O/T Its surprising how people vote

[SBRed48]

Thank you red flagged for that considered reply. I remember well the squealing from high earners in private companies when the company car issue was finally addressed and the benefit became taxable after decades of it being a benefit in kind which wasn't taxed, denying the Govt of t he day millions. I can't recall when the medical insurance benefit in kind became taxable but the scam has clearly been closed. Good.
None of this gets to the central issue of the basic unfairness of those who can afford to pay by whatever means pushing those in an equal amount of pain for just as long but cannot afford to pay further back in the queue for treatment in NHS facilities.

[red flagged]

Thank you red flagged for that considered reply. I remember well the squealing from high earners in private companies when the company car issue was finally addressed and the benefit became taxable after decades of it being a benefit in kind which wasn't taxed, denying the Govt of t he day millions. I can't recall when the medical insurance benefit in kind became taxable but the scam has clearly been closed. Good.
None of this gets to the central issue of the basic unfairness of those who can afford to pay by whatever means pushing those in an equal amount of pain for just as long but cannot afford to pay further back in the queue for treatment in NHS facilities.

Pleasures all mine SB ! You must have a long memory, company cars were taxed back in the day when I got my very first one. But they weren't the perk you imagine even back then. If you were lucky enough to be given one it was usually at the expense of the going rate for your job so for example you'd hear - " pays crap but I get a company car" sort of thing.I think it was about 20 years ago when we really got turned over on tax.
Thing is SB very many occupations need to be mobile to do their job; in my game sales reps, technicians, multi site managers etc all need a company car - the list goes on. If you need a car to do your job why should you be taxed so heavily on it ? A brickie doesn't pay tax on his trowel every month does he ? For lots of us a company car is a tool of the trade in much the same way. It's not a perk, I couldn't do my job without one, and most firms now limit any private mileage.

This is why we 'squealed' when the tax rate went up by so much. I'll give you a very recent example, my mate has worked his way up through the fire service so now he's the bloke that turns up wearing the white helmet controlling the incident, seen last week on Look North pushing cars out of snow drifts as it goes. He needs a car for his job,he travels from incident to incident, blue lights and sirens on when needed - the fire service provide one but he's taxed on it , why ?
That's what I mean mate, they're mostly not a perk but a tool of the trade, companies just don't fork out for cars for the sake of it, it effects their P&L as they take the depreciation hit. Why should folk be so heavily taxed on them ?