Will disputes and tax matters, often involving property, were at the forefront of our readers’ minds, according to the top ten news items from the UK. Here they are again:

Lost challenge to will costs litigant dearly: A Berkshire woman who lost her legal challenge to her natural father’s will may have to pay legal costs far higher than the amount she was left in the will.

Charities defeat family’s claim for probate of home-made will: Four charities named as Dorothy Whelen’s residuary beneficiaries have defeated a claim that she executed a second home-made will leaving her entire estate to a friend.

UK Autumn Statement may target tax reliefs: Most tax specialists predict it will be harsher than previously expected, for two reasons. First, the Chancellor has failed to push through legislation cutting tax credits for the low-paid, so that the public sector borrowing requirement will be larger than planned at the time that Finance Bill (no.2) 2015 was drafted.

Cash extracted from wound-up firms to be taxed as income: Next year’s Finance Bill will impose an income tax charge on owners of close companies who liquidate the company in order to share out its assets. At the moment, distributions on liquidation and similar events are taxed as capital gains rather than income.

Inheritance tax (‘IHT’) and trusts – tips and traps: Discretionary trusts, whenever created, and most other forms of lifetime trusts (other than bare trusts and qualifying trusts for disabled persons) established on or after 22 March 2006 are subject to what is known as the ‘relevant property’ regime which imposes a charge to IHT on the capital value of the trust assets on each 10 year anniversary of the creation of the trust and ‘exit’ charges when capital is distributed or property otherwise ceases to be relevant property.

Survey says competition leads to lower price of basic wills and estate administration: A survey of 60 will-writers has found that the average price of a standard single will in the UK fell to GBP83 this year, with the average price quoted by law firms and solicitors at GBP118 (falling from GBP124 in the last year).

Judge bars ex-wife from further litigation: An English family court judge has imposed an extended civil restraint order on an ex-wife to stop her bringing further ‘bitter and intense’ litigation against her former spouse.

HMRC waives ‘correct and complete’ declaration for agents’ online IHT returns: Practitioners who submit an online inheritance tax (IHT) return on behalf of a client no longer need to provide a declaration that the information is ‘correct and complete to the best of their knowledge and belief’.

Second home buyers hit with stamp duty surcharge: Yesterday’s Autumn Statement announced that buyers of ‘additional properties’ will be charged an extra 3 per cent rate of stamp duty land tax (SDLT) from next April. The phrase ‘additional properties’ explicitly includes second homes as well as residential lets. The 3 per cent surcharge will be added to the usual SDLT rate for the property’s price band.

Inheritance Tax: main residence nil-rate band and the existing nil-rate band: Individuals with direct descendants who have an estate (including a main residence) with total assets above the Inheritance Tax (IHT) threshold (or nil-rate band) of £325,000 and personal representatives of deceased persons.
 

The STEP Industry News Digests provide a round-up of relevant industry news for trust and estate practitioners and other professionals in the wealth management sector. They provide brief summaries of topical news stories gathered from news providers internationally, providing a quick reference for busy practitioners to all the relevant news and issues. The News Digests also feature job listings from our recruitment site and list local STEP branch events and conferences. STEP’s digest services include twice weekly UK and Wealth Structuring (international) editions as well as a bi-weekly North America Digest focusing on the US, Canada and Mexico, and a Latin America Digest.

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