After months of speculation, the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget set out a mix of tax freezes, targeted rises and selective reliefs aimed at balancing the public finances while supporting investment and household pressures. With the Office for Budget Responsibility reporting improved growth and inflation forecasts, the statement focused on steadying the economic backdrop and signalling where individuals, landlords and businesses may feel the effects in the coming years.
Highlighting that £1 in every £10 of public spending currently goes on debt interest, the Chancellor framed her plans as a call for “everyone to make a contribution”, using frozen allowances, targeted tax rises and investment incentives to steady the books.
She confirmed that personal tax thresholds will remain frozen for a further three years, from 2028 to 2031. But in return, there were freezes on rail fares, prescription charges and fuel duty, and a promised reduction in household energy bills.
A significant revenue-raiser will come from a 2p tax rise on property, dividend and savings income, all areas that do not attract National Insurance, in what Reeves described as narrowing the “tax gap between landlords and tenants”.
A further measure is the introduction of a so-called “mansion tax”: a new High Value Council Tax Surcharge of £2,500 per year on homes worth over £2m, rising to £7,500 for those above £5m.
From April 2029, high earners using salary sacrifice for pension contributions will see reduced advantages, with contributions over £2,000 a year attracting both employer and employee National Insurance.
For business owners, capital gains tax relief on sales to Employee Ownership Trusts will be cut from 100% to 50%, reducing one of the more generous succession-planning routes.
Old and young had their moment: the anticipated shake-up to the triple lock and reforms to pension tax-free drawdown did not materialise. Meanwhile, the two-child benefit cap will be abolished from April 2026, and the Government confirmed funding for a library in every school. Young workers will see a substantial boost through increases to the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage, with 18–20-year-olds gaining around £1,500 a year.
But the biggest announcements were aimed at business, with the Budget focused on investment, energy transition and easing the impact of rising business rates.
More than 750,000 retail, leisure and hospitality properties will benefit from permanently lower business rates from April 2026, and a £4.3bn package will cushion sharp rises to support all sectors and properties of any size seeing a large increase in their bill at the next revaluation.
Film studios retain their 40% rate relief until 2034, while fuel duty remains frozen with the temporary 5p cut extended to August 2026. Loopholes will also close for online retailers relying on low-value duty-free imports.
And funding will make the training for under-25 apprenticeships completely free for SME businesses.
To stimulate growth, the Chancellor outlined a pro-investment agenda, including a permanent 40% First Year Allowance, retention of the £1m Annual Investment Allowance, and £2bn to accelerate the electric-vehicle transition, with 10-year business rates relief for charging infrastructure.
Fast-growing firms will benefit from expanded enterprise tax incentives, a three-year stamp duty exemption for new UK stock market listings, and ISA reforms expected to channel up to £3bn towards UK-listed companies. Corporation tax remains at 25%.
Victoria Holland, Partner and Head of Corporate and Commercial, here at RIAA Barker Gillette (UK), said:
“The speculation around this Budget has been pure political theatre. Now that the Chancellor has shown her hand – blending tax freezes and revenue-raisers with selective boosts for wages, energy and investment – debate will turn to whether this really is a Robin Hood act or simply a recalibration after years of fiscal drift.”
They added: “The key message is stability, as the Chancellor has opted for incremental growth levers, rather than the sweeping structural reform some had anticipated, but the devil will be in the detail as we move to implementation.”The full speech delivered by the Chancellor is available here.
About the author
Victoria Holland works with a broad range of clients, including large multinational companies, start-ups, SMEs, partnerships, investors, and entrepreneurs. She has extensive experience providing transactional and commercial contract advice across various industries, such as automotive, biotech, property management and investment, financing, software and technology.