HM Treasury update on recommendations on the future of EIS and VCT schemes

HM Treasury has now published its response to the recommendations made by the Treasury Select Committee 2022 inquiry into venture capital with recommendations on the future of EIS and VCT schemes. Rupert Gather, Chairman of InvestUK made the following comments:

“Finally some common sense from HM Treasury! I’ve never liked EIS and VCT investment incentives to invest.  I know that they are credited with bringing more than £20bn of venture funds into early stage companies, but they have moral hazard as they give a tax free upside and recovery from losses on the downside, rewarding excessive risk taking. It makes it easier for one in a hundred potential tech unicorns to raise money but starves sensible, important but unglamorous companies of capital. At InvestUK we have nearly £30 million investment under term sheet into 26 early stage companies from 11 international investors, none of whom benefit from EIS; they just want to back the companies based on their fundamentals. Makes more sense?”

For full details see:  https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmtreasy/1876/report.html