Changes proposed for motor vehicles
Currently close companies (such as LTCs and QCs) providing a motor vehicle for the private use of shareholder-employees must pay FBT on the value of the benefit provided. This value is based on the availability of the vehicle rather than its actual private use and this means higher FBT compliance costs for close companies.
New option for close companies
The recently introduced legislation changes this for the 2018 tax year (i.e. from 1 April 2017 for standard balance date taxpayers). Under the new rules close companies which provide one or two vehicles to shareholder-employees could elect to use the motor vehicle expenditure rules instead of paying FBT. This would mean that, like sole traders and partnerships, close companies could measure the business use of a motor vehicle and calculate the tax deductions allowable for motor vehicle expenditure based on business use.
New method for calculating business use to claim deductions
Also introduced is a new simplified method of calculating business use for vehicles. The new option would allow you to choose to calculate your business usage and resulting deductible expense differently. The new method does not have a ceiling (currently the ceiling in place is 5,000 kilometres of business use).
What you need to know
If you are self-employed or if you operate through a close company and this applies to you, you would need to know the total mileage travelled each year and be able to work out what proportion of that is business use. The actual requirement would be for you to keep a vehicle logbook for three months every three years.
When it comes to calculating the tax deductible amount, the calculation is 'two tier': for the first 10,000 kilometres, the rate is calculated on the proportion of business use for the vehicle (say 60%) multiplied by Inland Revenue's first tier rate (for example 75 cents/km but the IRD will advise the rates each year) for every kilometre after that, the rate is calculated on proportion of business use for the vehicle (e.g. 60%) multiplied by Inland Revenue's second tier rate (for example 25 cents/km but again subject to change)
What you need to do
To gear up for the change, at close of business on 31 March, record your odometer reading. Diarise to do the same thing next year. You want to be able to tell us the total number of kilometres travelled in the tax year when you bring in your records. And, sometime during the year starting 1 April 2017, keep a logbook for each vehicle for a three-month period to record mileage, costs and when the vehicle is being used for business or private purposes.
Home Office
There is also a new alternative option for calculating home office applying from 1 April 2017 (for standard balance date taxpayers). Under the new option, home office deductions can be determined by using a 2-step calculation. The first step involves taking the ratio of the area of the premises used for business purposes to the total area and multiplying this by a specified rate set by the IRD. The second step then requires the mortgage interest, rates and rent paid for the year to be multiplied by another specified rate set by the IRD and adding this to the amount calculated in the first step. Depending on your circumstances, this new option may be beneficial to you and we will discuss this with you if it applies to you.
Currently close companies (such as LTCs and QCs) providing a motor vehicle for the private use of shareholder-employees must pay FBT on the value of the benefit provided. This value is based on the availability of the vehicle rather than its actual private use and this means higher FBT compliance costs for close companies.
New option for close companies
The recently introduced legislation changes this for the 2018 tax year (i.e. from 1 April 2017 for standard balance date taxpayers). Under the new rules close companies which provide one or two vehicles to shareholder-employees could elect to use the motor vehicle expenditure rules instead of paying FBT. This would mean that, like sole traders and partnerships, close companies could measure the business use of a motor vehicle and calculate the tax deductions allowable for motor vehicle expenditure based on business use.
New method for calculating business use to claim deductions
Also introduced is a new simplified method of calculating business use for vehicles. The new option would allow you to choose to calculate your business usage and resulting deductible expense differently. The new method does not have a ceiling (currently the ceiling in place is 5,000 kilometres of business use).
What you need to know
If you are self-employed or if you operate through a close company and this applies to you, you would need to know the total mileage travelled each year and be able to work out what proportion of that is business use. The actual requirement would be for you to keep a vehicle logbook for three months every three years.
When it comes to calculating the tax deductible amount, the calculation is 'two tier': for the first 10,000 kilometres, the rate is calculated on the proportion of business use for the vehicle (say 60%) multiplied by Inland Revenue's first tier rate (for example 75 cents/km but the IRD will advise the rates each year) for every kilometre after that, the rate is calculated on proportion of business use for the vehicle (e.g. 60%) multiplied by Inland Revenue's second tier rate (for example 25 cents/km but again subject to change)
What you need to do
To gear up for the change, at close of business on 31 March, record your odometer reading. Diarise to do the same thing next year. You want to be able to tell us the total number of kilometres travelled in the tax year when you bring in your records. And, sometime during the year starting 1 April 2017, keep a logbook for each vehicle for a three-month period to record mileage, costs and when the vehicle is being used for business or private purposes.
Home Office
There is also a new alternative option for calculating home office applying from 1 April 2017 (for standard balance date taxpayers). Under the new option, home office deductions can be determined by using a 2-step calculation. The first step involves taking the ratio of the area of the premises used for business purposes to the total area and multiplying this by a specified rate set by the IRD. The second step then requires the mortgage interest, rates and rent paid for the year to be multiplied by another specified rate set by the IRD and adding this to the amount calculated in the first step. Depending on your circumstances, this new option may be beneficial to you and we will discuss this with you if it applies to you.
