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The new CGT rules that apply from April 2008 are of concern for many investors. We've produced lots of articles and Q&A's that address the 2008 changes as well as more general capital gains tax planning articles.

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Pay Less Capital Gains Tax Be a business angel and invest in companies tax efficiently With the success of TV programmes such as 'Dragons Den' we're often approached by investors who are looking to invest in new businesses, but are keen to take advantage of any tax incentives that are available to them. This article goes through some of the available options to invest tax efficiently. . . . keep reading Top 5 ways to reduce capital gains tax on a second property abroad Anyone that owns a second property abroad may be looking at ways to reduce the UK capital gains tax ('CGT') charge when they eventually sell it. Here's our top 5 ways to reduce CGT on a second property abroad . . . keep reading Making the most of your tax free capital gains whilst non resident If you're non resident it makes sense to make full use of your capital gains tax exemption wherever possible. This article looks at how you can use transfers to individuals, UK and offshore companies and trusts to hold assets free of UK capital gains tax. . . . keep reading Top 10 tax planning tips for expatriates For any expatriates avoiding or at least reducing UK tax on their income and capital gains will be crucial. In this article we look at 10 of the top tax planning tips for expatriates to reduce and even eliminate their UK taxes . . . keep reading Reducing your capital gains tax to 10% on overseas property Establishing that a trade exists can be highly advantageous when it comes to minimising your UK taxes on overseas property. This article looks at the new capital gains tax rules applying after April 2008 and how you can still qualify for a 10% rate of CGT. . . . keep reading How best to structure small scale overseas property development With the advent of many low entry cost property development opportunities overseas an issue that is often important is what is the best structure for this. What we're considering here are small scale operations. The large investors will be likely to already have an established offshore structure in place - but what about the newbies - how should they proceed? . . . keep reading How Non Doms can still have a tax free overseas investment portfolio The new tax rules for non doms make it less attractive for many non doms to claim the remittance basis, especially if they're long term UK residents. This article looks at how they can still have significant overseas investment assets and escape UK tax . . . keep reading Is it worth reoccupying a property before sale to reduce CGT? This is a common question that our members have so we've devoted an article to it to explain the tax position. If you have a property that you have occupied as a main residence or you intend to do so in the future, this article tell you what you need to know about reoccupying it before a disposal. . . . keep reading Reducing UK tax when you sell UK property as a non resident Many non residents are looking to sell UK property. Ascertaining whether to sell whilst abroad or after a return to the UK can have important tax implications. This article looks at the UK tax position and the reliefs and exemptions available. . . . keep reading Capital gains tax and the remittance basis Any non doms that may be realising capital gains offshore after April 2008 will need to understand how the new rules operate. This article looks at how overseas capital gains will be taxed for non UK domiciliaries after April 2008. It also looks at the impact of the £30,000 annual tax charge and how overseas tax can dramatically alter the UK tax planning options. . . . keep reading Establishing a property as a main residence in 2008 Establishing a property as a main residence can be very attractive in terms of reducing your tax charge on a future disposal. This is due to the fact that a property that has been occupied as a main residence will qualify for principal private residence ('PPR') relief. This article looks at some of the main points to consider when establishing a property as a main residence and also includes a handy checklist of 'evidence' that could prove invaluable in arguing a property was a main residence. . . . keep reading Should you sell or let your former home? In the past when you wanted to buy a new house you simply sold the old one. Now, its not that simple and many people are looking to retain their former house, either for financial reasons or personal reasons. Of key importance will be the potential tax implications. As well as if you should sell the property a related question is when you should sell the property. This article equips you with the information you'll need to make an informed decision. . . . keep reading Entrepreneurs relief for property developers? Entrepreneurs relief is effectively the successor to business asset taper relief and can provide for an effective tax rate of just 10% on certain qualifying disposals. Given this highly attractive rate of tax many non UK domiciliaries will be wondering whether they could qualify for it. This article explains when property developers could qualify. . . . keep reading Checklist to avoid Capital Gains Tax when you emigrate Although the rate of CGT has now reduced to 18% on investment assets if this is still too high for you, one option is to move overseas and sell as a non UK resident. This area is a minefield and there are lots of tax issues to consider. With something as important as this it's useful to have a handy checklist to ensure you've covered all the key bases. This article highlights the main tax points for you to consider to make sure you can sell up free of UK capital gains tax. . . . keep reading Claiming Principal Private Residence relief if you convert a house into flats Anyone converting a house into flats should be concerned with any capital gain on a future disposal of the flats. If you have previously occupied the house or are planning to occupy the flats claiming principal private residence relief should be a key consideration. This article looks at this in detail . . . keep reading Maximising Entrepreneurs Relief to reduce CGT - Part II This article continues from our previous article and looks at how anyone planning on selling