Novus Blog

In light of the Brexit challenge and the deficit, big changes to the UK’s taxation system were not expected. That said, there have been a number of announcements that will be welcomed by working people, businesses and the construction industry.

First, the increase in the personal allowance and higher rate bands to £12,500 and £50,000 respectively have been brought forward to April 2019. Combined with the increase in the Living Wage, this will give millions of people a boost to their net income just as the UK leaves the EU, providing a degree of stimulus to consumer spending power.

Second, the two year increase in the Annual Investment Allowance as of 2019 from £200,000 to £1m per annum will encourage people to invest in fixed assets. This will reduce their tax bill by allowing 100% writing down allowances in the year of purchase on the additional £800k.

Third, there’s finally a tax incentive to invest in new non-residential property with the announcement of a new structures and buildings allowance. This will allow a 2% per annum writing down allowance for non-residential construction contracted on or after the 29th October.
For Novus, this means we’ll be looking at further fixed asset investments to drive productivity. We’ll also be speaking to our clients to ensure they’re aware of the opportunity to get tax relief on non-residential property construction. In addition, the personal allowance increase will reward our hard working staff with more post tax income, which is great news.

Neil Washington, Novus Finance Director