Tag Archives: capital allowance

Plant & Machinery Disposal Events

In other articles we have seen that when a disposal event occurs, taxpayers are subjected to a balancing charge or allowed a balancing allowance. A balancing charge involves charging back excessive capital allowances claimed and balancing allowance provides relief for short claims.

Capital allowances are considered excessive when the disposal value is more than the notional written down value after deducting the writing down allowances from the original cost. If the disposal value is less than the notional written down value, capital allowance claims are treated as inadequate and the shortage is made up through a balancing allowance.

The issue of disposal even becomes relevant in the above context. Disposal events are not confined to sale of an asset. Instead, all the following events are disposal events:

. The taxpayer ceases to own the asset

. Possession of the asset by the taxpayer is lost permanently

. Abandonment of an asset used for mineral exploration and access at the site where it was so used

. The asset ceases to exist

. The asset begins to be used for a purpose other than the qualifying activity

. The qualifying activity itself is discontinued permanently

. The asset is leased under a long funding lease

When a disposal event takes place, the taxpayer is required to bring a disposal value into account. The rules regarding computation of disposal value is somewhat complex; it might not be even the sale value if the sale event is considered a tax avoidance measure.

It is possible that an asset might have more than one disposal event. For example, the first event might occur when an asset is leased under a long funding lease, which might be canceled by the lessee and a second disposal event might occur if the lessor sells the asset. In such cases, disposal value needs to be brought into account only on the happening of the first event.

It is to be noted that except in the case of single asset pools, the above provisions apply to the pool total as a whole and not to individual assets.

For More Information Please Visit Section 198 Election Capital Allowances or Drop by the blog Owners Site 198 Election To Get Intouch

Long Life Assets for Plant & Machinery Allowance

You can claim only 6% writing down allowance (WDA) on long life assets. Expenditure on lengthy life belongings are added to a long life belongings pool and the allowance is claimed on the balance in the pool. This balance is arrived at by adding additional expenditure on long life assets to the pool balance brought forward from the previous year and deducting disposal values of any lengthy life asset disposed during the year.

Long life property are property that can be reasonably be expected to have an useful economic existence of at least 25 years “when new.” Once an asset has thus been deemed to be a long existence asset, it continues to be a lengthy existence asset in the hands of a subsequent buyer even though it might not have a remaining economic life of 25 years.

It is not necessary for all parts of the plant and machinery to have economic lifetimes exceeding 25 years. If the asset as a whole is deemed a long life asset, even parts of it that might be replaced over a lesser period will be considered lengthy existence.

While a building might have an economic life much in excess of 25 years, the fixtures in the building (treated as plant and machinery) might or might not be considered long life belongings. The building itself does not qualify for capital allowance and any fixtures in the building that qualify for plant and machinery allowance (PMA) must be evaluated independently of the building. For example, a lift in the building that qualifies for PMA might have an economic life of 25 years, and will hence be considered a long existence asset.

Certain expenditure is excluded from the category of long life belongings even though they might otherwise be considered so. The exclusions are:

. Fixtures in a dwelling house, retail shop, showroom, hotel or office

. Ships, excluding certain types, on which the expenditure was incurred before January 1, 2011

. Railway property for use in a railway business on which the expenditure was incurred before January 1, 2011

. Cars

If the expenditure on property is less than the specified monetary limit of ?100,000 in the year, property are not considered lengthy existence property, unless they fall under the exemptions to the monetary limit rule, such as acquiring the asset for leasing.

For More Information Please Visit s198 Elections or Drop by the blog Owners Site Capital Allowances To Get Intouch

Plant & Machinery Disposal Events

In other articles we have seen that when a disposal event occurs, taxpayers are subjected to a balancing charge or allowed a balancing allowance. A balancing charge involves charging back excessive capital allowances claimed and balancing allowance provides relief for short claims.

Capital allowances are considered excessive when the disposal value is more than the notional written down value after deducting the writing down allowances from the original cost. If the disposal value is less than the notional written down value, capital allowance claims are treated as inadequate and the shortage is made up through a balancing allowance.

The issue of disposal even becomes relevant in the above context. Disposal events are not confined to sale of an asset. Instead, all the following events are disposal events:

. The taxpayer ceases to own the asset

. Possession of the asset by the taxpayer is lost permanently

. Abandonment of an asset used for mineral exploration and access at the site where it was so used

. The asset ceases to exist

. The asset begins to be used for a purpose other than the qualifying activity

. The qualifying activity itself is discontinued permanently

. The asset is leased under a long funding lease

When a disposal event takes place, the taxpayer is required to bring a disposal value into account. The rules regarding computation of disposal value is somewhat complex; it might not be even the sale value if the sale event is considered a tax avoidance measure.

