully with light at the end of tunnel,
attention has inevitably turned to the question of "how are we
going to pay for it all?". Sweeping and significant tax
rises have been feared and, following last year's Office of Tax
Simplification (OTS) review into capital gains tax (CGT), it was
thought that an increase in CGT rates could well be on the
cards.
But in Rishi Sunak's budget announcement yesterday, aside
from the deferred increases in the rate of corporation tax
(discussed below), there were no such immediate tax rises. At
least for now, the government's predominant short term focus
appears to be on policies intended to stimulate growth and
investment – highlighted by the new super deduction for
capital investment costs.