There is always so much going on in December. Here’s an overview of some of  the stories that you might have missed as 2015 drew to a close…

Who will pay higher stamp duty?
The Telegraph was inundated with requests from readers for answers to questions about the higher rates of stamp duty on second homes and buy-to-lets announced in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement. The Telegraph said it could answer one: if you own a home and a buy-to-let, you will be able to sell your home and buy another and pay the normal, not the higher rates. But another was harder: if you own a buy-to-let, will you be able to buy a home to live in at normal rates of stamp duty or will you have to pay the higher rates? HMRC told the Telegraph the answer would be in a paper it would issue early in the New Year.

Cash for annuities in April 2017
The government has confirmed that its plan to allow people to sell annuities for cash will take effect in April 2017, says the Telegraph. Details will follow in the Spring Budget this year. However, experts warned that people must expect to get back substantially less than they originally paid for their annuities – the longer they have had them, the bigger the discount.

State pension: top up, defer or both?
Those who reach retirement age before April 2016 have got two ways of topping up their state pensions. They can defer their pension, in which case they get a 10.4% increase for each full year of deferment. Or they can buy Class 3a National Insurance contributions to buy extra pension for life, with rates depending on age. The Mail said for some people doing both could be worthwhile, but the pay-back period from deferment is shorter.

Don’t hold your breath
Savers who were expecting the Bank of England to follow on the heels of the US Federal Reserve and start raising interest rates were disappointed by yet another decision to hold rates at their record low of 0.5%. One of the members of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee told the Mail there was no rush to raise rates.

Watch for new tax wrinkles
Two new tax allowances could make the UK system even more complicated from next year, tax experts told the Financial Times. From April 2016, everyone gets a £1,000 ‘interest allowance’ on which no income tax is payable, and a £5,000 a year ‘dividend allowance’ which is also tax-free. But even if this income isn’t taxed, it can still affect entitlement to allowances such as child benefit.

Final salary pension schemes at risk
Research by the Pensions Institute shows that 1,000 of the 6,000 UK final salary pension schemes may not pay out the pensions they have promised to members, says the Financial Times.  Private sector pension schemes that (unlike government schemes) accumulate assets to pay members’ pensions have been hit by low interest rates and rising life expectancy. The researchers say the pension obligations may overwhelm many of the company sponsors.

We’re all going digital
Every UK business will have a digital tax account by next year, says HMRC, and it won’t be long before all individuals have one too. The Financial Times says because HMRC can add all the information it holds to the accounts, people will have to enter less details than on paper forms. We will soon find out if HMRC’s rush to become the world’s techiest tax collector works as well for taxpayers as it does for them.

Widening access to shared ownership schemes
The government has widened access to shared ownership schemes by raising the eligible earnings thresholds, says the Financial Times. Outside London, the threshold has been raised from £60,000 to £80,000 and within London to £90,000. The schemes allow buyers to buy a proportion (from 25% to 75%) of leasehold properties from housing associations and pay rent on the rest. This means initial deposit requirements are lower than for outright purchases.

HMRC gets tough on charitable gifts
HMRC is getting tougher on tax reclaims on charitable gifts, says the Sunday Times. One reason is the big rise in the reclaims since the Gift Aid scheme was launched. From April 2016, charities will be required to use new donation forms that make it clear that only if you pay tax can you fill in a tax reclaim form. But many people who are non-taxpayers have completed Gift Aid declarations in the past and charities have collected the reclaims – some of which are now being contested by the taxman. A typical cause of disqualification is a drop in income in retirement, which means a long-running regular gift under Gift Aid that used to qualify for relief no longer does so because the donor is no longer a taxpayer.

Angels meet entrepreneurs online
The UK Business Angels Association has launched UKBAA DealShare, an online platform where its 15,000 investor members can meet up with entrepreneurs seeking investment. Backed by 18 organisations, the group is targeting the financing needs of small businesses that surveys show the banks fail to meet.

The old have it
Research from the Resolution Foundation shows that the 65-74 age group have 19% of the nation’s wealth, says the Financial Times. Meanwhile, all those under 45 collectively have just 16% of wealth, despite the fact there are three times as many of them as there are oldies. The researchers say older people were less affected by the squeeze on wages since 2008 and have also benefited more from the rise in property prices.