It is possible that an asset might have more than one disposal event. For example, the first event might occur when an asset is leased under a long funding lease, which might be canceled by the lessee and a second disposal event might occur if the lessor sells the asset. In such cases, disposal value needs to be brought into account only on the happening of the first event.

It is to be noted that except in the case of single asset pools, the above provisions apply to the pool total as a whole and not to individual assets.

For More Information Please Visit Section 198 Election Capital Allowances or Drop by the blog Owners Site 198 Election To Get Intouch

Lengthy Existence Property for Plant & Machinery Allowance

You can claim only 6% writing down allowance (WDA) on lengthy existence property. Expenditure on long existence assets are added to a long existence assets pool and the allowance is claimed on the balance in the pool. This balance is arrived at by adding additional expenditure on lengthy life property to the pool balance brought forward from the previous year and deducting disposal values of any lengthy existence asset disposed during the year.

Lengthy existence belongings are belongings that can be reasonably be expected to have an useful economic life of at least 25 years “when new.” Once an asset has thus been deemed to be a lengthy life asset, it continues to be a long life asset in the hands of a subsequent buyer even though it might not have a remaining economic life of 25 years.

It is not necessary for all parts of the plant and machinery to have economic lifetimes exceeding 25 years. If the asset as a whole is deemed a lengthy existence asset, even parts of it that might be replaced over a lesser period will be considered long life.

While a building might have an economic life much in excess of 25 years, the fixtures in the building (treated as plant and machinery) might or might not be considered lengthy existence assets. The building itself does not qualify for capital allowance and any fixtures in the building that qualify for plant and machinery allowance (PMA) must be evaluated independently of the building. For example, a lift in the building that qualifies for PMA might have an economic life of 25 years, and will hence be considered a lengthy life asset.

Certain expenditure is excluded from the category of long life assets even though they might otherwise be considered so. The exclusions are:

. Fixtures in a dwelling house, retail shop, showroom, hotel or office

. Ships, excluding certain types, on which the expenditure was incurred before January 1, 2011

. Railway belongings for use in a railway business on which the expenditure was incurred before January 1, 2011

. Cars

If the expenditure on belongings is less than the specified monetary limit of ?100,000 in the year, belongings are not considered lengthy life belongings, unless they fall under the exemptions to the monetary limit rule, such as acquiring the asset for leasing.

For More Information Please Visit s198 Elections or Drop by the blog Owners Site Capital Allowances To Get Intouch

Plant & Machinery Disposal Events

In other articles we have seen that when a disposal event occurs, taxpayers are subjected to a balancing charge or allowed a balancing allowance. A balancing charge involves charging back excessive capital allowances claimed and balancing allowance provides relief for short claims.

Capital allowances are considered excessive when the disposal value is more than the notional written down value after deducting the writing down allowances from the original cost. If the disposal value is less than the notional written down value, capital allowance claims are treated as inadequate and the shortage is made up through a balancing allowance.

The issue of disposal even becomes relevant in the above context. Disposal events are not confined to sale of an asset. Instead, all the following events are disposal events:

. The taxpayer ceases to own the asset

. Possession of the asset by the taxpayer is lost permanently

. Abandonment of an asset used for mineral exploration and access at the site where it was so used

. The asset ceases to exist

. The asset begins to be used for a purpose other than the qualifying activity

. The qualifying activity itself is discontinued permanently

. The asset is leased under a long funding lease

When a disposal event takes place, the taxpayer is required to bring a disposal value into account. The rules regarding computation of disposal value is somewhat complex; it might not be even the sale value if the sale event is considered a tax avoidance measure.

It is possible that an asset might have more than one disposal event. For example, the first event might occur when an asset is leased under a long funding lease, which might be canceled by the lessee and a second disposal event might occur if the lessor sells the asset. In such cases, disposal value needs to be brought into account only on the happening of the first event.

It is to be noted that except in the case of single asset pools, the above provisions apply to the pool total as a whole and not to individual assets.

For More Information Please Visit Section 198 Election Capital Allowances or Drop by the blog Owners Site 198 Election To Get Intouch

Lengthy Existence Property for Plant & Machinery Allowance

You can claim only 6% writing down allowance (WDA) on lengthy existence property. Expenditure on long existence assets are added to a long existence property pool and the allowance is claimed on the balance in the pool. This balance is arrived at by adding additional expenditure on lengthy life property to the pool balance brought forward from the previous year and deducting disposal values of any long existence asset disposed during the year.

