Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 17
17
Accepted in Part
Awareness and take-up of SEIS/EIS tax incentives remain low among women investors.
Recommendation
Tax incentives such as SEIS and EIS have proven effective in stimulating investment. Yet awareness, accessibility and take-up remain lower among women investors and outside of the South East. To achieve meaningful change, government and industry must work together to raise awareness of the benefits of tax incentives, build inclusive investment communities, and ensure that female entrepreneurs have equal access to the financial tools needed to grow and succeed. (Conclusion, Paragraph 72)
Government Response Summary
The government is working with the Invest in Women Taskforce to amplify awareness of EIS/SEIS schemes to eligible women-led businesses. Additionally, it has launched a Call for Evidence on the effectiveness of existing tax incentives and the wider tax system for businesses, which will close in February 2026.
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
Increasing female-led participation in existing schemes, improving awareness of them among both entrepreneurs and investors, and building more inclusive investment networks are practical and immediate avenues for progress. We welcome the recommendations around greater awareness of EIS/SEIS schemes and are working with the Invest in Women Taskforce to amplify these to eligible women-led businesses. The Government has also published a Call for Evidence that seeks views on the effectiveness of existing tax incentives, and the wider tax system for business founders and scaling firms, and how the UK can better support these companies to start, scale, and stay in the UK. The Call for evidence will close on 28 February 2026.