How should EIS investors respond to new rules this tax year?

Deadline approaching

March is approaching, traditionally the month in which about half of all Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) business is written. But this year there will be a big difference.

New rules, announced by Chancellor Philip Hammond in his Autumn Budget, are likely to have worked their way through the Parliamentary process by mid-March, with the result that a significant number of investments will no longer qualify for EIS. The investor will face reduced capacity in terms of supply and may be tempted to react by rushing into any opportunities that remain open. This temptation must be firmly resisted. In his Budget speech, Mr Hammond said he was "doubling EIS limits for knowledge-intensive industries, while ensuring that EIS is not used as a shelter for low-risk ca...