Lengthy existence belongings are belongings that can be reasonably be expected to have an useful economic life of at least 25 years “when new.” Once an asset has thus been deemed to be a lengthy life asset, it continues to be a long life asset in the hands of a subsequent buyer even though it might not have a remaining economic existence of 25 years.

It is not necessary for all parts of the plant and machinery to have economic lifetimes exceeding 25 years. If the asset as a whole is deemed a lengthy existence asset, even parts of it that might be replaced over a lesser period will be considered long life.

While a building might have an economic life much in excess of 25 years, the fixtures in the building (treated as plant and machinery) might or might not be considered lengthy existence assets. The building itself does not qualify for capital allowance and any fixtures in the building that qualify for plant and machinery allowance (PMA) must be evaluated independently of the building. For example, a lift in the building that qualifies for PMA might have an economic life of 25 years, and will hence be considered a lengthy life asset.

Certain expenditure is excluded from the category of lengthy life assets even though they might otherwise be considered so. The exclusions are:

. Fixtures in a dwelling house, retail shop, showroom, hotel or office

. Ships, excluding certain types, on which the expenditure was incurred before January 1, 2011

. Railway belongings for use in a railway business on which the expenditure was incurred before January 1, 2011

. Cars

If the expenditure on assets is less than the specified monetary limit of ?100,000 in the year, assets are not considered long life belongings, unless they fall under the exemptions to the monetary limit rule, such as acquiring the asset for leasing.

For More Information Please Visit s198 Elections or Drop by the blog Owners Site Capital Allowances To Get Intouch

Plant & Machinery Disposal Events

In other articles we have seen that when a disposal event occurs, taxpayers are subjected to a balancing charge or allowed a balancing allowance. A balancing charge involves charging back excessive capital allowances claimed and balancing allowance provides relief for short claims.

Capital allowances are considered excessive when the disposal value is more than the notional written down value after deducting the writing down allowances from the original cost. If the disposal value is less than the notional written down value, capital allowance claims are treated as inadequate and the shortage is made up through a balancing allowance.

The issue of disposal even becomes relevant in the above context. Disposal events are not confined to sale of an asset. Instead, all the following events are disposal events:

. The taxpayer ceases to own the asset

. Possession of the asset by the taxpayer is lost permanently

. Abandonment of an asset used for mineral exploration and access at the site where it was so used

. The asset ceases to exist

. The asset begins to be used for a purpose other than the qualifying activity

. The qualifying activity itself is discontinued permanently

. The asset is leased under a long funding lease

When a disposal event takes place, the taxpayer is required to bring a disposal value into account. The rules regarding computation of disposal value is somewhat complex; it might not be even the sale value if the sale event is considered a tax avoidance measure.

It is possible that an asset might have more than one disposal event. For example, the first event might occur when an asset is leased under a long funding lease, which might be canceled by the lessee and a second disposal event might occur if the lessor sells the asset. In such cases, disposal value needs to be brought into account only on the happening of the first event.

It is to be noted that except in the case of single asset pools, the above provisions apply to the pool total as a whole and not to individual assets.

For More Information Please Visit Section 198 Election Capital Allowances or Drop by the blog Owners Site 198 Election To Get Intouch

What is Capital Allowance?

Capital allowance is the deduction available to UK tax payers while computing taxable income. In UK, depreciation is not an allowable expense and its place is taken by capital allowance.

Both depreciation and capital allowance become applicable when you buy long-term assets for business purposes. Buildings, plant & machinery and furniture are examples of such long-term assets. As these assets will be used over a number of years, you cannot write their costs off as expense in the year of purchase.

Instead, the typical solution is to estimate their useful life in years, and write off a proportionate amount each year over this life time. This is what we call depreciation. In UK, however, depreciation is not allowed as a business expense.

The capital allowance system also essentially allows you to write off the cost of assets over a number of years. However, the regulations regarding capital allowance is much more complex.

For example, in the case of buildings, the entire cost of the building cannot be the basis for claiming capital allowance. Instead, you have to segregate the cost into First Fix and Second Fix costs. Capital allowance can be claimed only for the Second Fix costs.

First Fix costs include costs up to and including plastering. Second Fix costs are all the costs after the plastering stage to final finishing. These actually include innumerable items such air-conditioning, electrical fittings (but not the wiring), water supply fittings (but not the piping) and so on.

