Skip to content
Trending
July 2, 2025Modelo owner Constellation Brands misses on earnings as aluminum tariffs hit profitability June 30, 2025Bank investors bet on looser regulation under Trump. They are starting to see it June 30, 2025​Here’s how the luxury real estate market is splitting up July 2, 2025Drone maker AeroVironment shares pop 21% on earnings beat June 30, 2025Bulgaria is set to join the euro zone. But its citizens aren’t convinced July 2, 2025Inflation fears receded in May as Trump eased some tariff threats, New York Fed survey shows June 30, 2025H&M shares jump as it flags summer shopping pick-up, says considering tariff price hikes July 3, 2025Trump’s deportations are hurting Constellation Brands’ beer sales July 3, 2025UK’s popular sausage roll seller plunges 15% as heatwave hurts sales
EverydayRead
  • HOME
  • Business
  • Earnings
  • Economy
  • Finance
  • Lifestyle
EverydayRead
EverydayRead
  • HOME
  • Business
  • Earnings
  • Economy
  • Finance
  • Lifestyle
EverydayRead
  Finance  Higher taxes will make it harder for Britain to build ‘the next Nvidia,’ tech execs say
Finance

Higher taxes will make it harder for Britain to build ‘the next Nvidia,’ tech execs say

AdminAdmin—November 3, 20240

UK Finance Minister Rachel Reeves makes a speech during the Labour Party Conference that is held at the ACC Liverpool Convention Center in Liverpool, UK on September 23, 2024. 

Anadolu | Getty Images

LONDON — British tech bosses and venture capitalists are questioning whether the country can deliver on its bid to become a global artificial intelligence hub after the government set out plans to increase taxes on businesses.

On Wednesday, Finance Minister Rachel Reeves announced a move to hike capital gains tax (CGT) — a levy on the profit investors make from the sale of an investment — as part of a far-reaching announcement on the Labour government’s fiscal spending and tax plans.

The lower capital gains tax rate was increased to 18% from 10%, while the higher rate climbed to 24% from 20%. Reeves said the increases will help bring in £2.5 billion ($3.2 billion) of additional capital to the public purses.

It was also announced that the lifetime limit for business asset disposal relief (BADR) — which offers entrepreneurs a reduced rate on the level of tax paid on capital gains resulting from the sale of all or part of a company — would sit at £1 million.

She added that the rate of CGT applied to entrepreneurs using the BADR scheme will increase to 14% in 2025 and to 18% a year later. Still, Reeves said the U.K. would still have the lowest capital gains tax rate of any European G7 economy.

The hikes were less severe than previously feared — but the push toward a higher tax environment for corporates stoked the concern of several tech executives and investors, with many suggesting the move would lead to higher inflation and a slowdown in hiring.

On top of increases to CGT, the government also raised the rate of National Insurance (NI) contributions, a tax on earnings. Reeves forecasted the move would raise £25 billion per year — by far the largest revenue raising measure in a raft of pledges that were made Wednesday.

Paul Taylor, CEO and co-founder of fintech firm Thought Machine, said that hike to NI rates would lead to an additional £800,000 in payroll spending for his business.

“This is a significant amount for companies like us, which rely on investor capital and already face cost pressures and targets,” he noted.

“Nearly all emerging tech businesses run on investor capital, and this increase sets them back on their path to profitability,” added Taylor, who sits on the lobbying group Unicorn Council for U.K. FinTech. “The U.S. startup and entrepreneurial environment is a model of where the U.K. needs to be.”

Chances of building ‘the next Nvidia’ more slim

More stories

Stagflation? Fed sees higher inflation and an economy growing by less than 2% this year

March 20, 2025

Stock market posts third biggest gain in post-WWII history on Trump’s tariff about-face

April 10, 2025

JPMorgan begins suing customers who allegedly stole thousands of dollars in ‘infinite money glitch’

October 30, 2024

Federal Reserve will opt for slow policy easing as there’s ‘still work to do’ on inflation, Fitch says

September 13, 2024

Another increase to taxation by way of a rise in the tax rate for carried interest — the level of tax applied to the share of profit a fund manager makes from a private equity investment.

iProov CEO discusses 'arms race' against deepfakes

Reeves announced that the rate of tax on carried interest, which is charged on capital gains, would rise to 32%, up from 28% currently.

Haakon Overli, co-founder of European venture capital firm Dawn Capital, said that increases to capital gains tax could make it harder for the next Nvidia to be built in the U.K.

“If we are to have the next NVIDIA built in the UK, it will come from a company born from venture capital investment,” Overli said by email.

“The tax returns from creating such a company, which is worth more than the FTSE 100 put together, would dwarf any gains from increasing the take from venture capital today.”

