Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her first full Budget on 26th November 2025 unveiling a sweeping package of tax reforms, welfare changes and cost-of-living measures designed to “rebuild Britain’s economic foundations” while restoring fiscal credibility. In a statement shaped by tight public finances and heightened expectations, Reeves set out a blend of targeted support for struggling households, significant structural tax changes, and long-term revenue-raising measures such as extended threshold freezes and reforms to pension and property taxation. Framed as a budget for “growth, fairness and stability,” the announcements mark one of the most substantial shifts in the UK’s economic direction in more than a decade.
A HEADLINE SUMMARY OF THE BUDGET ANNOUNCED BY CHANCELLOR RACHEL REEVES
– The Budget raises roughly £26bn of additional revenue over the parliament, largely through freezes and targeted rate rises rather than headline rate increases (no increase to the headline rates of income tax, NI or VAT).
– Tax thresholds (personal allowance, basic-rate limit and equivalent NI thresholds) will be maintained (frozen) from 6 April 2028 for a further period, effectively raising taxes for many people by “fiscal drag.”
– Dividends, savings and property income tax rates are being raised by 2 percentage points (staged by income type / year).
– Capital-gains reliefs for some business disposals and employee ownership trusts are tightened (higher CGT on BADR/Investors’ Relief stages already in train; EOT relief reduced).
– Salary-sacrifice pension National Insurance advantage will be capped — only the first £2,000 of salary-sacrifice pension contributions will be NIC-exempt from April 2029 (excess treated as normal earnings).
– Pension pots (unused pension funds/death benefits) will be brought into the estate for Inheritance Tax from 6 April 2027 (different reporting rules apply).
– The two-child benefit cap in Universal Credit is being scrapped (effective timing announced as April 2026), a big welfare expansion targeted at reducing child poverty.
– Fuel duty remains frozen and rail fares are frozen for a year, but a new pay-per-mile charge for electric vehicles (EVs) is introduced from 2028 (about 3p per mile for EVs; plug-in hybrids charged less).
– Cash ISA allowances for most under-65s will be cut (annual cash ISA limit reduced to £12,000 from 2027 for many people)-
The Budget raises roughly £26bn of additional revenue over the parliament, largely through freezes and targeted rate rises rather than headline rate increases (no increase to the headline rates of income tax, NI or VAT).
⭐ HIGHLIGHTS: A RUNDOWN OF THE BUDGET
Below is a sector-by-sector breakdown
Income Tax & National Insurance
No change to headline tax rates
– Income tax rates unchanged.
– National Insurance rates unchanged.
– VAT rate unchanged.
Threshold freeze from April 2028
– Personal Allowance, basic-rate limit, and NI thresholds frozen for at least three years.
– Significant long-term revenue raiser through fiscal drag.
Who it affects most
– Middle earners and younger workers whose wages will rise but thresholds won’t.
Tax on Dividends, Savings & Property Income
From 2026 onward
– Plus 2 percentage points on:
Dividend income
Savings income
Property (landlord) income
Impact
Small investors, landlords, and savers see higher annual tax bills.
Targets unearned income to rebalance the system toward labour.
Capital Gains Tax & Business Reliefs
Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) relief cut
– CGT relief reduced from 100% → 50%.
Business Asset Disposal Relief (BADR)
– Previously announced increases to 14% → 18% confirmed.
Impact
– Founders and owner-managers pay more CGT when selling a business.
– Slight cooling effect expected on EOT conversions.
Pensions
Salary-sacrifice NI advantage capped (April 2029)
– First £2,000 of sacrificed salary still NI-free.
– Everything above taxed normally for NI.
Pensions & Inheritance Tax (April 2027)
– Unused pension pots and death benefits added to the taxable estate.
State Pension (April 2026)
– 4.8% increase via the triple lock.
Impact
– Higher earners lose a major tax advantage.
– Estate-planning costs rise for older savers.
– Pensioners gain above-inflation uplift.
Benefits & Welfare
Two-child limit abolished (April 2026)
– Biggest anti-poverty measure in years.
