Tax free investments

There are a variety of tax free investments available in the UK that come free of income or capital gains tax. These include cash ISA’s and stocks and shares ISA’s, tax free investment schemes and offshore investment trusts available in favourable tax destinations.

It pays to check the terms and conditions of any tax free investment carefully because the tax free status can be nullified or financial penalties imposed if you withdraw funds before maturity or before the minimum period of investment is completed.

	Ethical investments come of age With trust in the banking sector at an all-time low, more consumers are looking for ethical alternatives. James Howard, from ethical investors Emerald Knight explains.
	Amazon cuts free postage on orders below £10 Online retailer Amazon has cut free delivery on some products valued at below £10.
	Skipton BS boosts tax free savings with new ISAs Skipton Building Society has launched two versions of an easy access ISA offering interest at 3.1 per cent variable, which includes a 1.1 per cent bonus.
	Half of ISA investors ‘won’t use full tax free allowance’ Just seven per cent of investors have so far used their full ISA allowance for 2011-12, according to figures from The Share Centre.
	Royal Mail to be privatised and workers to get free shares The government has set out plans for the privatisation of the Royal Mail in what will be the biggest share sell-off since British Gas with employees to be offered free shares.