VCTs/EIS

HMRC is to hold regular stakeholder forums to help clarify and develop the rules surrounding EIS, SEIS and VCT schemes.

Venture capital trust (VCT) fundraising reached a nine-year high in the last tax year, according to the data from the Association of Investment Companies (AIC.)

UK smaller company investment boutique Amati has launched an AIM IHT portfolio service for investors looking to take advantage of UK government inheritance tax exemptions on shareholdings in certain qualified listed companies.

An SEIS fund aimed at exploiting the opportunities to be found among start-ups working within the gambling industry has been launched by a team of industry experts.

The manager of the Unicorn AIM VCT said the fund is close to matching last year's total of £20m in cash raised from investors but said the company is not looking to raise any more funds "just for the sake of it".

A Shariah-compliant Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) fund has been launched by Portillion Capital aimed at tapping into the "disenfranchised" UK Muslim investor base.

The chief executive of Puma Investments is confident the latest edition of the firm's VCT funds will match the £28m raised last year as investors continue to show an appetite for the company's asset-backed investment strategy.

Commentators have warned Chancellor George Osborne's new rules for VCT,EIS and SEIS investments, announced in today's Budget, could create confusion and crowding in certain parts of the market.

Despite having a 20-year plus history, EIS, VCT, and BPR vehicles are still avoided by some investors - despite them being strong alternatives to the traditional pension investments currently on offer says Jack Rose, business development director for...

In the first of a series of articles on VCTs, Jack Rose, business development director for tax products at LGBR Capital, explores how VCTs work and what they can offer different types of investors