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Kingsley Napley’s ‘Inheritance Tax Olympics’

2 August 2024

Where people pay the most inheritance tax by local authority

An analysis by law firm Kingsley Napley of HMRC inheritance tax data (just released for tax year 2021-22) shows the geographical dispersal of estates hit by inheritance tax bills. Kingsley Napley names the top ten regions and shows who shares the medals that no one wants to win.

Based on the latest HMRC statistics of inheritance tax paying estates, Kingsley Napley can reveal:

  • Chichester takes the gold for the number of estates affected (153) and sees its departed residents’ estates paying one of the top ten largest amounts to HMRC in the country.  
  • Esher and Walton is awarded silver, by number of estates on which tax was due.
  • Finchley and Golders Green claimed bronze.

However, by total amount of inheritance tax paid, unsurprisingly Kensington glistens by contributing £103m to the government’s coffers.

It appears that the estates of those who lived in Hampstead and Kilburn; Finchley and Golders Green; Richmond Park; South West Surrey and Chichester, were some of the biggest contributors to the country’s IHT tax take during 2021-22, both in value and volume of affected estates.

In contrast, in the previous tax year (2020-21), Esher and Walton won gold, by volume of estates on which IHT was payable (160), followed by Twickenham with silver and Finchley and Golders Green with bronze. Notably, Twickenham not only failed to make the podium but barely scraped into the top 25 in 2021/22.

Sophie Voelcker, Partner in the Private Client Practice at Kingsley Napley LLPcomments:

“Our latest ranking shows that house prices and the socio-economic demographics of a region are driving up the local IHT costs, so it is perhaps no surprise to see the South East take the medals.

“We are advising an increasing number of clients who are looking at reducing their estates for IHT purposes and making use of available IHT exemptions pre 30 October: namely use of the IHT nil rate band, annual exemption, regular gifts out of excess income, gifts of business or agricultural property or potentially exempt transfers. Otherwise they are advised to just spend!”

 

Tax Receipts By Volume 2021/22 (source HMRC):

Rank

Parliamentary Constituency

Number

Amount (£ million)

1

Chichester

153

47

2

Esher and Walton

150

45

3

Finchley and Golders Green

148

59

4

Richmond Park

145

55

5

South West Surrey

140

49

6

Chesham and Amersham

131

35

7

Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner

127

28

8

Hampstead and Kilburn

123

81

9

Chipping Barnet

121

27

10

Hornsey and Wood Green

121

33

Tax Receipts By Value 2021/22:

Rank

Parliamentary Constituency

Amount (£ million)

Number

1

Kensington

103

92

2

Hampstead and Kilburn

81

123

3

Chelsea and Fulham

76

106

4

South West Hertfordshire

61

113

5

Finchley and Golders Green

59

148

6

Richmond Park

55

145

7

Cities of London and Westminster

51

77

8

South West Surrey

49

140

9

Chichester

47

153

10

Windsor

46

78

Tax Receipts By Volume 2020/21:

Rank

Parliamentary Constituency

Number

Amount (£ million)

1

Esher and Walton

160

50

2

Twickenham

158

40

3

Finchley and Golders Green

157

44

4

Richmond Park

156

79

5

Chichester

143

39

=6

South West Surrey

136

37

=6

Mole Valley

136

32

8

Hampstead and Kilburn

129

74

9

Epsom and Ewell

128

28

10

Reigate

121

38

Tax Receipts By Value 2020/21:

Rank

Parliamentary Constituency

Amount (£ million)

Number

1

Kensington

108

92

2

Cities of London and Westminster

84

91

3

Richmond Park

79

156

4

Chelsea and Fulham

75

99

5

Hampstead and Kilburn

74

129

6

Lewes

53

114

7

Esher and Walton

50

160

8

The Cotswolds

49

100

9

Wimbledon

46

120

=10

Finchley and Golders Green

44

157

=10

East Surrey

44

106

NOTES TO EDITORS

The Kingsley Napley Inheritance Tax Olympics ranking is based on HMRC data from Inheritance Tax Returns published on 31 July 2024 (Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/inheritance-tax-liabilities-statistics) which relates to inheritance tax estates by region in the 2021/22 and 2020/21 tax years.

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