Capital Gains Tax

Annual exemption

  2008/09 2007/08
individuals £9,600 £9,200
trusts £4,800 £4,600

For personal gains realised after 5 April 2008, indexation is removed. For assets held prior to 31 March1982 there is a mandatory rebasing of cost to their March 1982 value. CGT will be charged at 18%.

A new ‘entrepreneurs relief’ is being introduced for the disposal of trading businesses, certain shareholdings in trading companies/groups and the disposal of other capital assets associated with the disposal of the business/shares. This provides a lifetime allowance whereby the first £1m of qualifying lifetime capital gains is reduced by 4/9 i.e. an effective CGT rate of 10% (ignoring losses and the annual exempt amount)