David Cutter Chartered Accountants

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Tax Facts

Budget 2008

Introduction

Personal Taxation

Employee Taxation

Investment Reliefs

Capital Gains Tax

Trusts

National Insurance Contributions

Tax Credits

Inheritance Tax

Business Tax

Corporation Tax

Value Added Tax

Stamp Duty

Insurance Premium Tax

Back

Business Tax

Businesses in general pay PAYE in respect of their employees, and VAT on turnover if they are required to be registered for that tax. Unincorporated businesses (sole traders and partnerships) pay income tax and NIC on their profits; companies pay corporation tax on all their profits including capital gains.

Capital allowances

Neither capital expenditure nor depreciation is generally allowed as an expense. Instead, many classes of capital expenditure receive a capital allowance, which may spread the cost over several years, and which is not related to the accounting depreciation.

The major categories of capital allowance in 2008/09 are:

Plant and machinery
* approved energy saving plant	100%
* first £50,000 expenditure per year	100%
* general: writing down allowance on residue of expenditure	20%
* long life assets	10%
* features integral to buildings	10%
Cars
* general: writing down allowance (max £3,000pa)	20%
* low emission cars (rating up to 110g/km)	100%
Research and development: capital equipment	100%
Buildings (excluding land value)
* industrial buildings: straight line allowance	3%
* agricultural buildings, qualifying hotels	3%
* enterprise zone commercial buildings in first year	100%
* enterprise zone buildings if 100% not claimed	18.75%
The above buildings allowances are being phased out by 2011.
* converting vacant space over commercial premises into flats	100%
Know-how and patent rights (not corporation tax)	25%

Different rules for corporation tax

Certain categories of capital expenditure by companies are treated differently. New expenditure on 'intangible assets', including goodwill, know-how and patent rights, is in general relieved for tax according to the accounting treatment (i.e. depreciation).

There are increased allowances for companies which clean up contaminated land or carry out Research & Development work - the expenditure is uplifted for tax purposes, effectively creating a grant for doing the work. The uplift is 50% for land remediation and for small/medium company R&D, and 25% for large company R&D. The R&D rates are to increase in 2008 once EU approval is granted.

email: info@davidcutter.co.uk
Tel: 0121-550-8525 Fax: 0121-585-7341

2 Lyttleton Court | Birmingham Street | Halesowen | West Midlands | B63 3HN

DIRECTORS:	PAUL CUTTER BA(Hons), ACA
	KATE JONES BA(Hons), FCCA, ACA

DAVID CUTTER & CO IS A TRADING NAME OF CUTTER & CO LIMITED

COMPANY NUMBER: 07252989

A MEMBER OF THE INSTITUTE OF CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS IN ENGLAND AND WALES