11 November 2024

AUTUMN BUDGET 2024 – HOW WILL THINGS CHANGE?

The most anticipated Budget in years, the first for Labour in over 5000 days, and the first ever delivered by a female Chancellor – yesterday was a big day in the House of Commons. The Deputy Speaker began the session with (another) slap on the wrist for HM Treasury over its Budget leaks to the media. After that, the Chancellor delivered a confident speech, lasting well over an hour.

For more on the bigger picture economic outlook and the Office for Budget Responsibility’s report, check our Economist Kyle Jardine’s analysis here. 

For Budget announcements affecting print businesses, read on…

BUSINESS FINANCES

National Insurance

The biggest revenue raiser, and the measure most likely to impact business, are the hefty changes being made to the National Insurance regime. From April 2025:

• Contributions for employers will increase from 13.8% to 15%.
• The threshold at which businesses start paying NIC on a worker’s earnings will be lowered from £9,100 to £5,000.

It’s a rise worth £25bn, and accounts for almost two thirds of the tax increases across the Budget. Critics have claimed that taxing business means indirect costs for workers through potentially lower wages, along with higher prices for consumers.      

Employment Allowance will increase from £5000 to £10,500 and the £100,000 threshold will be removed, expanding it to all eligible employers. For the smallest 865,000 companies, no NICs will need to be paid next year (for example a company employing up to four people on mandatory wage rates).  

Corporation Tax

A Corporate Tax Roadmap has been published alongside the Budget yesterday, Highlights mentioned in the Budget include capping the Headline Rate of Corporation Tax at 25%, while maintaining the Small Profits Rate and marginal relief at current rates and thresholds.   

The permanent full expensing announced by the previous Government will be maintained, but no

mention has been made of extending this to leased assets. The £1m Annual Investment Allowance also stays and on Research & Development (R&D), an expert advisory panel will look into improving the admin around R&D reliefs.   

Business Tax

Again, the visible high-street businesses (largely retail, hospitality and leisure) have done well. Those sectors will see permanently lower business rates multipliers from 2026 and relief on bills. For all small businesses, the business rates multiplier will be frozen next year.   

Capital Gains Tax (CGT)  

The lower rate of Capital Gains Tax will increase from 10% to 18% and the higher rate from 20% to 24%. The Government says these rates are still comparable with other G7 countries. The threshold remains at £3000.  

CGT rates for Business Asset Disposal Relief will rise gradually to 14% in April 2025.   

Climate Change Levy (CCL)

Climate Change Levy rates will increase from April 2026 in line with the Retail Price Index. The impact on the reduced rates will adjust accordingly. HM Treasury says the changes will have a negligible impact on business.   

Remember, you can join the BPIF’s Climate Change Levy Scheme, if you are eligible, to claim a reduction on rates.   

Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT)

This will increase in line with CPI inflation from 2025 meaning the new rate of PPT will be £223.69 per tonne. Alongside the Budget, the Government Response to the consultation on: ‘Plastic Packaging Tax - chemical recycling and adoption of a mass balance approach’ has been published, which has confirmed that an MBA will be allowed to account for chemically recycled plastic for the purposes of PPT from a future date to be determined.  

Driving 

To encourage switching to EVs, the First Year Rates of Vehicle Excise Duty will be frozen at £10 until 2029-30, while rates for hybrids and petrol/diesel cars will rise from April 2025.   Fuel duty,

though, will be frozen for one year and the temporary 5p cut will be extended to March 2026. This is intended to save the average car driver £59, with a £126 saving for vans and a £1,079 saving for HGVs next year.

EMPLOYEE FINANCES

For employees, a number of changes have been announced to protect (as slightly ill-defined in recent days) ‘working people’. These include:  

Income tax and employee NIs  

Income Tax and National Insurance Contributions thresholds will be unfrozen from 2028-29 onward so they can rise in line with inflation.   

Mandatory wages

The mandatory wage increases for 2025 were announced yesterday, the headline figure being a 6.7% increase in National Living Wage to £12.21.

For 18-20 year olds, National Minimum Wage rate will rise even more significantly, by 16.3% to hit £10.00 an hour. Read more on the National Living Wage increases from our BPIF Economist Kyle Jardine. 

BPIF (British Printing Industries Federation) CEO, Charles Jarrold, said:

“This Budget was always going to be tough for business, with the Government’s pre-election commitment not to raise taxes on working people combined with the need to raise significant revenue, and it therefore tries to strike a difficult balance.   

There are some positives such as the retention of full expensing, the retention of the annual investment allowance, and no increase in headline corporation taxes. 

On the other hand, the unwelcome news is the increase to Employer NICs, and the threshold reduction, will be challenging for many in our industry, and confirmation of another very significant increase in the National Minimum Wage, all of which have really significant cost consequences for hard pressed businesses. 

Combined with the reforms set out in the Employment Rights Bill, the cost of employment could be set to grow. This could have long term impacts on recruitment, pay, employment levels and, ultimately, UK productivity and growth.   

We do welcome the re-commitment to an Industrial Strategy, albeit more sector based that we would really like. This now needs to pick up speed, set out clear plans and deliver some real growth which will then benefit UK Print.”    

You can access the full set of Budget documents from HM Treasury here and watch the speech here.