Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with business groups on the impact of increases to employer's National Insurance contributions.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Ministers and officials from multiple Government departments have had meetings with organisations which have covered this matter since Autumn Budget 2024.
A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.
The Government decided to protect the smallest businesses from the changes to employer NICs by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that this year, 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, and more than half of all employers will either gain or will see no change.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with business groups on the impact of changes to Business Property Relief.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free.
Ministers and officials have had a number of meetings with organisations on this matter since Autumn Budget 2024. After listening, the Government believes the approach set out is an appropriate one.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Secretary of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office and (b) UK Ambassadors on the promotion of exports.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department engages regularly with other government departments including the FCDO. As set out in our Trade Strategy our overseas network is a critical asset for British businesses. The network is led by nine HM Trade Commissioners who work closely with HM Ambassadors and High Commissioners around the world to support UK exports. This includes helping businesses to build local relationships, providing advice on market conditions and regulations, and promoting UK goods and services in a unified "Team UK spirit".
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of secondary live event ticket sales price caps in other countries, in the context of potential price caps in the UK.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government is committed to putting fans back at the heart of live events by clamping down on exploitative practices in the ticket resale market. We ran a consultation earlier this year to seek views on a range of proposals, including a price cap that would restrict the price at which tickets could lawfully be resold.
We are currently reviewing all the evidence that we received in response to our consultation, including insights on international comparisons and operational requirements. We will set out our plans in the government response, which we intend to publish later this summer.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment the he has made of the potential impact of a secondary live event ticket sales price cap on levels of tourism.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government is committed to putting fans back at the heart of live events by clamping down on exploitative practices in the ticket resale market. We ran a consultation earlier this year to seek views on a range of proposals, including a price cap that would restrict the price at which tickets could lawfully be resold.
We are currently reviewing all the evidence that we received in response to our consultation, including insights on international comparisons and operational requirements. We will set out our plans in the government response, which we intend to publish later this summer.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of has made of the feasibility of implementing a secondary live event ticket sales price cap.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government is committed to putting fans back at the heart of live events by clamping down on exploitative practices in the ticket resale market. We ran a consultation earlier this year to seek views on a range of proposals, including a price cap that would restrict the price at which tickets could lawfully be resold.
We are currently reviewing all the evidence that we received in response to our consultation, including insights on international comparisons and operational requirements. We will set out our plans in the government response, which we intend to publish later this summer.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many prosecutions have been brought under the Breaching of Limits on Ticket Sales Regulations 2018 in each year since their coming into force; and what their outcomes were.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
To date there have been no recorded prosecutions under this offence.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2024 to Question 65664 on Taxation: Overseas Residence, whether the Government has conducted such hypothetical tax change costings for an exit tax payable upon person ending their residency in the United Kingdom.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC publishes estimates of the direct impacts of illustrative tax changes in its Direct effects of illustrative tax changes publication. The Government does not routinely publish costings for hypothetical tax changes outside of this.
The Government is committed to ensuring that the wealthiest in society pay their fair share of tax. The reforms announced at Autumn Budget 2024 were designed to help repair the public finances in a fair and balanced way.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2024 to Question 65661 on Wealth: Taxation, whether this will include an exit tax payable upon persons ending their UK tax residency.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC publishes estimates of the direct impacts of illustrative tax changes in its Direct effects of illustrative tax changes publication. The Government does not routinely publish costings for hypothetical tax changes outside of this.
The Government is committed to ensuring that the wealthiest in society pay their fair share of tax. The reforms announced at Autumn Budget 2024 were designed to help repair the public finances in a fair and balanced way.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2024 to Question 65661 on Wealth: Taxation, whether this will include a wealth tax.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given to UIN 65661.