– Forecast to lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty.
– Major gain for working families with 3+ children.
Other measures
– Energy bill reduction (£150).
– Transport fare freezes.
– Prescription freeze.
Fuel Duty, Transport & EV Charging
Fuel duty
– Remains frozen (no increase for petrol/diesel drivers).
Electric Vehicles — pay-per-mile (from 2028)
– cost 3p per mile for EVs.
– Lower rate (~1.5p) for plug-in hybrids.
– Designed to replace lost fuel duty as EVs expand.
Impact
– EV running costs rise.
– Petrol/diesel users gain short-term benefit from freeze.
Council Tax & Property Taxes
High-value property levy (from April 2028)
– Applies to homes valued above £2 million.
Inheritance Tax thresholds
– Frozen until 2031.
Impact
– Very high-value properties hit.
– Possible indirect knock-on for rents at the top end.
ISAs & Savings
Cash ISA allowance cut (2027)
– Under-65s: £20,000 → £12,000.
– Over-65s retain £20,000.
– Encourages shift to stocks & shares ISAs.
Business Taxation
Corporation tax
– Rates held stable; no rise.
– Anti-avoidance and multinational top-up tax changes continue.
– R&D reliefs streamlined.
Impact
– Stability for large firms; some compliance cost increases.
– SMEs see limited relief elsewhere.
Other Duties & VAT
Increases or loophole closures include:
– Alcohol duty rises.
– Tobacco duty rises.
– Gambling duty rises.
– VAT fixes on taxis and various digital sectors.
– Anti-avoidance tightening across several regimes.
Cost-of-Living Measures
Immediate consumer help
– Rail fares frozen.
– £3 bus cap extended.
– Energy bills reduced by £150.
– Prescription charges frozen.
Bottom Line
Who gains?
– Low-income families (especially 3+ children).
– Pensioners (triple-lock uplift).
– Drivers of petrol/diesel cars (fuel duty freeze).
Highlights of The Budget announced by Rachel Reeves November 2025
Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her first full Budget on 26th November 2025 unveiling a sweeping package of tax reforms, welfare changes and cost-of-living measures designed to “rebuild Britain’s economic foundations” while restoring fiscal credibility. In a statement shaped by tight public finances and heightened expectations, Reeves set out a blend of targeted support for struggling households, significant structural tax changes, and long-term revenue-raising measures such as extended threshold freezes and reforms to pension and property taxation. Framed as a budget for “growth, fairness and stability,” the announcements mark one of the most substantial shifts in the UK’s economic direction in more than a decade.
A HEADLINE SUMMARY OF THE BUDGET ANNOUNCED BY CHANCELLOR RACHEL REEVES
– The Budget raises roughly £26bn of additional revenue over the parliament, largely through freezes and targeted rate rises rather than headline rate increases (no increase to the headline rates of income tax, NI or VAT).
– Tax thresholds (personal allowance, basic-rate limit and equivalent NI thresholds) will be maintained (frozen) from 6 April 2028 for a further period, effectively raising taxes for many people by “fiscal drag.”
– Dividends, savings and property income tax rates are being raised by 2 percentage points (staged by income type / year).
– Capital-gains reliefs for some business disposals and employee ownership trusts are tightened (higher CGT on BADR/Investors’ Relief stages already in train; EOT relief reduced).
– Salary-sacrifice pension National Insurance advantage will be capped — only the first £2,000 of salary-sacrifice pension contributions will be NIC-exempt from April 2029 (excess treated as normal earnings).
– Pension pots (unused pension funds/death benefits) will be brought into the estate for Inheritance Tax from 6 April 2027 (different reporting rules apply).
– The two-child benefit cap in Universal Credit is being scrapped (effective timing announced as April 2026), a big welfare expansion targeted at reducing child poverty.
– Fuel duty remains frozen and rail fares are frozen for a year, but a new pay-per-mile charge for electric vehicles (EVs) is introduced from 2028 (about 3p per mile for EVs; plug-in hybrids charged less).
