On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:01:59 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
Derek Geldard wrote:
Well at that time mine was a 5 year old Fiat Ulysse with 88,000 on the
clock. Invoice value when new £24,000 current market value about £4k.

Why do firms insist on buying high depreciating cars? Don't they have
accountants?

Chocolate teapot. However the choice of car was limited by the need to
safely and reliably get out to customers up to 740 miles away (ret.)
with all tools, spares, and circuit diagrams etc. and the occasional
need to take customers out on sales demonstrations, so must be recent
and decent.

At first the revenue reduced my allowances by £7,700. I thought that
had to be wrong so checked it on the AA website which confirmed it was
wrong. I made an appeal and got it reduced to £4.700. on which I would
pay tax at my highest marginal rate (40%) + NI (Both halves). This
looks like £2914 in tax +NI /year, or £56.04 /week for almost zero
private miles. The accountant said the IR would not accept that a car
in a small firm does zero private miles.

You left the car at work each day?

I am a mobile service engineer and my service base is my home.

Derek

On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:59:29 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
Derek Geldard wrote:
putting humunguous taxes on company cars (when I
last had a company car in 2003 I was taxed more heavily than if I had
been given the value of the car in pound notes every year)

Absolute rubbish.

Not so. It is exactly the way it is.

It's still much better value than actually having to buy
and run the equivalent new car.

I didn't have a new car it was 5 years old.

Derek

In article ,
Derek Geldard wrote:
Why do firms insist on buying high depreciating cars? Don't they have
accountants?

Chocolate teapot. However the choice of car was limited by the need to
safely and reliably get out to customers up to 740 miles away (ret.)
with all tools, spares, and circuit diagrams etc. and the occasional
need to take customers out on sales demonstrations, so must be recent
and decent.

And they still chose a Fiat?

--
*I got a sweater for Christmas. I really wanted a screamer or a moaner*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Derek Geldard wrote:
On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:59:29 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
Derek Geldard wrote:
putting humunguous taxes on company cars (when I
last had a company car in 2003 I was taxed more heavily than if I had
been given the value of the car in pound notes every year)

Absolute rubbish.

Not so. It is exactly the way it is.

It's still much better value than actually having to buy
and run the equivalent new car.

I didn't have a new car it was 5 years old.

What firm runs 5 year old cars? Non I know of. IIRC that is the
depreciation to zero period. But most change them earlier to keep a
maker's warranty and 'free' servicing, etc.

--
*"I am " is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:24:08 +0100 Derek Geldard wrote :
I didn't have a new car it was 5 years old.

I'd be a bit worried at having a boss who thinks that a 5 year old
Fiat will impress customers!

--
Tony Bryer SDA UK 'Software to build on' http://www.sda.co.uk

On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:01:39 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
Derek Geldard wrote:
Why do firms insist on buying high depreciating cars? Don't they have
accountants?

Chocolate teapot. However the choice of car was limited by the need to
safely and reliably get out to customers up to 740 miles away (ret.)
with all tools, spares, and circuit diagrams etc. and the occasional
need to take customers out on sales demonstrations, so must be recent
and decent.

And they still chose a Fiat?

The Ulysse was built by Pu-got.

Derek

On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:24:36 GMT, Tony Bryer
wrote:

On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:24:08 +0100 Derek Geldard wrote :
I didn't have a new car it was 5 years old.

I'd be a bit worried at having a boss who thinks that a 5 year old
Fiat will impress customers!

Really ??

Firstly, I never said it would.

Secondly, It's a bloody sight more acceptable than the Ford Sierra
Estates the sales reps used to get to do the same. Of course it wasn't
5 years old all it's life we got it from new and it was 5 y.o. when it
was disposed of.

Thirdly, I find the MPV format with (re-) movable seats and sliding
side doors particularly handy enabling one to stand on the pavement
when hauling out multi channel analysers and the like. The choice was
limited and is now even more so.

Fourthly, in the past we have found customers getting jealous and
complaining if service engineers are provided with large ostentatious
cars as if the cost was coming straight out of their own pocket. Can't
win.

In other (simple) words it is how we chose to operate the business.
End of ...

I am merely pointing out that Gordon Mac S-F's company car taxation
then moved the goalposts in a grossly inequitable way.

Derek

On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:23:40 GMT, Tony Bryer
wrote:

On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:16:12 +0100 Derek Geldard wrote :
I'd be a bit worried at having a boss who thinks that a 5 year old
Fiat will impress customers!

Really ??

Firstly, I never said it would.

"However the choice of car was limited by the need to
safely and reliably get out to customers up to 740 miles away (ret.)
with all tools, spares, and circuit diagrams etc. and the occasional
need to take customers out on sales demonstrations, so must be recent
and decent."


And I said "impress customers" where?

Read what I said.

Derek

On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:16:12 +0100 Derek Geldard wrote :
I'd be a bit worried at having a boss who thinks that a 5 year old
Fiat will impress customers!

Really ??

Firstly, I never said it would.

"However the choice of car was limited by the need to
safely and reliably get out to customers up to 740 miles away (ret.)
with all tools, spares, and circuit diagrams etc. and the occasional
need to take customers out on sales demonstrations, so must be recent
and decent."

--
Tony Bryer SDA UK 'Software to build on' http://www.sda.co.uk

In article ,
Derek Geldard wrote:
On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:24:36 GMT, Tony Bryer
wrote:

On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:24:08 +0100 Derek Geldard wrote :
I didn't have a new car it was 5 years old.

I'd be a bit worried at having a boss who thinks that a 5 year old
Fiat will impress customers!

Really ??

Firstly, I never said it would.

Secondly, It's a bloody sight more acceptable than the Ford Sierra
Estates the sales reps used to get to do the same. Of course it wasn't
5 years old all it's life we got it from new and it was 5 y.o. when it
was disposed of.

Thought you were talking about tax rates imposed by this labour
government. The Sierra ceased production long before they came to power.
You're effectively comparing cars near 20 years apart in real terms - and
a lot has happened in those 20 years.

--
*When I'm not in my right mind, my left mind gets pretty crowded *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:56:25 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
Derek Geldard wrote:
On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:24:36 GMT, Tony Bryer
wrote:

On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:24:08 +0100 Derek Geldard wrote :
I didn't have a new car it was 5 years old.

I'd be a bit worried at having a boss who thinks that a 5 year old
Fiat will impress customers!

Really ??

Firstly, I never said it would.

Secondly, It's a bloody sight more acceptable than the Ford Sierra
Estates the sales reps used to get to do the same. Of course it wasn't
5 years old all it's life we got it from new and it was 5 y.o. when it
was disposed of.

Thought you were talking about tax rates imposed by this labour
government. The Sierra ceased production long before they came to power.
You're effectively comparing cars near 20 years apart in real terms - and
a lot has happened in those 20 years.

Well the company has a new boss since then and we don't have reps now

;-)

I did say "Used to get", would it have changed much if I'd said "Ford
Mundaneo" ?

Now about this iniquitous company car tax ...

Derek

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Far too simplistic. For example a large house will have a bigger road
frontage which needs maintaining etc.

Indeed, far too simplistic. My road frontage consists of a 3m wide
driveway shared between four houses. I wish that was all that set my
local authority taxes.

As the biggest single expenditure for LAs is education, should the
childless get a discount?

Andy