Research and analysis

Annual Investment Allowance Efficacy Review

HM Revenue and Customs commissioned IFF to conduct a qualitative evaluation of the Annual Investment Allowance tax relief, sometimes known as AIA in 2018.

Documents

Annual Investment Allowance Efficacy Review

Details

The Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) is a relief that can be claimed by businesses on the cost of plant and machinery. In 2018, a business could claim up to 100% of an investment up to a value of £200,000 to help reduce the potential tax liability for that business. �

The 2018 research aimed to:  �

  • gather evidence on the efficacy of the AIA Â�
  • the extent to which it is considered when investments are made Â�
  • whether or not it is meeting its aims of increasing investment and simplifying tax affairs for SMEs 

IFF conducted 21 in-depth interviews with 16 claimants of AIA from the 2015 to 2016 tax year, 3 non-claimants, and 2 ‘non-informed� claimants to explore the reasons for not claiming AIA and any differences in their investment behaviour. 

Updates to this page

Published 28 May 2025

Sign up for emails or print this page