Saffery hosts Post Budget Breakfast Seminar in Bournemouth
Saffery welcomed more than 40 guests to its annual Budget Breakfast Seminar, held at The Village Hotel, Bournemouth, where Partners Roger Wareham and David Chismon, together with Corporate Tax Director, Richard Meller, unpacked the Chancellor’s long-awaited Budget.
The event was opened by Roger Wareham, who welcomed attendees and set the tone for a morning of insight and discussion around the government’s newly announced tax and spending plans.
The seminar provided an accessible overview of the key announcements, supported by presenter’s slides highlighting the main areas of impact for both individuals and businesses.
David Chismon explored a broad range of personal tax developments, including the protracted introduction of new income tax rates for savers and landlords, updates to ISAs and salary sacrifice arrangements, and Employee Ownership Trusts, as well as the latest position on inheritance tax and associated reliefs such as APR and BPR. He also addressed considerations for international private clients as part of the evolving tax landscape.
Turning to business tax, Richard Meller examined how the Budget will influence company planning and compliance, covering capital allowances, corporate structures, EIS and VCT schemes, EMI options, transfer pricing and employment taxes. He also discussed implications for electric vehicles, VAT and other indirect taxes, outlining what the changes mean for businesses of different sizes and sectors.
The presentations concluded with a lively Q&A session, reflecting the strong level of engagement and practical interest from attendees.
Attendee, Andy Brown, Founder of 3D FD, said:
“The effective 0% CGT rate for EOTs had been such a sweet incentive, I had become concerned that it might be attracting business owners to sell mainly because of the low CGT tax rate, but not motivated to lean into many of the advantages “for employees” of Employee Ownership Trusts. So, I am pleased there remains a discount, but that it is not so generous. Also, I’m not convinced the tax-paying public should be sponsoring a 0% tax break on large capital gains – it was useful to get momentum behind the growth of EOTs, and an awareness in the market, but I agree with the government that the time is right for a change.
“I had not spotted before this morning the changes to EMI share schemes, so thanks to Saffery for the session – I am also pleased to see the expansion of the thresholds in that scheme to make it accessible for more, larger businesses too.”
Narah Guy, Estate Accountant at Broadlands Estate, said:
“Our main concern around the budget is the overarching increase in costs to the business, whether by administration or tax rates. There’s a limited amount you can do to plan to mitigate these costs so most planning will be around how to offset the increases by making savings and cuts elsewhere.”
Roger Wareham, Partner at Saffery, commented:
“We were delighted to welcome so many attendees to this year’s Budget Breakfast. As businesses and individuals navigate another wide-ranging set of tax changes, it’s more important than ever to understand the implications early. Our aim is always to provide clarity, practical insight and space for meaningful discussion, and we’re pleased to see the high level of engagement from our clients and professional community.”
For an overview of the key tax changes, see the Saffery Summary of the Key Points at: https://www.saffery.com/insights/articles/autumn-budget-2025-at-a-glance-summary/