Pool Car

Fionabell

Hi

My OH has been working for the same local charity for just over 3 years. A couple of months ago his boss told him he'd to use the pool car to go to/from work. Thing is that he never has to put petrol in it. We were out the other night and someone says that he should have to pay some sort of tax on it. He has his own car anyway (he doesnt want to pay tax on it) 'and he told his boss this but his boss said not to worry about it as it has to be kept somewhere safe overnight. Reason he's got this now is the charity has another pool car so the boss is now using the new one so he obviously isn't worried about it.

Is that right?

Fionabell

It's his boss that's wanting him to take it overnight though and his boss is taking the other car. the cars can't be left where he works as it's a rough area so he's more or less been ordered to take it.

Fionabell

It's not a car sorry it's a van. How will HMRC find out? If the boss is doing it anyway it's down to the boss to sort it out isn't it?

Other people use it to transport clothes and stuff but not at night or at weekends.

tomtontom

Fionabell wrote: »

It's not a car sorry it's a van. How will HMRC find out? If the boss is doing it anyway it's down to the boss to sort it out isn't it?

Other people use it to transport clothes and stuff but not at night or at weekends.

You appear to be condoning potential tax evasion by a charity?

Fionabell

tomtontom wrote: »

You appear to be condoning potential tax evasion by a charity?

How is it tax evasion? The boss has been using it all the time - only reason he's not now is that they recently got an actual car to use and it can't be left at work.

My OH is not evading tax - as far as we know - that's why I asked the question originally but don't see (if it's a van) that he is.

Do you think he should just use his own car to get to work and what about leaving the van - no-one else can take it home he lives the closest.

Tiddlywinks

Home to work travel is normally a personal cost and not met by the employer.

This van is used by others so the home to office is still an issue.

The 'free' milage to and from work that your OH is enjoying is a taxable benefit.

Let's face it, realistically, the tax will not be more than the savings made from not having to use his own car and fuel for travelling to and from work so he won't be that hard done by if he is taxed on the saving.

Fionabell

blondebubbles wrote: »

What the boss does or doesn't do is irrelevant. The boss's tax is not your partner's tax.

You originally said your partner has private use of a company car, driving it home is private use. This would raise a company car and fuel benefit. The tax on this benefit is your partners responsibility to pay.

It doesn't matter if his boss told him to take it home or who lives closest, he has private use so that raises the benefit.

However you've now said it is a van which has its own rules. As mentioned a company van can be taken home but no other private use is allowed (except for one off as mentioned).

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/eimanual/EIM22800.htm

I would suggest your partner confirms in writing with his boss that private use is prohibited other than ordinary commuting and that your partner keeps a mileage log for the van to prove he does not use it privately, which would only take a couple of minutes to do each day.

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

Home to work travel is normally a personal cost and not met by the employer.

This van is used by others so the home to office is still an issue.

The 'free' milage to and from work that your OH is enjoying is a taxable benefit.

Let's face it, realistically, the tax will not be more than the savings made from not having to use his own car and fuel for travelling to and from work so he won't be that hard done by if he is taxed on the saving.

I'm a bit confused - Blondbubbles says that because it's a van it's fine but Tiddlywinks is saying that it is still an issue even though it's a van?

Sorry but which post is correct?

Savvy_Sue

Fionabell wrote: »

I'm a bit confused - Blondbubbles says that because it's a van it's fine but Tiddlywinks is saying that it is still an issue even though it's a van?

Sorry but which post is correct?

I don't know, but I wonder if it's a distinction between a van just used by one person, and a van used by many people, so that if it was 'his' van then it would be OK for him to drive it to and from work (but nowhere else), and if it was a shared van then being allowed to drive it to and from work would make a taxable benefit in kind.

However, what I wondered was what happens if he is unexpectedly off work? food poisoning, broken limb, flu etc.

Fionabell

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

I don't know, but I wonder if it's a distinction between a van just used by one person, and a van used by many people, so that if it was 'his' van then it would be OK for him to drive it to and from work (but nowhere else), and if it was a shared van then being allowed to drive it to and from work would make a taxable benefit in kind.

However, what I wondered was what happens if he is unexpectedly off work? food poisoning, broken limb, flu etc.

I don't know actually I guess someone would come and pick it up and then someone else would have to use it - if he was off sick for say more than a week. He was on holiday a few weeks ago and just brought it home with him - no-one said anything. It's the parking at work that I think is the problem.

I still don't feel much wiser about this. Just don't want him getting into bother:rotfl: