To mark World Trauma Day on 17 October, we are pleased to announce the launch of materials Link opens in a new windowfor the 999 Respond projects. The 999 R.E.S.P.O.N.D projects, led by Professor Jo Angouri Link opens in a new windowand Professor Nigel ReesLink opens in a new window in collaboration with Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust Link opens in a new window(WAST), the Emergency Medical Retrieval & Transfer ServiceLink opens in a new window (EMRTS), Wales Air Ambulance Charitable Trust Link opens in a new window(WACT), and University of Bristol.Link opens in a new windowlooks at the way in which the decision to dispatch a critical care team is made by the teams in the ambulance control rooms.

Visit the webpage for further information: 999 Respond Project Resources Launch (warwick.ac.uk)

The Gatsby Foundation and the JP Morgan Chase Foundation are supporting the Institute for Employment Research at the University of Warwick to undertake research to understand how parents and carers can be better supported by schools and colleges to feel more informed and confident with the advice they give to their children. Dr John Gough from our Careers team has been involved in the research project on 'The role of parents in providing careers guidance and how they can be better supported.'

You can read the report findings along with the recording of a live webinar explaining more about the project here.

A quarter of estates worth over £10 million pay less than 9% Inheritance Tax, thanks to uncapped exemptions and reliefs, according to new research co-written by Dr Arun Advani as part of the new Centre for the Analysis of Taxation (CenTax).

One in six estates worth over £10 million currently pay an effective tax rate of less than 4%, even among estates not eligible for the (uncapped) spouse exemption, whilst another quarter pay close to the 40% headline rate of Inheritance Tax (IHT). These huge disparities are driven by the use of allowances, exemptions and reliefs, including Business Relief, Agricultural Relief.

These findings come from a new report by researchers at the Centre for Analysis of Taxation (CenTax). The report is published on the day Parliament meets for a Westminster Hall Debate on the future of Business Relief and Agricultural Relief, and amidst speculation that these reliefs might be a target for the Chancellor in the upcoming Budget.

The report finds that:

• On average, Business Relief almost halves the effective tax rate paid by estates worth over £30 million (from 23% to 12%), compared with only a one percentage point reduction for estates valued at less than £1.5 million. More than two thirds of Business Relief goes to around 400 estates per year claiming more than £1 million each in relief.
• Only a quarter of those claiming Business Relief on shares had been involved in management of a business as a company director at any point in the five tax years prior to death. This suggests that most claims for Business Relief are by ‘passive’ investors rather than ‘active’ business owners. This figure includes investments in AIM shares.
• Almost two thirds (64%) of Agricultural Relief went to around 200 estates per year that each claimed more than £1 million in relief, with an average estate value of £6 million.
• Agricultural Relief can be claimed by landlords as well as active farmers, provided that they have owned the land for at least seven years. Less than half (44%) of individuals who claimed Agricultural Relief had received any trading income from agriculture at any point in the five tax years prior to death. Income from agriculture made up less than a quarter of their income.

The report recommends a series of reforms aimed at making IHT fairer whilst preserving the key policy objectives of existing exemptions and reliefs:

• Capping Agricultural Relief and Business Relief at a combined limit of £500,000 per estate could raise up to £900 million per year. Two-thirds of estates claiming Agricultural Relief, and three-quarters of those claiming Business Relief, would be completely unaffected, but would increase the effective tax rates paid by the very largest estates (above £30 million) by around 7pp on average.
• Abolishing the Residential Nil Rate Band (RNRB) whilst increasing the standard Nil Rate Band (NRB) by an equivalent amount would cost around £1 billion per year, with all of the benefit going to estates valued at less than £2.7 million. For estates valued at less than £2 million, this would entail an increase in the NRB from £325,000 to £500,000.
• Capping the spouse exemption at £10 million would affect fewer than 0.1% of estates (100 deaths a year) and raise up to £350m in revenue. This reform would limit the current scope for tax planning, whilst ensuring that surviving spouses would not suffer a material reduction in living standards as a result of IHT.
• Combining all three of these reforms could raise up to £500 million, whilst at the same time lowering effective tax rates (on average) for estates worth less than £2 million. Under this package, only estates worth more than £8 million would see their effective tax rates rise by more than 5 percentage points on average.

