Finance Act 2009

Plant and machinery allowances for cars and motor cycles U.K.

1 U.K. Part 2 of CAA 2001 (plant and machinery allowances) is amended as follows.

2 U.K. In section 38B (general exclusions from AIA qualifying expenditure), in general exclusion 2, for “81” substitute “ 268A ”.

3 U.K. In section 46(2) (general exclusions from first year allowances), in general exclusion 2, for “81” substitute “ 268A ”.

4 U.K. Omit sections 74 to 79 (cars above the cost threshold).

5 U.K. Omit section 81 (extended meaning of “car”) and section 82 (qualifying hire cars).

6 U.K. In section 84 (cases in which short-life asset treatment is ruled out), in the Table, in item 3, in the first column, for “81” substitute “ 268A ”.

7 (1) Section 104A (special rate expenditure) is amended as follows. U.K.

(2) In subsection (1)—

(a) in paragraph (a), after “the” insert “ first ”,

(b) omit “and” at the end of paragraph (c), and

(c) insert at the end “, and

(e) expenditure incurred on or after the second relevant date on the provision of a car that is not a main rate car.”

(3) In subsection (2), after “The” insert “ first ”.

(4) After that subsection insert—

“(3) The second relevant date is—

(a) for corporation tax purposes, 1 April 2009, and

(b) for income tax purposes, 6 April 2009.

(4) In this section—

• “car” has the meaning given in section 268A;

• “main rate car” has the meaning given in section 104AA.”

8 U.K. After that section insert—

“104AA Meaning of “main rate car”

(1) “Main rate car” means—

(a) a car that is first registered before 1 March 2001,

(b) a car that has low CO₂ emissions, or

(c) a car that is electrically-propelled.

(2) For the purposes of this section a car has low CO₂ emissions if it meets conditions A and B.

(3) Condition A is that, when the car is first registered, it is so registered on the basis of a qualifying emissions certificate.

(4) Condition B is that the applicable CO₂ emissions figure in relation to the car does not exceed 160 grams per kilometre driven.

(5) The Treasury may by order amend the amount from time to time specified in subsection (4).

(6) An order under subsection (5) may contain transitional provision and savings.

(7) In this section—

• “applicable CO₂ emissions figure” and “qualifying emissions certificate” have the meanings given in section 268C;

• “car” has the meaning given in section 268A;

• “electrically-propelled” has the meaning given in section 268B.”

9 U.K. After section 104E insert—

“104F Special rate cars: discontinued activity continued by relevant company

(1) This section applies if—

(a) a company (“the taxpayer”) has incurred special rate expenditure within section 104A(1)(e) (expenditure on a car other than a main rate car) to which section 104C applies (allocation to special rate pool),

(b) the qualifying activity carried on by the taxpayer is permanently discontinued, and

(c) conditions A, B and C are met.

(2) Condition A is that the qualifying activity carried on by the taxpayer consisted of or included (other than incidentally) making cars available to other persons.

(3) Condition B is that, at any time in the 6 months after the taxpayer's qualifying activity is permanently discontinued, the qualifying activity of a group relief company consists of or includes (other than incidentally) making cars available to other persons.

(4) Condition C is that the balancing allowance (“SBA”) to which the taxpayer would be entitled (but for this section) in respect of the special rate pool is greater than—

where—

BC is the total of the balancing charges (if any) to which the taxpayer is liable for the final chargeable period in respect of any pool, and

OBA is the total of the balancing allowances to which the taxpayer is entitled for that period in respect of any pool other than the special rate pool.

For the purposes of this section if BC – OBA is a negative amount it is to be treated as if it were nil.

(5) The balancing allowance to which the taxpayer is entitled in respect of the special rate pool is reduced to an amount equal to BC — OBA.

(6) The relevant company is to be treated as having incurred qualifying expenditure within section 104A(1)(e) (“notional expenditure”), whether or not the relevant company owns cars previously owned by the taxpayer.

(7) The amount of the notional expenditure is an amount equal to the amount by which SBA exceeds BC — OBA.

(8) The relevant company is to be treated as having incurred the notional expenditure on the day after the end of the taxpayer's final chargeable period.

(9) If part of the chargeable period in which the relevant company is treated as incurring expenditure under this section (“the acquisition period”) overlaps with the taxpayer's penultimate chargeable period—

(a) the part of the expenditure which is proportional to that part of the acquisition period is not to be taken into account in determining the relevant company's available qualifying expenditure for the acquisition period, but

(b) this does not prevent that part of the expenditure being taken into account in determining the relevant company's available qualifying expenditure for any subsequent chargeable period.

