ATED (Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings) is an Annual tax payable by a company owning a UK residential property above certain threshold (currently £500,000).
This limit is per property. If the company owns two properties, each valued at £300,000, ATED does not apply (though total value of two properties is over £500,000).
The companies who let the property on commercial basis do not need to pay ATED charges, but they need to submit ATED return and claim for relief. To claim relief, the director or anyone connected to them should not occupy the property, not even for single day. Please refer to our brief article on Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings Guidelines for details.
Pros & Cons of Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings
You are able to view a list of the benefits and drawbacks of the ATED, neither of which may be ignored under any circumstances.
Pros
- Generates revenue for the government
- Encourages transparency
- Reduces tax avoidance
- Helps tackle inequality
- Promotes the use of property for housing
- Reduces speculation
- Encourages more efficient use of property
Cons
- Small Threshold
- Annual requirement
- Heavy penalty
- Additional tax burden
- May discourage investment
- Complex and time-consuming
- May discourage property development
- May discourage job creation
Everything that You Need to Know about the Individual Pros of Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings
While ATED has provided the HMRC with substantial revenues, property investors have been left with a burden of additional charges and compliance requirements.
In the following discussion, we will provide an overview of both the challenges and opportunities that this tax presents to UK property investors.
Though the property investors find the ATED to be a burden, there are some positive aspects of Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings as listed below:
- Generates revenue for the government: ATED is a source of revenue for the UK government, which can be used to fund public services and infrastructure.
- Encourages transparency: ATED requires companies to disclose the ownership of high-value residential properties, which can increase transparency and help combat tax evasion.
- Reduces tax avoidance: The tax aims to prevent tax avoidance by discouraging the ownership of high-value residential properties through corporate structures.
- Helps tackle inequality: The tax is aimed at high-value properties, which tend to be owned by wealthy individuals or corporations, and therefore helps to tackle inequality
- Promotes the use of property for housing: By taxing the ownership of high-value residential properties, ATED can encourage the use of such properties for housing rather than as investment vehicles.
- Reduces speculation: ATED may reduce speculative investment in high-value residential properties, which can drive up prices and make housing unaffordable for many.
- Encourages more efficient use of property: The tax may encourage property owners to make more efficient use of their properties by renting them out rather than keeping them empty.
Cons of Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings
HMRC is certainly benefiting from revenues that ATED collects. However, ATED seem to burden the property investors due to below reasons:
- Small Threshold: Even companies owning low value properties need to fill ATED return. The threshold used to be £2 million in 2013/14 but has been reduced to £500,000 for 2023/24..
- Annual requirement: Companies need to file ATED every year which is an administrative burden for small companies. Companies with buy to let properties do not need to pay charge. Still, they need to file return and apply for relief.
- Heavy penalty: A delay in filing for over 3 months might cost penalty up to £1,000. And non-payments within 12 months of due date can result into penalty of up to 10% of ATED charges.
- Additional tax burden : ATED adds an additional tax burden on top of existing property taxes, which can be expensive for property owners.
- May discourage investment: The tax may discourage investment in high-value residential properties, by UK investors as well as foreign investors which can have a negative impact on the property market.
- Complex and time-consuming: ATED can be complex and time-consuming to calculate and pay, particularly for companies with multiple properties.
- Difficult to value: Valuing high-value residential properties can be difficult, which can lead to disputes and additional costs for property owners.
- May discourage property development: ATED may discourage property development by making it more expensive to own high-value residential properties through corporate structures.
- May discourage job creation: The tax may discourage job creation in the property sector by reducing investment and development.
Conclusion
Finally, the ATED tax poses both obstacles and opportunity for UK property investors. While it may appear to be a hardship for people who own high-value residential properties, it also offers tax benefits and exemptions for commercial lettings.
As the UK property market evolves, it is critical for investors to stay up to date on the newest tax rules and regulations in order to make educated choices regarding investments.
