skip navigation
header image

Did he fall or was he pushed?


 
The Chancellor announced yesterday that it was all change in the world of Inheritance Tax. 
 
This was particularly good news for the people of Cornwall where house price rises have dragged many people in to an unexpected Inheritance Tax trap resulting in anguish and the expense of devising legitimate and sometimes unwieldy methods of limiting their exposure.
 
Ann-Marie Wilton, Legal Executive within our Private Client team explains:-
 
“Transfers between spouses and civil partners have always been exempt from a charge to Inheritance Tax.  However without a saving device,  Inheritance Tax could bite deeply on the death of the survivor given that the Inheritance Tax allowance was what many people regard as a miserly £300,000. Whilst this will remain in force for individuals the changes, which are now stated to be in force, mean that spouses and civil partners will have the benefit of a joint transferable allowance of £600,000 until April 2010 when the allowance will rise to £700,000.”
 
A welcome feature of the new proposals is that widows/widowers and surviving civil partners will particularly benefit in retrospect as those who have already lost their partner will now be able to make use of their deceased partner's potentially otherwise wasted allowance.
 
Ann-Marie further comments:-
 
“This is undoubtedly good news and to be applauded. What it will mean in practice is that spouses can leave their assets to each other with IHT impunity but on the death of the survivor a full £600,000 allowance will be available, taking, it is to be hoped, a large proportion of the population out of the IHT nightmare.”
 
Ann-Marie is part of our Personal Team at Follett Stock and can be contacted on 01872 245992 or ann-marie.wilton@follettstock.co.uk


Contact any member of our Private Client team on 01872 241700 to find out more about any personal issue you may have.
 



View profile for Ann-Marie Wilton Ann-Marie Wilton    
Legal Executive
DDI: 01872 245992
email address   Email Ann-Marie

View profile for Lisa Aldridge Lisa Aldridge    
Legal Executive
DDI: 01872 245172
email address   Email Lisa

View profile for Lynne Bray Lynne Bray    
Legal Assistant
DDI: 01872 245986
email address   Email Lynne
       
 
 

       
 
 
 

       
 
 
 


 



Follett Stock LLP is a limited liability partnership
registered in England and Wales with registered number OC346431.

Authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) | SRA ID: 73362

CHRIS LINGARD LLB (Hons) SOLICITOR - ADVOCATE (HIGHER COURTS CIVIL) -Member
MARTIN PEARSE BA (Hons) LLM - Member

Truro Business Park, Truro, Cornwall TR4 9NH T: 01872 241700
Woodwater Park, Pynes Hill, Exeter EX2 5WT T: 01392 449370
© Follett Stock LLP. All rights reserved.

[smaller] Change text size [larger]