Inheritance tax in the United Kingdom

Inheritance Tax Act 1984
Act of Parliament
Long titleAn Act to consolidate provisions of Part III of the Finance Act 1975 and other enactments relating to inheritance tax.
Citation1984 c. 51
Dates
Royal assent31 July 1984
Status: Current legislation
Text of statute as originally enacted
Text of the Inheritance Tax Act 1984 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

In the United Kingdom, inheritance tax is a transfer tax. It was introduced with effect from 18 March 1986, replacing capital transfer tax. The UK has the fourth highest inheritance tax rate in the world, according to conservative think tank,[1] the Tax Foundation,[2] though only a very small proportion of the population pays it. 3.7% of deaths recorded in the UK in the 2020-21 tax year resulted in inheritance tax liabilities.[3]

  1. ^ "Inheritance tax is poor answer to raising revenues". Oxford Analytica Daily Brief. Oxford Analytica. 24 June 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Beware the reach of Her Majesty's taxman, Brexit bankers told". Zawya. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  3. ^ Agyemang, Emma; Parker, George; Stabe, Martin (26 September 2023). "The calculations behind Rishi Sunak's potential inheritance tax shake-up". Financial Times. Retrieved 27 September 2023.