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We are used to most tax changes being made from April each year but one tax - Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) – is an exception. The standard rate of IPT is to rise from 10% to 12% with effect from 1 June 2017. The latest increase will mean that the rate of IPT will have doubled in just over 18 months. It was only 6% in October 2015.
The additional revenues the increase will provide to the government are significant. Estimated additional annual receipts for 2018/19 and future years are £840 million. Total annual receipts are expected to rise to £6 billion in 2018/19. In 2013/14, total receipts were £3 billion. The rising importance of IPT is also illustrated by the estimates of receipts from other taxes. In 2018/19 estimated receipts from capital gains tax are £10 billion and inheritance tax is expected to raise £5.2 billion.
The Association of British Insurers has calculated that the previous rises in 2015 and 2016 could have added £45 to the annual insurance costs of a typical family with two cars, and combined contents and building cover.
More rises are on their way.
05 Feb 2025
Parliament's spending watchdog has accused HMRC of deliberately running down its phone services to force people to go online, according to a report.
The government has commissioned an independent review of the Loan Charge.
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