The government has launched a call for evidence on the Save As You Earn (SAYE) and Share Incentive Plan (SIP) employee share schemes, which it will use to consider opportunities to improve and simplify the scheme. The consultation closes at 17:00 Friday, 25 August 2023.

The Esop Centre welcomes this announcement. In anticipation, the Centre focused on SIP and SAYE-Sharesave in a panel discussion webinar on 27 April. A recording of our share schemes expert panellists’ points of view is available here.

Subject of the Call for Evidence:

At Spring Budget 2023, the government announced that it would launch a call for evidence on the non-discretionary tax-advantaged employee share schemes, Save As You Earn (SAYE) and the Share Incentive Plan (SIP).

Scope of this Call for Evidence:

The government’s objectives for this Call for Evidence are to seek views and gather evidence on the current usage of these schemes and whether they are effective in achieving their stated policy objectives. The government will use responses to consider whether there are options for improving and simplifying the schemes. In particular, the government is seeking views on:

• the effectiveness and suitability of the schemes and whether they are fulfilling their policy objectives
• current usage and participation and whether there are barriers to participating in the schemes
• whether the schemes’ rules are simple and clear as well as whether they offer enough flexibility to meet individual firms’ needs
• whether the schemes suitably incentivise share ownership for lower income earners
• what other performance incentives businesses offer their employees and how these compare with SAYE and SIP

Who should read this:

The government seeks views from businesses, business representative organisations, and employees as well as anyone interested in the tax-advantaged employee share schemes or the wider tax system.

Duration:

The government would welcome responses by 25 August 2023.

How to respond or enquire about this call for evidence:

The Treasury is currently unable to respond to responses or queries sent in the post at this time. You can submit your response by online survey here. If you encounter any problems, please contact: shareschemes@hmtreasury.gov.uk

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