2023 Spring Budget: Remuneration and Incentives Key Takeaways

In yesterday’s 2023 Spring Budget, the Chancellor announced a number of changes relevant to remuneration and incentives: Enterprise Management Incentive (“EMI”) schemes The process to grant options under an EMI scheme will be simplified. From April 2023, EMI option agreements will no longer need to set out the details of share restrictions or include a … Read more

HMRC publishes updated end of year return templates

HMRC has now published updated end-of-year templates, guidance and technical notes in relation to its Employment Related Securities (ERS) regime, further to the changes announced in its ERS Bulletin 47. A summary of the changes made to the end-of-year templates can be found in our previous blog post here. Templates and guidance have been updated … Read more

Updated HMRC guidance on end of year return templates and using the ERS service, and changes to CSOP schemes to come into effect

Updated HMRC guidance on end of year return templates HMRC has announced in Employment Related Securities Bulletin 47 that it will be introducing some changes to Employment Related Securities (ERS) annual filings templates from 6 April 2023. Under the new ERS templates, completion of the following optional fields will become mandatory for returns submitted on … Read more

Glass Lewis 2023 Policy Guidelines

Glass Lewis has published its 2023 Policy Guidelines (“Guidelines“) for the UK, setting out the factors it considers when determining proxy voting recommendations. The following changes to the Guidelines relevant to remuneration and incentives have been made, all of which are clarificatory in nature: Combined incentive (omnibus) plans: Omnibus plans are plans that have a … Read more

Autumn Statement highlights – lowering of additional income tax rate threshold, reduction in CGT and dividend income tax allowances

Following on from the reversal of much of the mini-budget on 17 October, in today’s Autumn Statement the Chancellor announced a number of measures which are relevant to remuneration and incentives. In particular there will be a reduction to the threshold at which the 45% additional rate of income tax applies, the freezing of other … Read more

Investment Association Principles of Remuneration for 2023

The Investment Association (the “IA“) has published its 2023 Principles of Remuneration (“Principles“) and annual letter to Remuneration Committee chairs. The IA updates its guidance and writes to Remuneration Committees annually to highlight the key areas of focus it expects Remuneration Committees to consider when approaching remuneration. There are no substantial changes to the Principles … Read more

LGIM’s UK Principles of Executive Pay for 2023

LGIM has recently issued an updated version of its UK Principles of Executive Pay. The Principles remain largely unchanged, however, there are a few changes of note including: impact of the cost-of living crisis increases – companies which have given low-paid employees a significant pay increase to assist them during the current crisis should exercise … Read more

Updated HMRC guidance on EMI options and s.431 elections

As highlighted in ERS Bulletin 46, HMRC has published updated guidance in the Employee Tax Advantaged User Manual on enterprise management incentives (EMI) options which should clarify how EMI option plans should be drafted and operated. ERS Bulletin 46 also refers to the updated guidance published by HMRC in July 2022 on section 431 elections.  … Read more

Revisions to the mini-budget of 23 September 2022

The new Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, today announced a number of revisions to proposals put forward in the mini-budget of 23 September 2022. The key changes relevant to remuneration and incentives are: the income tax basic rate will remain at 20% until economic conditions allow for it to be cut; as already announced, the 45% income … Read more