A survey by HMRC published in May concluded that the public have a relatively poor knowledge of inheritance tax (IHT) rules and lack of confidence in what they do know.
HMRC recently commissioned a survey of 947 people who had made gifts in the last two years. To assess knowledge of the IHT system among these donors, they were asked eight questions, which are shown below. Now it is your turn to try:
58% answered five or more questions correctly, while just 37% gave themselves a confidence rating of over 6 out of 10 on answering the questions. After adjusting for confidence levels,the survey concluded that the proportion with a “high knowledge” – as opposed to simply lucky with their answers – was just one in four.
The correct answers are shown below. Whatever your score, it is worth considering why HMRC should have undertaken such a survey at this time. It may be no coincidence that the Office of Tax Simplification is due to publish its second report on IHT simplification soon. Rationalising the rules on lifetime gifts is an obvious target, but as ever with simplification, there would be some losers. We can help you consider where you might stand on the wining and losing scale.
The value of tax reliefs depends on your individual circumstances. Tax laws can change. The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate tax advice.
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