Total tax receipts came in at £448.1billion between April and November this year, which is £106.8billion higher than by the same point a year ago, fresh figures from HM Revenue & Customs have revealed.
The mission of Chancellor Rishi Sunak to raise more money for the Treasury seems to be paying off. This will be reinforced when National Insurance Contributions increase by 1.25 percent in April 2019.
Julia Rosenbloom, a tax partner at Smith & Williamson, said today’s figures were an ‘early Christmas present’ for the Chancellor.
The next step: Rishi Sunak (Chancellor) could further alter taxes for 2022
Next year will be an important turning point for tax systems, as state spending has risen during the pandemic. However, speculation is mounting that there could be something similar to a “wealth tax”.
This is Money shows how much tax Britons have paid between April 2021 and November 2021. It also highlights the rise in receipts from land, inheritance, stamp duty, and stamp duty taxes.
Tax: A chart showing tax receipts over time, according to HM Revenue & Customs
Data: Total tax receipts came in at £448.1billion between April and November this year, HMRC said
HMRC today published the latest figures. However, it stated: “Comparisons with receipts during the same time last year aren’t representative since they were severely impacted by effects from the Covid-19 Pandemic.”
Inheritance Tax
Inheritance tax receipts reached £4.1billion between April and November this year, which is around £600million more than in the same period a year ago, today’s figures from HMRC revealed.
Shaun Moore, tax and financial planning expert at Quilter, said: ‘The latest figures show that in the 2021 financial year up to November, the government collected £4.1billion in inheritance tax receipts, up from £0.6billion in the same period in 2020.
‘The higher tax take is a continued demonstration of the Chancellor’s fiscal drag, which is slowly increasing government tax revenues without seeming to be too much of a burden on taxpayers.
‘With property prices continuing to rise, even though the stamp duty holiday is a distant memory, IHT payer’s bills will rise in future with the ongoing house price inflation.
“Unsurprisingly, London and South East are the main recipients of IHT. This is due to differences in the prices for houses in these regions. They will therefore be most affected by the IHT freeze.
After his March Budget, Chancellor chose to freeze inheritance tax threshold for five year.
Sunak is thought to have made this conscious move to bring more families of middle income into the tax bracket, as stock market and house price increases increase.
Stamp duty
Since the pandemic, the property market is thriving. Buyers are eager to benefit from the Chancellor’s stamp duty holiday. They also flock to houses with greater space indoors and out.
Overall stamp duty and annual tax enveloped dwellings receipts for April to November came in at £11.7billion, which is £4.5billion more than in the same period a year earlier.
In November, stamp duty land tax receipts reached £1.3billion, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Last month’s figure was 46 percent higher than the previous year, according to the ONS.
The November figure also excludes stamp duty land tax devolved to Scotland from April 2015 onwards and to Wales from April 2018, but includes first time buyer’s relief from November 2017.
Property: Stamp taxes and annual tax enveloped dwellings receipts over time
HMRC’s latest statistics show that residential property transactions reached 96,290 in November. This is 16.4% less than November 2020 and 24.33% higher than the October 2021 figures.
Non-seasonally adjusted, the property transaction rates were 13.4% lower than in November 2020 and 22.7% higher than that of October 2021.
Capital gains, income taxes and NICs
Income tax, capital gains tax, national insurance contributions and apprenticeship levy tax receipts for April 2021 to November 2021 came in at £239.2billion, which is £33.6billion higher than in the same period a year earlier, HMRC said.
Receipts from income tax and NIC1 for April to November were £219.6billion, which is £22.9billion higher than in the same period a year earlier.
Tax receipts from self assessment income tax and NICS for the period from April 2021 to November reached £15.5billion, which is £7.7billion higher than in the same period a year earlier.
HMRC explained that HMRC’s comparisons to the previous year were not representative because payments deferred between July 2020, January 2021.
From April 2022, certain NICs will be increased by 1.25 percentage point by self-employed and employed workers. The exact amount that employees will pay in the future will show on pay slips.
TVA
HMRC figures show that Value Added Tax (also known as VAT) was the largest tax-money-spinner for Treasury in the past few months.
Affecting swathes of businesses, receipts for April to November were a whopping £107.5billion, which is £53.8billion higher than in the same period a year earlier.
HMRC today stated that “Please Note: Comparisons to the same period in last year are not representative. due to the deferred payment and receipt under the VAT Payment Deferment Policy.
The statement added that the receipts were higher than normal due to substantial VAT payments previously deferred under the VAT payment deferral program.
From April next year, a temporary reduction in VAT for hospitality firms, holiday accommodation sites and attractions will be coming to an end, meaning the rate will go back up to 20 per cent. Companies that are struggling to keep up with rising costs or dwindling footfall face increasing financial concerns.