Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988

143 Cash vouchers taxable under P.A.Y.E

(1) Where a cash voucher provided for an employee by reason of his employment is received by the employee, then, subject to subsection (5) below, for the purposes of the Income Tax Acts (and in particular section 203)—

(a) he shall be treated as being paid by his employer, at the time when he receives the voucher, an emolument of his employment equal to the sum of money for which the voucher is capable of being exchanged as mentioned in subsection (3) below; and

(b) any money obtained by the employee or any other person in exchange for the voucher shall be disregarded.

(2) Where a cash voucher provided for an employee by reason of his employment is appropriated to him (whether by attaching it to a card held for him or in any other way), subsections (1) and (5) of this section shall have effect as if the employee had received the voucher at the time when it was so appropriated.

(3) In this section “cash voucher” (subject to subsection (4) below) means any voucher, stamp or similar document capable of being exchanged (whether singly or together with such other vouchers, stamps or documents, and whether immediately or only after a time) for a sum of money greater than, equal to or not substantially less than the expense incurred in providing the voucher by the person who provides it (whether or not it is also capable of being exchanged for goods or services), except that it does not include—

(a) any document intended to enable a person to obtain payment of the sum mentioned in the document, being a sum which if paid to him directly would not have been chargeable to income tax under Schedule E; or

(b) a savings certificate the accumulated interest payable in respect of which is exempt from tax (or would be so exempt if certain conditions were satisfied).

(4) Where—

(a) a voucher, stamp or similar document is capable of being exchanged (as mentioned above) for a sum of money substantially less than the expense incurred in providing the voucher by the person who provides it, and

(b) the difference or part of the difference represents the cost to that person of providing benefits in connection with sickness, personal injury or death,

then, in determining whether the voucher, stamp or document is a cash voucher within the meaning of this section, the expense incurred by him in providing it shall be treated as reduced by that difference or part.

(5) Subsection (1) above shall not apply to a cash voucher received by an employee if, at the time when the voucher is received, the scheme under which it was issued is a scheme approved by the Board for the purposes of this subsection; and the Board shall not approve a scheme for those purposes unless satisfied that it is practicable for income tax in respect of all payments made in exchange for vouchers issued under the scheme to be deducted in accordance with regulations under section 203.