I hope you have all enjoyed the summer bank holiday weekend,
even though it has felt very much like autumn for most of it!
You may recall last year’s court case between, Coca-Cola and
HMRC which was centred around when is a van a van for income tax and NI
purposes. The court ruled in favour of HMRC. It’s an interesting case and I have
attached a case study below for you to see for yourself. If you have any questions
regarding vehicles and their tax implications get in touch for some advice on
the matter.
The Kickstart Scheme
I have had numerous queries regarding the Kickstart Scheme.
The Government promised more detail on the Scheme in August. We are fast
approaching the end of this month and as of yet the detail is not fully there. I
will share with you what I do know (see below) although I expect there to
be further information soon.
A CGT Property update
HMRC have set up a portal in which either the taxpayer can
complete the CGT Property Return within the 30 day compliance time limit.
However until now, the CGT Return portal could only deal with one property
disposal per tax year. The agent or the taxpayer would have to contact HMRC by
phone (tel. no. 0300 200 3300)
to ensure that compliance is met on second and any subsequent disposal. HMRC
have now stated that the portal is now capable of being used for multiple
disposals.
Please be aware that the CGT portal can still not deal with
amendments to the CGT Return. If amendments need to be made you will have to
contact the HMRC CGT helpline tel. no. 0300 200 3300.
The Job Retention Scheme
new phase from 1st September. In respect of those furloughed
employees, from 1st September the Government will meet 70% of the wages up to
£2190. With the remaining 10% to be met by the employer.
As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Aaron Mcleish
info@togetherwecount.co.uk
01273 569088
0114 4000 119
Coca Cola V HMRC
The
result of the case
- The Court of Appeal found in favour of HM Revenue & Customs
(HMRC) that certain types of modified crew cab vehicles should not be classed
as ‘vans’ for income tax and national insurance purposes but as cars instead.
What
does the tax legislation say a van is?
- It is a goods vehicle and has a design weight not exceeding 3,500
kilograms and is not a motor cycle. - A ‘goods’ vehicle is defined as one of a construction primarily suited for the conveyance of
goods or burden of any description.
What
important points came out of the Court of Appeal ruling?
- When deciding whether it is a ‘van’ or a ‘car’ it is not the original design of it but
the construction/adaptation of it when it is made available to the
employee. - Although the look of the vehicle is a factor, it is not a
significant one. - The fact that a vehicle is used for private purposes is, in
itself, irrelevant in deciding whether or not, for income tax/NI purposes, it
is a ‘van’. - The importance is whether or not the vehicle fits the definition
of a ‘car’ or a ‘van’. - The Court placed great emphasise on what is meant by ‘primarily’ suited for the
conveyance of goods. - The Court felt that multipurpose vehicles would be deemed to be a
‘car’ if the construction of the vehicle, when looking at it as a whole, was
only ‘marginally’ in favour of it being a goods vehicle than a car. ‘Primarily’
means more than that. - The three vehicles in question were originally constructed as
panel vans but were modified. - One vehicle was modified to incorporate a second row of seats
which could be removed (using tools) and a window added at the side of the
seats. - The other two vehicles already had a second row of seats,
removable (without using tools), with windows either side of them, behind the
driver and front passenger seat. Racking was required to be installed by the driver when the
vehicle was used on business. - All 3 vehicles were modified to provide added protection for those
sat in the second row of seats to prevent loose items from entering their area
if the vehicle had to brake suddenly.
Why does
it matter whether a vehicle is classed as a car or a van for tax purposes?
- The current benefit it kind charge for a ‘van’ is £3,490 (£2,792 –
no CO2 emissions). - If treated as a ‘car’, the benefit in kind charge could be
considerably higher as it is normally calculated based upon the car price
graduated according to the level of CO2 emissions. - If regarded as a ‘car’ this could have a knock-on negative impact
on the level of Class 1A national insurance for a business to pay. - If private fuel is paid for by the business, the car fuel benefit
in kind figure is likely to be considerably higher than the fixed van fuel
charge of £666 where CO2 emissions come into play. - Vans are potentially eligible for the annual investment allowance whereas
cars are not. Capital allowances relief is likely to be spread over a longer
period for cars. - Input tax can be claimed in part or in full on the purchase of a
vehicle classed as a ‘van’ for VAT purposes, but the recovery is generally
blocked if a car is purchased, where private use maybe involved.
It is
worth knowing
- It is worth noting that, a combi-vehicle with a payload of 1 tonne
or more is not a car for VAT purposes. - Double cab pickups (but no other type of dual-purpose vehicle),
HMRC accept that where the vehicle meets the ‘van’ payload test for VAT
purposes, they will apply the same treatment for benefit in kind purposes. - HMRC produced a list of combi vehicles which they felt were, for
VAT purposes, either a ‘car’ or a ‘van’. The list has not been updated since
May 2015. See below for a link to the list.
Looking
forward
- If Coca Cola don’t appeal against this judgement, we expect HMRC will
review all those employees with ‘vans’. Worst case scenario is that they could
try and open up earlier years where they believe they can apply this precedent. - In light of the Coca Cola case, I would be perhaps be reviewing my
employees to see who have been declaring the ‘van’ benefit and making them
aware of the result of the Coca Cola case and the potential repercussions of
it. - Some vehicles will be clear cut panel vans or fit the
double-cab HMRC concession. But will some have been adapted from the original
construction to include such things as additional seats and side windows? Will
they now no longer be ‘primarily
suited’ for the conveyance of goods?
Full links
1 https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/HMRC-v-Payne-Ors-Approved-Judgment-002.pdf
2 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hm-revenue-and-customs-car-derived-vans-and-combi-vans
The Kickstart
Scheme
- Employers will receive funding of up to 100% of
the National Minimum Wage from the Government for each employee (aged 16-24)
covering a maximum of 25 hours a week. - The Government will also cover the relevant
employers National Insurance costs. - The Government will also cover the relevant
employer automatic enrolment pension scheme contributions. - A business can pay in excess of the minimum wage
and offer more hours of work but that will not be covered by the Scheme. - The individual must be on Universal Credit and
deemed to be at risk of long-term unemployment. - The funding will be for each 6-month job
placement. - The employer can top up the wages if they so
wish. - Companies who take part in the scheme will have
to prove that the jobs they are making available are new and are not replacing
any already existing jobs - They also have to be jobs ‘above and beyond’ any
jobs they were expecting to create. - Jobcentre plus will be the main driver enforcing
this and act as a sort of matchmaker. However, when it is available, businesses
will be able to advertise for eligible applicants or use a Recruitment agency
to source suitable applicants. - The Scheme was supposed to be up and running in
August. It is likely to be from September now. - Any employer is eligible to be part of the
Scheme. - There would appear to be no limit on the number
of Kickstart ‘employees’ that can be recruited. - There is a belief that the Government will set
up a Gateway portal for participating businesses to claim back the Kickstart
monies similar to what has occurred as regards the Job Retention Scheme. - At present the scheme is intending to run
through to the end of December 2021 but it will be under review throughout.