Considering that you pay for the building as a whole, computing the Second Fix costs is a complex exercise requiring special valuation expertise. The result is that many businesses do not claim the capital allowances that they are entitled to, and pay significantly higher amounts of tax than they need to.

Accountants are not typically equipped to identify and value the borderline items eligible for capital allowances.

For more information please visit Annuities or drop by the blog owners site Purchase Annuity to get in touch

Types of Capital Allowances

Capital allowances are the amounts allowed to be written off as expenses when you incur long-term capital expenditure. You cannot write off the entire cost of long-term assets (that will be used over a number of years) as an expense in the year the expenditure was incurred. The general idea behind capital allowances is that the cost should be expensed over the period the asset is used.

The Capital Allowances Act 2001 is the current legislation for capital allowances. This Act regulates capital allowances for the following types of expenditure:

  • Plant & Machinery Allowances: The expenditure must be “qualifying expenditure” incurred for the purposes of a “qualifying activity” such as trade, business or profession. The types of expenses that fall under this category is extremely varied and have been sought to be listed in the Act.
  • Industrial Buildings Allowances: Buildings include (i) Walls, floors, ceilings, doors, gates, shutters, windows and stairs, (ii) Mains services, and systems, for water, electricity and gas, (iii) Waste disposal systems (iv) Sewerage and drainage systems, (v) Shafts or other structures in which lifts, hoists, escalators and moving walkways are installed and (vi) Fire safety systems.
  • Agricultural Buildings Allowances: Agricultural buildings include farmhouses, cottages, fences and such agriculture-related constructions.
  • Flat Conversion Allowances: This has been defined as “qualifying expenditure” incurred in respect of a flat, i.e. a separate set of premises forming part of a building and divided horizontally from another part of the building.
  • Mineral Extraction Allowances: Mineral extraction “consists of, or includes, the working of a source of mineral deposits.”
  • Research & Development Allowances: Qualifying expenditure on research and development under the meaning given by section 837A of ICTA.
  • Know-how Allowances: Qualifying expenditure on the acquisition of know-how, i.e. industrial information or techniques to assist in manufacture, processing, mineral extraction, agriculture, forestry and fishing.
  • Patent Allowances: Qualifying expenditure on the purchase of patent rights.
  • Dredging Allowances: Dredging generally means removal of anything forming part of, or projecting from the bed of the sea or any inland water for maintenance or improvement of the navigation of a harbour, estuary or waterway.

Assured Tenancy Allowances: Qualifying expenditure incurred on a building which is or includes a dwelling house let on tenancy.

For more information please visit Annuities or drop by the blog owners site Purchase Annuity to get intouch

Owner of Fixtures: Elections between Lessor and Lessee

A lease can be of a building or land which is received by the lessee along with several permanent fixtures forming part of the asset. Alternatively, the lease can be an equipment lease for plant and machinery purchased by a lessor and leased out to a lessee. The plant and machinery then becomes a fixture to a building or land used for carrying on a qualifying activity.

In the case of equipment lease mentioned above, the lessor and lessee can jointly elect to treat the lessor as the owner of the fixture provided certain conditions are met. These conditions are:

  • The lessee is carrying on a qualifying activity and the leased equipment is used in this activity
  • The lessee would have been entitled to claim PMA if that person had incurred the expenditure for providing the equipment
  • The plant and machinery becomes a fixture by being fixed to land that is neither a building nor part of a building
  • The lessee has an interest (including lease) in the land
  • The lessor is entitled to sever the fixture at the end of the lease period and the severed fixture can then be used at another premises for the same purpose
  • Under the lease agreement, the lessor will own the equipment on its being so severed
  • The lease is one that comes under the category of an “operating” lease (as distinct from a “financing” lease) and
  • The plant and machinery is not intended for use in a dwelling house

A similar election can be made where:

  • An energy services provider provides plant and machinery that becomes a fixture in a relevant land
  • The client of the provider has an interest in the relevant land and the provider doesn’t have such interest
  • The provider or a person connected with the provider operates the plant and machinery for the client and
  • The plant and machinery is not provided for leasing or for use in a dwelling house

If elections are made as above, the lessee (or client in the case of energy services) will not be treated as the owner of the fixture under section 176 of the Capital Allowances Act 2001 for claiming PMA.

For more information please visit Pension Payments or drop by the blog owners site Cash in Pension to get intouch

capital allowance claims