Chancellor raises child benefit threshold from £50k – and confirms national insurance will be cut by 2p

Politics

The chancellor has said that the current tax system for non-doms will be abolished – and confirmed a 2p cut to national insurance.

In the budget, Jeremy Hunt said “permanent cuts in taxation” were possible because of the progress made in bringing down inflation – with forecasts suggesting it will fall to the target level of 2% within months.

Scrapping the “non-doms” regime, which allowed certain wealthy individuals to avoid paying tax on their foreign income, is expected to raise £2.7bn a year.

He also earmarked almost £6bn for the NHS – with artificial intelligence set to be used to “cut form-filling for doctors” in a digitisation drive.

A 5p cut to fuel duty will be extended for another 12 months – with the government “backing the Great British pub” by holding the price of beer, wine and spirits steady until February 2025.

Meanwhile, Britons will be able to invest up to £5,000 in UK companies tax-free – in addition to their current ISA allowance – through a new “British ISA”.

He also announced:

More on Budget

• The High Income Child Benefit Charge threshold will increase from £50,000 to £60,000

• A new excise duty on vaping, as well as a one-off increase to tobacco duty

• The higher capital gains tax rate on property will fall from 28% to 24%

• The VAT registration threshold will rise from £85,000 to £90,000 from 1 April – the first increase in seven years

• A fund aimed at supporting vulnerable households with the cost of living will be extended by a further six months

• The UK economy is expected to grow by 0.8% this year – and 1.9% in 2025

• Hundreds of millions of pounds to tackle “historic underinvestment in our nations and regions”

The 2p cut to national insurance was widely trailed – and follows a previous 2p cut announced in the autumn statement. Combined, this could save the average worker up to £900 a year.

But the chancellor had faced calls from Tory MPs to cut income tax or unfreeze tax thresholds to prevent Britons from being dragged into higher bands when they get pay rises.

Budget 2024: Live updates

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Awkward wait for chancellor outside No 11

This budget is set to be the last before the election – with Mr Hunt under pressure to revive economic growth and the government’s prospects at the ballot box.

The UK economy slipped into a technical recession at the end of last year, and the Tories are about 20 points behind in the opinion polls.

Before the budget was announced, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “The Conservatives promised to fix the nation’s roof, but instead they have smashed the windows, kicked the door in and are now burning the house down.

“Taxes are rising, prices are still going up in the shops and we have been hit by recession. Nothing the chancellor says or does can undo the economic vandalism of the Conservatives over the past decade.”

Money blog: What budget means for you

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Why don’t we know when the UK election is?

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Products You May Like