Year-end tax planning ideas

Key points

• Bed and breakfasting of shares on an individual basis no longer exists but there are alternatives.
• Changes to capital gains tax entrepreneurs’ relief will apply from 6 April 2019.
• Is there enough income to use the personal allowance?
• Can income be allocated more beneficially between spouses and civil partners?
• Maximise higher rate pension relief particularly when personal allowances are restricted.
• As well as being charitable payments under gift aid can reduce total income.

In case any readers are still basking in the euphoria of successfully coping with the 31 January self-assessment tax return deadline I thought I had better point out that the end of the tax year 5 April is fast approaching. There probably won’t be time to review every client’s files or records but an aide memoire might jog a memory that some action might be required for one or two clients. And even if it is only one...