(10) In this section—

• “car” has the meaning given in section 268A;

• “company” means any body corporate;

• “group relief company” means—

  (a)

  a company to which group relief under Chapter 4 of Part 10 of ICTA would be available (on the making of a claim) in respect of balancing allowances surrendered by the taxpayer in the taxpayer's final chargeable period, and

  (b)

  a company to which such relief would be available (on the making of a claim) in respect of balancing allowances surrendered by a company within paragraph (a);

• “main rate car” has the meaning given in section 104AA;

• “penultimate chargeable period” means the chargeable period preceding the final chargeable period;

• “the relevant company” means the group relief company mentioned in subsection (3) or, if there is more than one, the one—

  (a)

  nominated by the taxpayer not more than 6 months after the end of the taxpayer's final chargeable period, or

  (b)

  in the absence of such a nomination, nominated by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.”

10 U.K. After section 208 insert—

“208A Cars: disposal value in avoidance cases

(1) This section applies if—

(a) a disposal value is required to be brought into account under section 61,

(b) the disposal event is that the person ceases to own a section 206 car because of a sale or the performance of a contract, and

(c) allowances under this Part in respect of the person's expenditure under that transaction are restricted under section 217 or 218 (anti-avoidance).

(2) A car is a section 206 car if expenditure on the provision of the car is required to be allocated to a single asset pool under that section.

(3) The disposal value to be brought into account is—

(a) the market value of the car at the time of the disposal event, or

(b) if less, the capital expenditure incurred, or treated as incurred, on the provision of the car by the person disposing of it.

(4) The person acquiring the car is to be treated as having incurred capital expenditure on its provision of an amount equal to the disposal value required to be brought into account under subsection (3).

(5) In this section “car” has the meaning given in section 268A.”

11 U.K. After section 268 insert—

“Cars etc U.K.

268A Meaning of “car” and “motor cycle”

(1) In this Part “car” means a mechanically propelled road vehicle other than—

(a) a motor cycle,

(b) a vehicle of a construction primarily suited for the conveyance of goods or burden of any description, or

(c) a vehicle of a type not commonly used as a private vehicle and unsuitable for such use.

(2) In this Part “motor cycle” has the meaning given by section 185(1) of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

268B Electrically-propelled vehicles

For the purposes of this Part a vehicle is electrically-propelled only if—

(a) it is propelled solely by electrical power, and

(b) that power is derived from—

(i) a source external to the vehicle, or

(ii) an electrical storage battery which is not connected to any source of power when the vehicle is in motion.

268C Terms relating to emissions

(1) In this Part “qualifying emissions certificate”, in relation to a vehicle, means an EC certificate of conformity, or a UK approval certificate, that specifies—

(a) in the case of a vehicle other than a bi-fuel vehicle, a CO₂ emissions figure in terms of grams per kilometre driven, or

(b) in the case of a bi-fuel vehicle, separate CO₂ emissions figures in terms of grams per kilometre driven for different fuels.

(2) For the purposes of this Part, in relation to a vehicle other than a bi-fuel vehicle, the applicable CO₂ emissions figure is—

(a) where the qualifying emissions certificate specifies only one CO₂ emissions figure, that figure, and

(b) where the certificate specifies more than one CO₂ emissions figure, the figure specified as the CO₂ emissions (combined) figure.

(3) For the purposes of this Part, in relation to a bi-fuel vehicle, the applicable CO₂ emissions figure is—

(a) where the qualifying emissions certificate specifies more than one CO₂ emissions figure in relation to each fuel, the lowest CO₂ emissions (combined) figure specified, and

(b) in any other case, the lowest CO₂ figure specified by the certificate.

(4) In this section—

• “bi-fuel”, in relation to a vehicle, means capable of being propelled by—

  (a)

  petrol and road fuel gas, or

  (b)

  diesel and road fuel gas;

• “diesel” means any diesel fuel within the definition in Article 2 of Directive 98/70/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council;

• “EC certificate of conformity” means a certificate of conformity issued by a manufacturer under any provision of the law of a member State implementing Article 6 of Council Directive 70/156/EEC, as amended;

• “petrol” has the meaning given by Article 2 of Directive 98/70/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council;

• “road fuel gas” has the same meaning as in section 171(1) of ITEPA 2003;

• “UK approval certificate” means a certificate issued under—

  (a)

  section 58(1) or (4) of the Road Traffic Act 1988, or

  (b)

  Article 31A(4) or (5) of the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 (S.I. 1981/154 (N.I. 1)).”