The UK economy needs to grow. That is the simple message (and fervent hope) of the Government. It is welcoming to see steps already being taken to support this, for example via the proposed changes to the Enterprise Management Incentive scheme (see our reporting of this here – Employee Share Schemes). This quest for nurturing…

February 25, 2026 Read more >

In December 2025, HM Revenue & Customs published the Employment Related Securities Bulletin (November 2025). The bulletin contains details from Autumn Budget 2025, including on the Private Intermittent Securities and Capital Exchange System (PISCES), Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI) and the published summary of responses to the Share Incentive Plans (SIP) and Save As You Earn…

January 21, 2026 Read more >

The government delivered its Autumn Budget on 26 November 2025. This article briefly discusses the likely impact that the Budget may have on employee share schemes. The main relevant tax changes are: Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI) Plans – The government has proposed that from 6 April 2026, legislation will be introduced to increase the following…

November 27, 2025 Read more >

Along with the 2025 Spring Statement, HMRC has published a technical note on the tax implications for companies and employees when a company has shares traded on the Private Intermittent Securities and Capital Exchange System (PISCES). PISCES is a new type of secondary stock exchange that will facilitate intermittent trading of private company shares. It…

April 1, 2025 Read more >

On 14 October 2024, HMRC published its Employment Related Securities Bulletin 57 (October 2024). This bulletin covers guidance on: the interpretation of “arrangements” for EMI independence test purposes the application of the ‘deeming provision’ to employment related securities and employment related securities options, following the Vermillion case; and processing of employment related securities. This bulletin…

October 18, 2024 Read more >

In the Spring budget 2023, the following reform to the CSOP rules and changes to the EMI rules, effective from 6 April 2023, have been announced: Reform of CSOP The CSOP rules will be reformed, as previously announced by the government on 23 September 2022, in the following manner: paragraph 6(1) of the CSOP legislation…

March 16, 2023 Read more >

HMRC has recently updated their guidance in the HMRC manuals at ETASSUM54300 on their views about what would and would not constitute acceptable exercise of discretion in the context of EMI Options. Background Paragraph 37 of Schedule 5 of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 provides that the terms of any EMI Option…

November 22, 2022 Read more >

In March this year HM Treasury issued a Call for Evidence on the effectiveness of Enterprise Management Incentives (EMIs) in fulfilling the Government’s policy objectives of helping Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) recruit and retain employees. The Government’s objective for this call for evidence was to gather more evidence to understand whether the EMI scheme…

June 2, 2021 Read more >

An annual return needs to be submitted by all companies who have an active employee share plan registered with HMRC. This includes tax-advantaged share plans such as EMI, CSOP, SAYE and SIP as well as any non-tax advantaged plans or arrangements such as unapproved options, conditional share awards (or restricted stock units), growth share plans…

April 28, 2021 Read more >

As part of its long-term strategy around taxation, the administration of tax and wider tax policies, HM Treasury have split out the aspects of the recent Budget that related specifically to these areas.  As a result, Tuesday 23rd March saw the publication of a raft of tax policies and consultations. The impact of this work…

March 27, 2021 Read more >

1. Introduction For so long as the UK was part of the European Union, some types of EU legislation such as Regulations and Decisions, were directly applicable as law in the UK pursuant to section 2(1) of the European Communities Act 1972. Other types of EU legislation such as Directives were implemented through domestic legislation.…

January 25, 2021 Read more >

Back to the basics – what are share plans? Share plans are means for companies to reward employees. Most often, these plans are established to improve motivation and boost productivity, by giving employees a stake in the company or share options. The more profitable the company gets, the more likely it is that employees will…

October 29, 2020 Read more >