– Cash ISA allowances for most under-65s will be cut (annual cash ISA limit reduced to £12,000 from 2027 for many people)-
The Budget raises roughly £26bn of additional revenue over the parliament, largely through freezes and targeted rate rises rather than headline rate increases (no increase to the headline rates of income tax, NI or VAT).
⭐ HIGHLIGHTS: A RUNDOWN OF THE BUDGET
Below is a sector-by-sector breakdown
Income Tax & National Insurance
No change to headline tax rates
– Income tax rates unchanged.
– National Insurance rates unchanged.
– VAT rate unchanged.
Threshold freeze from April 2028
– Personal Allowance, basic-rate limit, and NI thresholds frozen for at least three years.
– Significant long-term revenue raiser through fiscal drag.
Who it affects most
– Middle earners and younger workers whose wages will rise but thresholds won’t.
Tax on Dividends, Savings & Property Income
From 2026 onward
– Plus 2 percentage points on:
Impact
Capital Gains Tax & Business Reliefs
Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) relief cut
– CGT relief reduced from 100% → 50%.
Business Asset Disposal Relief (BADR)
– Previously announced increases to 14% → 18% confirmed.
Impact
– Founders and owner-managers pay more CGT when selling a business.
– Slight cooling effect expected on EOT conversions.
Pensions
Salary-sacrifice NI advantage capped (April 2029)
– First £2,000 of sacrificed salary still NI-free.
– Everything above taxed normally for NI.
Pensions & Inheritance Tax (April 2027)
– Unused pension pots and death benefits added to the taxable estate.
State Pension (April 2026)
– 4.8% increase via the triple lock.
Impact
– Higher earners lose a major tax advantage.
– Estate-planning costs rise for older savers.
– Pensioners gain above-inflation uplift.
Benefits & Welfare
Two-child limit abolished (April 2026)
– Biggest anti-poverty measure in years.
– Forecast to lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty.
– Major gain for working families with 3+ children.
Other measures
– Energy bill reduction (£150).
– Transport fare freezes.
– Prescription freeze.
Fuel Duty, Transport & EV Charging
Fuel duty
– Remains frozen (no increase for petrol/diesel drivers).
Electric Vehicles — pay-per-mile (from 2028)
– cost 3p per mile for EVs.
– Lower rate (~1.5p) for plug-in hybrids.
– Designed to replace lost fuel duty as EVs expand.
Impact
– EV running costs rise.
– Petrol/diesel users gain short-term benefit from freeze.
Council Tax & Property Taxes
High-value property levy (from April 2028)
– Applies to homes valued above £2 million.
Inheritance Tax thresholds
– Frozen until 2031.
Impact
– Very high-value properties hit.
– Possible indirect knock-on for rents at the top end.
ISAs & Savings
Cash ISA allowance cut (2027)
– Under-65s: £20,000 → £12,000.
– Over-65s retain £20,000.
– Encourages shift to stocks & shares ISAs.
Business Taxation
Corporation tax
– Rates held stable; no rise.
– Anti-avoidance and multinational top-up tax changes continue.
– R&D reliefs streamlined.
Impact
– Stability for large firms; some compliance cost increases.
– SMEs see limited relief elsewhere.
Other Duties & VAT
Increases or loophole closures include:
– Alcohol duty rises.
– Tobacco duty rises.
– Gambling duty rises.
– VAT fixes on taxis and various digital sectors.
– Anti-avoidance tightening across several regimes.
Cost-of-Living Measures
Immediate consumer help
– Rail fares frozen.
– £3 bus cap extended.
– Energy bills reduced by £150.
– Prescription charges frozen.
Bottom Line
Who gains?
– Low-income families (especially 3+ children).
– Pensioners (triple-lock uplift).
– Drivers of petrol/diesel cars (fuel duty freeze).
– Households hit by transport/energy costs.
Who loses?
– Middle earners (threshold freeze).
– Higher earners with salary-sacrifice pensions.
– Landlords, savers and investors.
– High-value homeowners.
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