a company could maximize Entrepreneurs Relief to reduce CGT. . . . keep reading How to maximise entrepreneurs relief on a sale of shares - Part 1 Entrepreneurs relief is a new capital gains tax relief to apply for disposals after 5 April 2008. It was introduced in part due to the uproar from business owners when the CGT rate was reduced to 18%. To smooth the waters the Government announced this new relief that would allow the effective 10% rate of CGT to still be obtained - subject to a whole host of conditions being satisfied. This article looks in detail at how the relief operates for a sale of company shares. . . . keep reading Buying a property in Florida tax efficiently If you're looking to buy an investment property in Florida establishing the most beneficial tax structure is crucial. You'll need to consider both the UK and US tax position. This article looks at both and considers the options available. . . . keep reading How UK residents can use a Singapore company to avoid capital gains tax Using overseas companies to avoid UK capital gains tax is an established form of tax planning. Unfortunately if you wanted to use this technique to avoid CGT nowadays it's subject to numerous anti avoidance provisions. This article looks at one way to circumvent the anti avoidance rules. . . . keep reading Selling a main residence before 6 April 2008 to reduce capital gains tax Although the new capital gains tax changes include no direct changes to principal private residence relief, when you sell a main residence there are some indirect effects. This article looks at why leaving a disposal of a former main residence until after 5 April 2008 may result in an increased capital gains tax charge. . . . keep reading Is letting a property worthwhile in reducing capital gains tax? This is a question that is frequently asked so it's well worth putting into a separate article. In this article we look at the two main ways in which letting a property can be effective in reducing capital gains tax on property disposals. . . . keep reading Can Non Doms still buy foreign property through an offshore trust to save tax? Using overseas trusts can be effective particularly for non UK domiciliaries considering purchasing foreign property. This article looks how and when non UK domiciliaries could use an offshore trust to purchase foreign property tax efficiently after the 2008 tax changes. . . . keep reading How to use a nominee agreement to retain ownership and avoid capital gains tax (including a sample agreement) Separating the ownership of an asset from the tax implications can be an important aspect of tax planning. Just because you own the legal interest or title to an asset does not mean that you're taxed on income or gains that it realises. This article looks at when legal owners are taxed and includes sample wording to arrange for a transfer of the beneficial interest in a property.This can be particularly useful for holding assets offshore. . . . keep reading Minimising tax for day traders and share investors in 2008 The changes in the capital gains tax regime to apply from April 2008 make it likely that the Revenue will pay particular attention to share investor status. This article looks at the background and reason for the change as well as when share investor status may not apply. . . . keep reading Changes to capital gains tax on shares - the new matching rules The capital gains tax draft legislation has introduced changes to the share matching rules to apply from April 2008. These rules are important when calculating your capital gain on share disposals as they determine which acquisitions your disposals are matched with. This article outlines the changes to the rules and includes an example showing the potential impact . . . keep reading Effective rates of CGT in 2008/2009 after new Entrepreneurs relief has been claimed The new Entrepreneurs relief has a significant impact on the amount of capital gains tax payable, even on gains well over the £1,000,000 threshold. This table illustrates the CGT payable and the effective rate of CGT you would be paying after Entrepreneurs relief to show the tax savings available from claiming this relief. . . . keep reading Should I sell before or after April 2008 to reduce capital gains tax? The changes to the capital gains tax regime to apply from next April mean that anyone considering selling an asset (eg property or shares) should carefully weigh up whether they should sell before or after April 2008. This article provides advice on the capital gains tax position and looks at how to assess which is the best option for you. . . . keep reading Second homes and the new capital gains tax rules in 2008 Many Brits own second properties either in the UK or overseas and the capital gains tax changes proposed from April 2008 will be of great interest. The main effect of the changes is to get rid of taper relief and indexation and instead charge all capital gains to tax at 18% as opposed to the taxpayers marginal rate of income tax. Like all changes there are winners and losers and this article looks at how you can reduce CGT on your second home and the impact of the new changes. . . . keep reading The biggest surprise from the CGT draft legislation announcements - Entrepreneurs relief and how to minimise CGT if you're selling a business or company after 6 April 2008 The Chancellor has announced a new tax relief to apply for disposals of businesses and shares after 6 April 2008. It's a partial climbdown on the flat 18% rate of CGT, but ignoring the political issues it represents a welcome and important tax relief available to business owners. This article looks at how this new relief will operate, and opportunities to maximise relief on the sale of a business or company. . . . keep reading Splitting ownership to maximise entrepreneurs relief The fact that the £1,000,000 lifetime allowance for Entrepreneurs Relief purposes is per person means that there could be substantial tax advantages from splitting ownership. This article looks at the tax implications and opportunities from splitting ownership to maximise Entrepreneurs Relief and minimise capital gains tax on a company disposal. . . . keep reading More

Capital Gains Tax Questions

If you require specific guidance on capital gains tax, you can submit a question via our Capital Gains Tax Questions section. For a brief overview of capital gains tax follow this link CGT overview

Capital Gains Tax articles