The chancellor has just completed his budget speech and one of the key announcements was a reform to the ISA rules to make ISA savings simpler and more flexible. The government has decided to replace the ISA with the New ISA or NISA as it is referred to in the budget document. I wonder if this name will stick!
This change is positive in all senses and will surely encourage savings in the UK.
The changes in summary:
- The ISA allowance will increase to £15,000 per annum from July this year.
- The stocks and shares and cash limits will be merged into one.
- Transfers will be permitted from stocks and shares ISA’s into cash ISA’s for the first time.
- The junior ISA limit will increase to £4000 per annum.
All in all this simplification is great news for UK savers and investors and can do nothing to harm savings culture in the UK. When considered in tandem with the pension reforms announced today, it will be more important then ever to take a holistic view on retirement planning, as i alluded to in my blog a couple of months ago.
