Insurance Premium Tax (United Kingdom)

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Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) is a type of indirect tax levied on general insurance premiums in the United Kingdom. [1]

Indirect tax tax collected by an intermediary

An indirect tax is a tax collected by an intermediary from the person who bears the ultimate economic burden of the tax. The intermediary later files a tax return and forwards the tax proceeds to government with the return. In this sense, the term indirect tax is contrasted with a direct tax, which is collected directly by government from the persons on whom it is imposed. Some commentators have argued that "a direct tax is one that cannot be charged by the taxpayer to someone else, whereas an indirect tax can be."

A tax is a mandatory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed upon a taxpayer by a governmental organization in order to fund various public expenditures. A failure to pay, along with evasion of or resistance to taxation, is punishable by law. Taxes consist of direct or indirect taxes and may be paid in money or as its labour equivalent.

Insurance equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another in exchange for payment

Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent or uncertain loss.

Contents

Overview

The UK government introduced the Insurance Premium Tax to raise revenue from the insurance sector, which was viewed as being under-taxed, and not subject to Value Added Tax. [2] The main EU legislation regarding VAT (Council Directive 2006/112/EC) states that insurance and reinsurance transactions, including related services performed by insurance brokers and insurance agents, are exempt from VAT. [2] [3]

Government of the United Kingdom central government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The Government of the United Kingdom, formally referred to as Her Majesty's Government, is the central government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is also commonly referred to as simply the UK Government or the British Government.

The European Union value added tax is a value added tax on goods and services within the European Union (EU). The EU's institutions do not collect the tax, but EU member states are each required to adopt a value added tax that complies with the EU VAT code. Different rates of VAT apply in different EU member states, ranging from 17% in Luxembourg to 27% in Hungary. The total VAT collected by member states is used as part of the calculation to determine what each state contributes to the EU's budget.

The Insurance Premium Tax was announced by Kenneth Clarke in the November 1993 budget [3] and introduced with the Finance Act 1994 which received Royal Assent on 3 May 1994. [4] IPT is under the care and management of HM Revenue & Customs. [4]

Kenneth Clarke British Conservative politician

Kenneth Harry Clarke is a British Conservative politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe since 1970. He is currently the Father of the House.

IPT raised £2.3 billion in the fiscal year 2009/10. [3]

Law

The main law relating to IPT includes: [5]

Rates

There are two different insurance premium tax rates: [1]

Insurers providing taxable insurance are required to register and account for IPT, as must intermediaries who sell insurance subject to the higher rate of IPT and charge a separate insurance-related fee on top of the premium itself.

The Chancellor George Osborne stated in the 2016 spring budget that the standard rate of IPT would increase from 9.5% to 10% from 1 October 2016. [6]

In the 2016 autumn statement the new Chancellor Philip Hammond stated that the standard rate would increase from 10% to 12% from 1 June 2017. [7]

Historic rates

From 1 October 1994 to 31 March 1997, a single rate of 2.5% was charged. [3] [8] From 1 April 1997, two rates were charged:

Standard rate

Higher rate

Exemptions

All types of insurance risk located in the UK are taxable unless they are specifically exempted. Exemptions from this tax include: [5]

IPT registration

Businesses are required to register for IPT if they are: [1]

Businesses must be registered from the date they receive (or someone receives on their behalf) their first taxable premium. Businesses must inform HM Revenue & Customs within 30 days of forming the intention of receiving taxable premiums as the insurer. [1]

See also

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Insurance Premium Tax: guide for insurers". www.gov.uk. HM Government. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  2. 1 2 IPT - Insurance Premium Tax Manual. IPT03150: HM Revenue & Customs. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Seely, Antony (29 June 2010). Standard Note - SN1425 - Insurance premium tax (PDF). House of Commons Library. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  4. 1 2 IPT - Insurance Premium Tax Manual. IPT03200: HM Revenue & Customs. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Notice IPT1: Insurance Premium Tax". www.gov.uk. HM Government. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  6. "Budget 2016 - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. HM Government. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  7. "Autumn Statement 2016 - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. HM Government. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  8. "Insurance premium tax". www.ifs.org.uk. Institute of Fiscal Studies. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  9. http://uk.reuters.com/article/britain-budget-insurance-idUKL5N16N3EV
  10. PA; PA. "Fresh increase for insurance premium tax 'outrageous'". AOL Money UK. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
  11. "Autumn Statement 2016 - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
  12. Customs.hmrcgov.uk

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