IHT reform 'unnecessarily complex': Agricultural and Business Property Relief plans under the microscope

'The government has demonstrated some recognition that paying the IHT on qualifying assets may be difficult'

clock • 4 min read

Sarah Wray shares her insight on planned IHT reforms, giving her views on what’s good, what’s bad and what needs to be done...

The government recently released its consultation on proposed reforms to Agricultural and Business Property Relief (APR and BPR) from inheritance tax (IHT) set to take effect from 6 April 2026. The consultation, open for two months, offered some positive developments from the Budget announcements. However, there are areas of increased complexity, which row against broader policy aims to simplify tax. The positives The Budget announced that individuals would have a £1m allowance for claiming 100% relief. The consultation has clarified that this allowance will refresh every seven year...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Tax planning

Quilter boosts bereavement team by 50% ahead of pension IHT changes

Quilter boosts bereavement team by 50% ahead of pension IHT changes

An opportunity to ‘prove the value of financial advice’

Sophia Panayi
clock 13 October 2026 • 2 min read
The Conservative IHT family home pledge and the behaviour it may reward

The Conservative IHT family home pledge and the behaviour it may reward

'Taxation raises revenue. It also changes behaviour, sometimes as intended, sometimes not'

Tony Müdd
clock 12 October 2026 • 5 min read
The tax levers advisers should watch – whatever the Budget brings

The tax levers advisers should watch – whatever the Budget brings

Rather than any single flagship measure, several tax ideas keep resurfacing in the Budget debate, from property reform and a possible return of CGT indexation relief to taxing middle earners more. Michael Edwards sets out the levers advisers should have...

Michael Edwards
clock 09 October 2026 • 3 min read