Following the release of the November 2022 Budget by HM Treasury, here are some key areas affecting SME's, energy and the environment.
SME's
National Insurance contributions Secondary Threshold - The Autumn Statement fixes the National Insurance Secondary Threshold at £9,100 until April 2028.
Corporation Tax - As previously confirmed, the planned increase in the Corporation Tax rate to 25% for companies with over £250,000 in profits will go ahead. This will still be the lowest rate in the G7 ensuring the UK remains strongly competitive internationally. The Corporation Tax rise in April 2023 will only affect the most profitable companies because of the Small Profits Rate.
Business Rates - Multiplier Freeze - The business rates multipliers will be frozen in 2023-24 at 49.9 pence and 51.2 pence, preventing them from increasing to 52.9 pence and 54.2 pence. This is a tax cut worth £9.3 billion over the next five years. This will support all ratepayers, large and small, and mean bills are 6% lower than without the freeze, before any reliefs are applied.
Business Rates - Supporting Small Business Scheme (SSBS) - Bill increases for the smallest businesses losing eligibility or seeing reductions in SBRR or Rural Rate Relief (RRR) will be capped at £600 per year from 1 April 2023. This is support worth over £500 million over the next 3 years and will protect over 80,000 small businesses who are losing some or all eligibility for relief.
Energy and the Environment
Regulatory Reform for Growth - The government will review retained EU law to identify changes that can be made over the next year with the greatest potential to unlock growth in key growth industries - digital technology, life sciences, green industries, financial services, and advanced manufacturing.
Policy decision: Energy Efficiency Taskforce (EETF) – The government is announcing a new long-term commitment to drive improvements in energy efficiency to bring down bills for households, businesses and the public sector with an ambition to reduce the UK’s final energy consumption from buildings and industry by 15% by 2030 against 2021 levels. New government funding worth £6 billion will be made available from 2025 to 2028, in addition to the £6.6 billion provided in this Parliament. To achieve this target, a new EETF will be charged with delivering energy efficiency across the economy.
Carbon Price Support (CPS) rates and review - The government will maintain CPS rates in Great Britain at a level equivalent to £18 per tonne of carbon dioxide in 2024- 25. The government will engage with industry and conduct a review of the CPS beyond the announced rates. This is still very low and progressively needs to be much higher to support more green investment and penalise emissions more strongly.
VED on Electric Vehicles (VED) - From April 2025, electric cars, vans and motorcycles will begin to pay VED in the same way as petrol and diesel vehicles. This will ensure that all road users begin to pay a fair tax contribution as the take up of electric vehicles continues to accelerate.
Alongside direct support, the government is setting a national ambition to reduce energy consumption by 15% by 2030, delivered through public and private investment, and a range of cost-free and low-cost steps to reduce energy demand.