Tag: advocacy

Finance Bill second reading: what you need to know

Posted on by Martin Greig

On Tuesday afternoon (16 December 2025), MPs in the House of Commons will debate and vote on the second reading of the Finance Bill – an important moment in the Bill’s journey through Parliament.

The second reading is the first substantive opportunity for MPs to debate the Bill as a whole and to decide whether it should proceed to the next stages of Parliamentary scrutiny. If a majority of MPs vote in favour, the Bill will move on to further stages where individual clauses can be examined and amended in greater detail.

Why this matters to family businesses

The Finance Bill gives legal effect to the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget proposals and contains a number of tax measures that will influence business planning in the years ahead. For family-owned businesses, changes to Inheritance Tax (IHT) and Business Property Relief (BPR) are the most significant.

What the second reading debate covers

At second reading, MPs will debate the overall principles and purpose of the Finance Bill, rather than individual measures or technical details. A treasury minister will open the debate, followed by speeches from opposition parties and backbench MPs. Crucially:

  • No amendments to the Bill can be made at second reading, so the vote is simply on whether the Bill should continue its passage through Parliament.
  • If the Bill passes, detailed examination and opportunities to propose changes will come at the committee and report stages in the New Year.

What happens next if the Bill passes?

Assuming a majority of MPs support the Bill at second reading:

  • It will enter the committee stage, where MPs can scrutinise individual clauses and propose amendments.
  • Following committee stage, the report stage offers further opportunities for changes to the Bill.
  • Finally, the Bill will return for a third reading before moving to the House of Lords.

The House of Commons rises for Christmas recess on 19 December so, any detailed scrutiny of the Bill will come in the New Year.

At the end of the second reading debate on Tuesday, the Government will set out the full timetable for the remaining stages of the Finance Bill, including key dates when crucial IHT legislation can be amended.

Is another rebellion on the cards?

In short no, not at this stage. Earlier in the month, Labour suffered a sizeable rebellion on Resolution 50 of the Finance Bill – the bit of legislation relating to the Government’s changes to IHT. We are seeing Labour MPs concerned about changes to IHT are increasingly speaking out – read FBUK’s analysis here.

Bills rarely fall at Second Reading, and so another rebellion on Tuesday is highly unlikely. However, MPs will have the opportunity to debate the broad principles of the Bill, including the government’s changes to BPR.

Write to your local MP

For family businesses concerned about the impact of new IHT rules, this means lobbying and engagement now is crucial to influencing the next stages.

This is your opportunity to write to your MP ahead of the debate on Tuesday. Download FBUK’s Finance Bill briefing for MPs here.

Find out who your local MP is here.

Family Business UK response to Spring Budget 2024

Posted on by Abbie-Louise

Fiona Graham, Chief Advocacy Officer at Family Business UK responding to the Spring Budget said:

“With challenges facing them on multiple fronts, the family business community has been waiting on tenterhooks about what support the Chancellor would offer to help kickstart the economy.

“While there were incremental improvements on full expensing and VAT thresholds, sadly today’s announcement lacked the strong long-term vision for family firms to help them grow and provide more opportunities within the communities in which they operate.  With the recent  appointment of a new SME Council by the Government, we hope to see continued engagement with the family business community and more policies  for long term support in due course.

“On pensions the Chancellor mentioned moving ahead with the Mansion House Reforms.

“In the election year it’s essential that some of existing reforms around defined benefit pension scheme surplus sharing and consolidation keep moving ahead, and don’t come to a halt because of the election.”

Read the 2024 FBUK Budget submission

You can find the full Spring Budget, and accompanying documents, here.

Beyond the Headlines

There were updates to existing policies within the accompanying documents which will be of interest to many family firms, including:

  • Further details on six Investment Zones in Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, North East of England, South Yorkshire, West Midlands and Tees.  Find out more here.
  • Levelling up funding and UK Community Renewal Fund updates.  Find out more here.
  • The Government’s response to changes around Agricultural Property Relief (APR) where land is being put to environmental uses.  FBUK has engaged with HM Treasury and HMRC on this issue, and the need to update legislation to ensure family landowners are not penalised for tackling part in environmental schemes, as promoted by other parts of Government policy.  You can find the response to the consultation here. 
  • The Chancellor also announced the Government’s intention to regulate the provision of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) rating providers.  More information here.
  • HM Treasury and DLUHC published their response to a consultation on Business Rates Avoidance and Evasion

