Member Article

Haines Watts North East - 2018 Budget reaction

Donna Bulmer, Managing Partner for Haines Watts Newcastle and Darlington offices gives her reaction to yesterday’s Budget announcements.

“Chancellor Philip Hammond today announced a budget intended to be for ‘the strivers, the grafters and the carers’. This led to a raft of announcements focused on NHS, housing and, crucially, SME businesses and entrepreneurship.

Extending start-up loan funding to 2021, and not abolishing entrepreneur’s relief but extending the minimum qualifying period from 12 months to two years will provide a welcome boost. The annual investment allowance (AIA) will also rise from £200,000 to £1 million for two years. This allows businesses to benefit from a deduction of the full cost of qualifying additions in year (up to £1 million), giving businesses the opportunity to gain full relief in the year they make investments.

From October 2018, businesses will also be able to deduct 2% of the cost of any new non-residential structures and buildings from their profits before they pay tax. Plans to cut the apprenticeship levy in half – from 10% to 5% - for some employers will be well received, and £1bn of business bank guarantees to revive SME house builders, coupled with £675m of co-funding to invest in improvements and re-development of high streets and housing development could also have significant effects on the shape of struggling local high streets.

We’ve also got a commemorative 50p coin to look forward to! So far, so encouraging…“

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Haines Watts North East .