Readers’ forum: Minimising capital gains tax

Over the years my client has accumulated shares in a listed company. The value has increased more than he envisaged such that a substantial potential capital gain would arise on disposal. To mitigate this over the past few years he has transferred tranches of shares to an individual savings account (ISA) where the gain has used his annual exemptions.

The efficiency of this will be reduced by the halving and halving again of the annual exemption this year and next.

Do Taxation readers have any views on whether I should suggest to the client that he worries less about staying within the annual capital gains exemption? Perhaps he should simply transfer more shares each year on the basis that while he may pay a one-off capital gains tax charge he will save tax on the dividends that will be paid into the ISA from then on....