If you are thinking about purchasing a company car through a limited company, there are many issues that need to be considered. In this short article we will point out some of the main issues to be aware of, but it is important to properly research this area and weigh up all the available options.

The tax treatment of the purchase will depend on how the purchase of the company car is financed.

The purchase of a company car will be classed as a fixed asset and tax relief will be obtained by way of capital allowances. The amount of capital allowances that can be claimed will fall within one of the following 3 categories:

• 100% First Year Allowance. New and unused electric or zero emission cars emission cars benefit from 100% capital allowances. This means that 100% of the cost of the car can be deducted in the first year.
• 18% of the car’s value (main rate allowances). This effectively means that 18% of the purchase price can be deducted from your profits each year before you pay tax.
• 6% of the car’s value (special rate allowances). This effectively means that 6% of the purchase price can be deducted from your profits each year before you pay tax.

It is clearly demonstrated from the percentages above that the government is encouraging employers to choose more fuel-efficient vehicles by offering a tax incentive.

The company will also be liable to pay Class 1A NICs in respect of the provision of a company car based on the car benefit charges. Employers currently pay Class 1A NICs at the rate of 13.8%. This is increasing to 15.05% from 2022-23. There will be additional Class 1A NICs due where the company pays for private use of fuel. 

The employee benefitting from the use of a company car will also face additional tax costs from the use of their company car. This depends on the rate of tax they pay, the value of the car and its C02 emissions. 
 

Capital allowances are the deductions which allow businesses to secure tax relief for certain capital expenditure. HM Treasury has published a factsheet on the super-deduction offering companies a 130% first-year tax relief from 1 April 2021 until 31 March 2023. The factsheet also covers the enhanced first year allowance of 50% on qualifying special rate assets has also been introduced for expenditure within the same period. This includes most new plant and machinery investments that ordinarily qualify for 6% special rate writing down allowances. Both these reliefs are only available to companies.

The factsheet includes a helpful definition of plant and machinery that confirms:

Most tangible capital assets used in the course of a business are considered plant and machinery for the purposes of claiming capital allowances.

There is no exhaustive list of plant and machinery assets. The kinds of assets which may qualify for either the super-deduction or the 50% FYA include, but are not limited to:

• Solar panels
• Computer equipment and servers
• Tractors, lorries, vans
• Ladders, drills, cranes
• Office chairs and desks
• Electric vehicle charge points
• Refrigeration units
• Compressors
• Foundry equipment.

The Structures and Buildings Allowances (SBA) facilitates tax relief for qualifying capital expenditure on new non-residential structures and buildings. The relief applies to the qualifying costs of building and renovating commercial structures. 

The relief was introduced in October 2018 at an annual capital allowance rate of 2% on a straight-line basis. From 1 April 2020, the annual rate was increased to 3% and the corresponding period reduced to 33 and one third years. 

HMRC’s internal manuals consider the meaning of qualifying capital expenditure for this tax relief. The manuals state that:

The amount of qualifying capital expenditure will depend upon whether the person who first uses the building constructed it themselves, or they acquired it unused from a developer. That amount is determined either directly from expenditure incurred on the construction of a building, or by comparing those costs with the sum paid for the relevant interest in the building.

From the total ‘qualifying expenditure’, any amounts that qualify for other capital allowances or are specifically disallowed must be removed. The qualifying expenditure does not change, even when the ownership of the building changes, there are exceptions relating to VAT liabilities and rebates.

In the Spring Budget earlier this year, the government announced that the temporary Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) cap of £1 million would be extended until 31 December 2021. The Chancellor, delivering the Autumn Budget revealed that the temporary cap will now be extended further until 31 March 2023.

The government says that this move is intended to have positive outcomes for businesses by supporting and encouraging business investment, particularly those that are ineligible for the super-deduction, and by simplifying the tax relief for such investment. The change should also encourage investment in qualifying plant and machinery over the next 17 months.

The AIA allows for a 100% tax deduction on qualifying expenditure on plant and machinery to be deducted from profits before tax. The relief is normally capped at £200,000 per annum but was initially increased to £1 million from 1 January 2019.

This temporary limit of £1 million is a generous allowance and should cover the annual spend of most small and medium sized businesses. The AIA is available for most assets purchased by a business, such as machines and tools, vans, lorries, diggers, office equipment, building fixtures and computers. The AIA does not apply to cars.

The extension in the temporary limit means that businesses thinking of incurring large items of capital expenditure will now have additional time to consider their options during these uncertain times. There are complex transitional rules so the timing of any purchase should be carefully considered.

Are you thinking of investing in new plant or other equipment? Remember that the super-deduction offering 130% first-year tax relief is available to companies until March 2023.

The super-deduction tax break was introduced on 1 April 2021 and allows companies to deduct 130% of the cost of any qualifying investment on most new plant and equipment that would ordinarily qualify for 18% main rate writing down allowances. This means that for every £1 a business invests they can reduce their tax bill by up to 25p. The temporary tax relief applies on qualifying capital asset investments until 31 March 2023. 

The super-deduction is designed to help companies finance expansion in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and help to drive growth. 

In addition, an enhanced first year allowance of 50% on qualifying special rate assets has also been introduced for expenditure within the same period. This includes most new plant and machinery investments that ordinarily qualify for 6% special rate writing down allowances. 

The measures have effect in relation to qualifying expenditure from 1 April 2021, and exclude expenditure incurred on contracts entered into prior to Budget Day, 3 March 2021.