
All former 10p and 22p band taxpayers are to benefit from a lump sum in this month's paycheque.
Millions of Britons are to receive a tax rebate, under new legislative reforms set to come into effect next week.
Basic rate taxpayers, of which there are around 22 million in the UK, will have their personal tax-free allowances boosted by £600 to £6,035 on September 7th, and will receive a lump-sum payment of £60 in their next salary cheque. Moreover, net pay will also typically rise by a further £10 a month for the last six months of the tax year, meaning that they will benefit from an overall annual saving of £120.
The move comes following chancellor of the exchequer Alistair Darling's decision to modify the government's plans of scrapping the 10p tax band earlier this year. Originally, the old 22p and 10p bands were to be merged in to a single, 20p band; however, following complaints that this would leave many poorer Britons even worse-off than before, the government decided to boost personal allowances in order to sweeten the deal for low earners.
Some groups have been critical of Mr Darling's move, pointing out that any economic benefits must be set against the fact that the rebate will cost the public purse £2.7 billion at a time of slowing economic growth.
Speaking to the BBC, Chris Jones at tax advisers Lexis Nexis commented: "When the chancellor put this budget together he wasn't expecting to lose £2.7bn, but I'm sure when he re-jigged his numbers, he will take account of this extra money. However, what we need to bear in mind, it could be good news for the economy."