Summary of Announcements

Tax

  • 2p cut to employee National Insurance, from ten percent to eight percent.
  • Self-employed National Insurance will be cut from eight percent to six percent.
  • The non-domiciled tax status will be scrapped and replaced with a residency-based system from April 2025, raising £2.7bn in tax revenue a year by 2028/29.
  • Fuel duty 5p cut will be maintained for a further 12 months.
  • Alcohol duty freeze extended until 1 February 2025.  Abolish the furnished holiday lettings regime.
  • Abolish stamp duty relief on the purchase of multiple dwellings in one transaction.
  • Reduce the higher 28 percent rate of Capital Gains Tax on property to 24 percent.
  • Fuel duty 5p cut will be maintained for a further 12 months.  

Business

  • Planned legislation for full expensing to apply to leased assets.
  • From April 1, increasing the VAT registration threshold from £85,000 to £90,000.
  • £200m of funding to extend the Recovery Loan Scheme as it transitions to the Growth Guarantee Scheme.
  • New powers for The Pensions Regulator and the Financial Conduct Authority to ensure better value from defined contribution (DC) pension schemes.
  • Introducing new requirements for DC and local government pension funds to disclose publicly their level of international and UK equity investment.
  • Introduce the British ISA with an additional £5000 tax free allowance for investments in UK equity.
  • £270m for advanced manufacturing, to be spent on innovative automotive and aerospace R&D projects.
  • Up to £120m more will be allocated to the Green Industries Growth Accelerator to build supply chains for new technology such as offshore wind and carbon capture.
  • Extend the energy profit levy, the “Windfall Tax”, to 2029 to raise an additional £1.5bn.
  • Abolish the energy profit levy if the energy market price falls back to a historic norm for a sustained period.

END.

Family Business UK Spring Budget Submission 2024

Posted on by Abbie-Louise

In the UK, we are sitting on an enormous resource of entrepreneurialism in the form of our family business sector. Family businesses make up 90 per cent of the UK’s total
private sector firms, employing 14 million people and contributing over £200 billion through tax receipts each year alone.

Now more than ever, the Prime Minister’s focus on long-term decisions is vital to support businesses in overcoming immediate challenges while delivering long-term
growth.

Family Business UK makes the following recommendations for inclusion in the Budget that can help support the family business sector in putting the UK
economy back on the road to recovery:

• Commit to maintain Business Property Relief (BPR) in full
• Bring Business Assets Holdover Relief (BAHR) eligibility into alignment with BPR, to enable a smooth transition in ownership between generations
• Replace the Apprenticeship Levy with a new, fit-for-purpose Future Skills Fund

To read the full Family Business UK submission for the Spring Budget 2024, please Click here to access the document.

Family Business UK Joins New Small Business Council

Posted on by Abbie-Louise

Family Business UK attended the first meeting of the new Small Business Council in Downing Street today, as the Government looks to remove barriers to growth faced by SMEs.

Chaired by Small Business Minister, Kevin Hollinrake, the Council will work alongside the PM’s Business Council to tackle the key issues facing smaller firms. The Council will include Family Business UK, Small Business Britain, and the Federation of Small Businesses.  The Council also includes SMEs themselves, with firms representing all corners of the UK covering sectors including manufacturing, construction, food and drink.

The Council will be a powerful voice for small businesses within Government and has been tasked with overseeing three key areas for small firms – Access to finance, skills and support as well as removing barriers.

Small Business Minister Kevin Hollinrake said:

“Small firms are at the heart of our communities and the engine of our economy – which is why the work of this council is so important. My own experience of working in a small business has given me crucial insights to the problems that SMEs face on a daily basis, from barriers to growth or access to finance.

“We’re giving small firms a big voice, so they can directly air their concerns to government without delay – only when we work together can we tackle some of the burning issues SMEs are facing – only then can we help boost jobs and grow the economy.”

Neil Davy, CEO of Family Business UK, said: 

“We are delighted to be part of the new Small Business Council, representing family businesses from across all regions and communities of the UK to highlight the unique challenges they face and the practical new ideas we have for generating economic growth. It is great to see this group reflect the different models of business that make up the UK economy.

“Family firms offer a unique perspective due to their long-term view, and we look forward to working with the Council to deliver support and advice to help SMEs learn, thrive and grow.”

You can find out more about the Council, including the full list of members here https://www.gov.uk/government/news/sme-council-membership-revealed-ahead-of-first-meeting