This is a must-listen episode for high-net-worth individuals, entrepreneurs, property owners, international clients, musicians, sports professionals, creatives and private families who need clarity on how the latest UK fiscal changes will impact their income, assets, business structures and long-term planning.

From the freezing of income tax thresholds and dividend tax rises, to sweeping changes for non doms, new mansion tax rules, complex shifts in inheritance tax, crackdowns on image rights, updates to salary sacrifice, electric vehicle road charges, property tax reforms, and new rules around trusts, pensions and EMI schemes. 

If you want to know how the 2025 Budget influences your tax bill, your investments, your business, your estate planning, and your cross-border strategy, this is the episode to start with.

UK Budget 2025 Topics Covered: 

• The accidental early release of the Budget report and its market impact
• Breakdown of the £26 billion in new tax rises and where it’s coming from
• The “Big Freeze” on tax thresholds and why fiscal drag hits middle earners and HNWIs hardest
• Dividend tax increases and what it means for entrepreneurs and OMBs
• 2 percent rises to property income, savings, and rental profit taxes
• Further tightening on landlords, SDLT and the push to cool the property market
• Deep dive on the new mansion tax (high value council tax charge) and its impact on homeowners across the UK
• What didn’t happen: inheritance tax reform, gift rule changes, and SDLT abolition rumours
• Major updates to business property relief and why farmers are protesting
• What the new rules mean for offshore trusts, relevant property charges and UHNW international families
• Big changes for non doms, FIG regime realities, and the lack of aligned visa pathways
• Tougher temporary non-residence rules for company dividends
• Salary sacrifice cap and how pension tax planning will shift
• Minimum wage and business rate changes hitting hospitality and retail
• The end of tax-efficient image rights structures in sport and entertainment
• EMI and EIS reforms – one of the few pieces of genuinely positive news
• HMRC’s long-term strategy and why the experts expect “years of hissing” ahead

Key Moments: 

0:00 — Why Budget rumours and speculation damage business confidence

1:55 — The accidental early release of the Budget and why it was unprecedented

3:35 — Recap of last year’s major changes: CGT, SDLT, non dom regime overhaul

4:48 — Government strategy: announce rises early, implement them years later

5:30 — How Budget leaks created uncertainty in the property market and wider economy

6:54 — £26 billion tax rise explained and government fiscal headroom

7:45 — What wasn’t announced: inheritance tax, gifting rules, SDLT reform

9:59 — LLP national insurance rumours and why firms were concerned

11:40 — Exit tax fears and why many people considered leaving the UK

12:45 — FIG regime challenges and the lack of aligned visa routes

15:06 — The Big Freeze: tax thresholds frozen for a decade

16:21 — Why fiscal drag will push 25% of taxpayers into higher-rate status

17:46 — Dividend, savings and rental income tax rises

19:30 — How landlords and the property market are being targeted

20:54 — The mansion tax: charging homeowners £2.5k to £7.5k based on property value

22:04 — Impact on cash-poor but asset-rich homeowners

24:02 — Inheritance tax update: transferable £1m business/agricultural threshold

26:47 — Family businesses facing difficult succession decisions

27:58 — Offshore trust changes and who they really affect

29:04 — Pension salary sacrifice capped from 2029

31:09 — Business rates pressure and minimum wage impact on hospitality/retail

33:12 — Employee ownership trust relief cut to 50%

34:43 — New road charge: electric cars now paying 3p per mile

36:10 — Temporary non-residence rules tightened for company dividends

39:31 — Voluntary National Insurance contributions restricted for non-residents

40:22 — Image rights overhaul: payments now treated as employment income

42:25 — EMI and EIS changes: limits increased, VCT relief reduced

44:27 — Breakdown of where the £26bn tax rise is coming from

46:10 — “Is the UK goose hissing?” Reaction to the Budget

 

N.B. At 7:34 minutes into the podcast, the £120 billion figure refers to the total amount across the term of the current parliament.

 

Prefer to watch? Head over to our YouTube channel to watch the full episode.

 

About the podcast

Not Just a Number is a podcast for entrepreneurs, creatives and industry pioneers who want to grow businesses and protect what matters most to them and to their families.

Each episode’s candid conversation focuses on personal stories, business strategies, leadership, top tips and trends – from scaling up companies and international relocations to creative rights and real-world business growth. Whether they are clients or professional contacts, all our guests are shaping global industries and friends of our business. As with everyone we work with, they are really not “just a number”.

 

Disclaimer: This Podcast is published for the information of clients and contacts. By accessing this Podcast, you acknowledge that SRLV LLP makes no warranty, guarantee or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured and contained within this Podcast. The information, opinions and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance you place on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast provides only an overview of the regulations in force at the date of publication, and no action should be taken without consulting the detailed legislation or seeking professional advice. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Therefore, no responsibility for loss occasioned by any person acting or refraining from action as a result of the material contained within this Podcast can be accepted by the authors, hosts, guests or SRLV LLP. The views that are expressed in the podcast are that of individuals and not SRLV LLP’s own. SRLV LLP makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties. SRLV LLP expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental consequential or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, reliance on or inability to use, this Podcast or the information presented within.