Key points:
Most welcome, the Personal Allowance will rise to £11,500 and the Higher Rate threshold to £45,000, from April 2017, with the government committing to getting it all the way to £12,500 with the higher rate threshold to £50,000 by the end of this Parliament. The Chancellor also confirmed that once the £12,500/£50,000 is reached it will increase each year by the CPI, rather than by the National Minimum Wage as now. Obviously, in the next Parliament this could be overturned by a new Chancellor but for now, it’s encouraging news.