Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003

Supplementary U.K.

235 Vehicles to which this Chapter applies U.K.

(1) This Chapter applies to cars, vans, motor cycles and cycles.

(2) “Car” means a mechanically propelled road vehicle which is not—

(a) a goods vehicle,

(b) a motor cycle, or

(c) a vehicle of a type not commonly used as a private vehicle and unsuitable to be so used.

(3) “Van” means a mechanically propelled road vehicle which—

(a) is a goods vehicle, and

(b) has a design weight not exceeding 3,500 kilograms,

and which is not a motor cycle.

(4) “Motor cycle” has the meaning given by section 185(1) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (c. 52).

(5) “Cycle” has the meaning given by section 192(1) of that Act.

(6) In this section—

• “design weight” means the weight which a vehicle is designed or adapted not to exceed when in normal use and travelling on a road laden;

• “goods vehicle” means a vehicle of a construction primarily suited for the conveyance of goods or burden of any description.

236 Interpretation of this Chapter U.K.

(1) In this Chapter—

• “business travel” means travelling the expenses of which, if incurred and paid by the employee in question, would (if this Chapter did not apply) be deductible under sections 337 to 342;

• “mileage allowance payments” has the meaning given by section 229(2);

• “passenger payments” has the meaning given by section 233(3).

(2) For the purposes of this Chapter a vehicle is a “company vehicle” in a tax year if in that year—

(a) the vehicle is made available to the employee by reason of the employment and is not available for the employee’s private use, or

(b) the cash equivalent of the benefit of the vehicle is to be treated as the employee’s earnings for the tax year by virtue of—

(i) section 120 (benefit of car treated as earnings),

(ii) section 154 (benefit of van treated as earnings), or

(iii) section 203 (residual liability to charge: benefit treated as earnings), or

(c) in the case of a car or van, the cash equivalent of the benefit of the car or van would be required to be so treated if sections 167 and 168 (exceptions for pooled cars and vans) [F1 and section 248A (emergency vehicles)] did not apply, or

(d) in the case of a cycle, the cash equivalent of the benefit of the cycle would be required to be treated as the employee’s earnings for the tax year under Chapter 10 of Part 3 (taxable benefits: residual liability to charge) if section 244(1) (exception for cycles made available) did not apply.

(3) Sections 117 and 118 (when cars and vans are made available by reason of employment and are made available for private use) apply for the purposes of subsection (2).

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 236(2)(c) inserted (with effect in accordance with s. 81(3) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2004 (c. 12), s. 81(2)