Arun Advani, Director of CenTax and Associate Professor at University of Warwick, said: “Less than one in five Business Relief claims are for someone who was managing a closely-held business any time in the five years prior to death. Although Business Relief is often defended as protection for family businesses, it is poorly targeted for doing that, as well as being very expensive.”

Andy Summers, Director of CenTax and Associate Professor at LSE, said: “Ideally, the UK would look to international examples and consider wholesale reform of our broken Inheritance Tax system. Clearly that’s not feasible in time for this Budget, but our report shows how the Government could raise revenues at the same time as cutting effective tax rates for most estates, just by limiting some of the excesses of our existing exemptions and reliefs.”

James Forrester, Research Economist at CenTax, said: “It’s striking how much the effective tax rate varies among estates with similar amounts of wealth. This is driven by a number of different tax reliefs, but much of the benefit of these reliefs is concentrated among relatively few estates.”

• Read the full CenTax Policy Report - Inheritance Tax reliefs: time for reform? by Arun Advani, Franziska Disslbacher, James Forrester and Andy Summers 

Do you work in research or innovation? The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is conducting the 2024 Research and Innovation Workforce Survey. Take the survey and have your voice heard.

Warwick Law School’s Professor Shaheen Ali has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate (Doctor Honoris Causa) from the University of Oslo which she received during a graduation ceremony held at the University on 2 September this year.

PAIS has secured a number of prizes from the British International Studies Association (BISA). At a ceremony held at the BISA conference in Birmingham on 6th July, the following prizes were awarded:

Early Career Excellence in Teaching International Studies Prize – Dr Akinyemi Oyawale

New Voices in Cultural Relations Prize (awarded by BISA and the British Council for best Masters dissertation in International Studies) – Louise Sherry, MA in International Relations 2022/3

Equality Diversity and Inclusion Prize – Prof. Vicki Squire

L.H.M. Ling Outstanding First Book Prize– honourable mention to Seb Rumsby former PhD student/postdoctoral fellow in PAIS

The British Academy is inviting proposals from early career researchers in the humanities and social sciences wishing to pursue an independent research project, towards the completion of a significant piece of publishable research.

Applicants must be researchers from the humanities and social sciences and be based at an eligible university or research organisation for the duration of the Fellowship.

Applicants must be of Early Career Status, meaning they must apply within three years from the date of their successful viva voce examination. For this round of competition, applicants are expected to have completed their viva voce between 1 April 2022 and 1 April 2025.

For more information and how to apply click hereLink opens in a new window

Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships aim to provide career development opportunities for those who are at a relatively early stage of their academic careers, but who have a proven record of research. The expectation is that Fellows should undertake a significant piece of publishable work during their tenure, and that the Fellowships should lead to a more permanent academic position, either within the same or another institution. Approximately 145 Fellowships will be available in 2024. Fellowships can be held at universities or at other institutions of higher education in the UK. Full details of the scheme, funding and eligibility are available on the Leverhulme websiteLink opens in a new window.

The closing date for applications to Leverhulme is 22 February 2024 at 4pm, with decisions released in May.

Sociology is inviting applications from suitably qualified candidates and up to three applicants will be selected for departmental support through a competitive selection process.

The procedure is as follows:

1. Expressions of interest in the scheme should be sent by email to Amy Clarke at Amy.Clarke@warwick.ac.uk by 12noon on Monday 4th December. 
2. All expressions of interest should include the following materials:

1. An outline project proposal (2 pages maximum)
2. An academic CV
3. An email or letter confirming support for your application from your chosen mentor in Sociology (who must be a permanent member of staff).

• All submissions received by the deadline and meeting these requirements will be reviewed by the Department Selection Panel.
• The criteria for selection are:

• Research track-record of nominee
• Quality of proposed research to be conducted while at Warwick
• Fit with the mentor and the strength of their support
• Fit with broader aims of the Leverhulme competition.

5. Decisions will be reported back to applicants by 12 January 2024.

6. Successful applicants will receive feedback and administrative support from the Department and University prior to the Leverhulme deadline on 23 February 2024.

Queries about the scheme or process should be sent to Professor Goldie Osuri (Director of Research & Impact) at G.Osuri@warwick.ac.uk

Useful Links:

Scheme overviewLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window

Key Dates:

Deadline for Expressions of Interest: 12noon on Monday 04th December 2023

Leverhulme Deadline: 4pm on 22 February 2024