A new report from national accountancy group UHY Hacker Young highlights the tax saving benefits of investing in AIM quoted companies – there are considerable investment benefits as well!

According to UHY Hacker Young, HMRC forecasts show that the value of “Business Property Relief” is expected to rise 8% in 2017/18, from £655m in 2016/17.

Taxpayers are expected to reduce their Inheritance Tax (IHT) bills by 12% over the next year, or a record £710m in 2017/18, through investments made in unlisted companies and other business assets, says UHY Hacker Young.

Investments in qualifying AIM listed companies, Enterprise Investment Schemes (EIS) and other private companies have become increasingly popular over recent years as these assets are often exempt from IHT.

Investors have also benefited from exceptional investment gains as AIM has materially outperformed the main stock market over the past few years. This is reflected in the outstanding performance of AIM portfolios managed by Fundamental Asset Management and other providers.

– Scope to use BPR further

Latest figures show that taxpayers paid £5.3bn in inheritance tax in the last year to February 28 2018, up from £4.7bn in 2016/17*, suggesting that there is scope to use BPR to further lessen tax bills.

Mark Giddens, Partner at UHY Hacker Young, says: “The Government has reduced the scope of legitimate tax planning opportunities over the years especially for higher earners – so the few that are left are increasingly popular.”

“Encouraging investment in AIM shares and other unlisted companies is good for the broader economy as they create growth and jobs.”

“High inheritance tax bills have become a concern but there are steps that can be taken to cut the tax bill.”

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