Inheritance tax enquiries surge to six-year high after HMRC clampdown Economics Tax authority probes into households’ inheritance tax returns have surged to a six-year high, after a government-led crackdown on avoidance and non-compliance. HMRC opened a total of 4,940 formal inheritance tax enquiries over the last financial year, according to new data obtained by chartered accountants Price Bailey, an 18 per cent increase on the previous [...]
Delaying estate planning could cost affluent Brits over £12bn Personal Finance Brits who are putting off dealing with their estate planning could lose over £12bn in preventable inheritance tax from April 2027, as more middle-income earners brace to be ensnared in the tax net. Families who are in the top decile of UK wealth who do not begin estate planning until they are 70 could fail [...]
City sounds the alarm on pension inheritance tax upheaval Personal Finance City grandees have raised the alarm over government plans to overhaul key rules over pensions and inheritance tax. The sweeping reforms will allow scheme providers to retain half an outstanding pension pot to ensure executors can cover potential bills for inheritance tax, or IHT. Due to take effect in April next year, the changes will bring [...]
Reeves broke “promises” on farmer inheritance tax reforms, court hears March 17, 2026 Rachel Reeves “broke promises” when she failed to consult over changes to inheritance tax (IHT) reliefs in her first Autumn Budget, a court has heard. The Chancellor’s proposed changes to agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR) represent one of the biggest shifts in IHT policy in decades. In the 2024 Autumn Budget, [...]
Labour told to scrap ‘arbitrary’ inheritance tax system March 15, 2026 The UK government is being urged to scrap the inheritance tax system following warnings that that it enforces the UK as a “high-tax outlier” and risks stifling investment and driving entrepreneurs abroad. A new report from the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) highlights that nearly half of the 38 OECD countries – where members are [...]
High Court grants urgent hearing on Labour’s inheritance tax overhaul January 28, 2026 The High Court has green-lit an urgent hearing at the High Court over the government’s inheritance tax raid on agricultural assets and family firms. The proposed changes to agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR) represent one of the biggest shifts in UK inheritance tax (IHT) policy in decades, following the government’s initial [...]
Ministers urged to extend ‘nightmare’ deadline for paying inheritance tax January 28, 2026 The UK government has set an unrealistic deadline for inheritance tax payments on unused pensions, a House of Lords committee has warned. The House of Lords economic affairs committee urged the government to extend the deadline for pension fund personal representatives, who are typically estate executors, from six months to 12 months. The committee argued [...]
Lawyers warn farmers: Labour’s U-turn on IHT threshold “not an all-clear” December 24, 2025 Lawyers warned that, despite Labour’s U-turn on the inheritance tax relief threshold for farms, many agricultural families may still be impacted, and significant tax burdens may remain for some estates. In a whiplash U-turn, the Labour government revealed on Tuesday that, after a year of backlash from rural communities, it would increase the Agricultural and [...]
Labour U-turns on inheritance tax raid after year of farmer protests December 23, 2025 The Labour government will raise the inheritance tax relief threshold for farms in another dramatic U-turn following a year of backlash from rural communities. On Tuesday, the Treasury and Department for Food and Rural Affairs said it would increase the Agricultural and Business Property Reliefs threshold to £2.5m from £1m when it is introduced in [...]
High net worths rejig estates as inheritance tax overhaul looms September 24, 2025 The high-net-worth clients of a leading wealth manager are rearranging their estate planning to get ahead of potential changes in the Budget, fearing the Chancellor will mount another inheritance tax grab to help plug the Treasury’s £30bn fiscal hole. Rathbones said that interest from its customers in inheritance-related advice has “risen sharply” since the start [...]