The government is carrying out further consultation with industry stakeholders on plans to up taxes on carried interest. Anne Glover, CEO of venture capital firm Amadeus Capital, said this was a good thing.

 “The Chancellor has clearly listened to some of the concerns of investors and business leaders,” she said, adding that talks on carried interest reforms must be “equally as productive and engaged.”

Britain also committed to mobilizing £70 billion of investment through the recently formed National Wealth Fund — a state-backed investment platform modelled on sovereign wealth vehicles such as Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

This, Glover added, “aligns with our belief that investment in technology will ultimately lead to long term growth.”

She nevertheless urged the government to look seriously at mandating that pension funds diversify their allocation to riskier assets like venture capital — a common ask from VCs to boost the U.K. tech sector.

Clarity welcomed

Steve Hare, CEO of accounting software firm Sage, said the budget would mean “significant challenges for UK businesses, especially SMBs, who will face the impact of rising employer National Insurance contributions and minimum wage increases in the months ahead.”

Even so, he added that many firms would still welcome the “longer-term certainty and clarity provided, allowing them to plan and adapt effectively.”

Meanwhile, Sean Reddington, founder and CEO of educational technology firm Thrive, said that higher CGT rates mean tech entrepreneurs will face “greater costs when selling assets,” while the rise in employer NI contributions “could impact hiring decisions.”

“For a sustainable business environment, government support must go beyond these fiscal changes,” Reddington said. “While clearer tax communication is positive, it’s unlikely to offset the pressures of heightened taxation and rising debt on small businesses and the self-employed.”

He added, “The crucial question is how businesses can maintain profitability with increased costs. Government support is essential to offset these new burdens and ensure the UK’s entrepreneurial spirit continues to thrive.”

Adam French, a partner at seed-stage investors Antler, was less downbeat on Reeves’ tax plans, saying the impact of the changes on the U.K. tech ecosystem “will be modest at best.”

“I don’t think this will make much difference to the U.K.’s entrepreneurial scene at all,” French told CNBC via email. “If this prompts a huge exodus of founders to other shores, I’d be very surprised. I think the community here is much more resilient than that.” 

div { box-sizing: border-box; } .noselect { -webkit-touch-callout: none; /* iOS Safari */ -webkit-user-select: none; /* Safari */ -khtml-user-select: none; /* Konqueror HTML */ -moz-user-select: none; /* Old versions of Firefox */ -ms-user-select: none; /* Internet Explorer/Edge */ user-select: none; /* Non-prefixed version, currently supported by Chrome, Edge, Opera and Firefox */ } .DO-widget-wrapper { width: 100%; max-width: 620px; background-color: #fff; } .DO-logo-row { margin-bottom: 10px; } .DO-body { border-top: 2px #289dcf solid; border-bottom: 2px #289dcf solid; padding: 12px 0 12px 0; margin-bottom: 20px; } .DO-bodycopy .DO-button { font-family: Proxima Nova,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } .DO-bodycopy {color: #424858; font-size: 18px; line-height: 31px; margin-bottom: 12px;} .DO-button { color: #fff; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; width: 120px; height: 30px; background-color: #0071bc; border-radius: 6px; text-transform: uppercase; padding: 4px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; margin-bottom: 4px; text-decoration: none !important; } .DO-button:hover { background-color: #0a94e0; text-decoration: none !important; } @media
Companies brace for Tuesday: Mentions of election surge on earnings conference calls
Why flights to Europe are the cheapest they’ve been in years
Related posts
  • Related posts
  • More from author
Finance

Bank investors bet on looser regulation under Trump. They are starting to see it

June 30, 20250
Finance

3 forces driving a record week for stocks as 7 portfolio names hit new highs

June 28, 20250
Finance

Zohran Mamdani’s victory in NYC mayoral primary leaves Wall Street ‘alarmed’ and ‘depressed’

June 26, 20250
Load more
Read also
Earnings

UK’s popular sausage roll seller plunges 15% as heatwave hurts sales

July 3, 20250
Business

Trump’s deportations are hurting Constellation Brands’ beer sales

July 3, 20250
Economy

Inflation fears receded in May as Trump eased some tariff threats, New York Fed survey shows

July 2, 20250
Earnings

Drone maker AeroVironment shares pop 21% on earnings beat

July 2, 20250
Business

Modelo owner Constellation Brands misses on earnings as aluminum tariffs hit profitability

July 2, 20250
Finance

Bank investors bet on looser regulation under Trump. They are starting to see it

June 30, 20250
Load more
© 2023, All Rights Reserved.
  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Cookie Law
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions