Chancellor scraps planned cut to 45% income tax rate

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The Chancellor has confirmed that the government will not proceed with abolishing the 45% income tax rate as first announced in the fiscal event of 23 September 2022.

Kwasi Kwarteng has branded the policy to scrap the additional rate of income tax ‘a distraction’ from the government’s wider Growth Plan, backtracking after facing mounting pressure within his own party and a week of volatility in the markets.

The abolition of the 45p rate was announced as part of a government package of measures that sought to reward enterprise and grow the UK economy. However, this particular policy, which would cut income tax for individuals earning over £150,000 from 6 April 2023, has proven controversial.

It is assumed therefore that the additional rate for dividends in 2023/24 will be 38.1%, following the 1.25 percentage point reduction in the other tax rates for dividends from 6 April 2023 announced on 23 September.

As the trust income rate usually mirrors the highest rate of income tax, it is anticipated that the trust income tax rate will also remain at 45%.

No other changes to the government’s announced measures have been indicated.

The government has promised further detail regarding its wider economic plans in the upcoming fiscal event on 23 November 2022.

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