No benefit-in-kind for broadband

Xian

No BIK for broadband
The Irish Independent reports that taxpayers will be spared the expense of paying benefit in kind for mobile phones and high-speed Internet connections, if they are used in an employee's home. Following representations from the Department of Finance, Communications Minister Dermot Ahern has announced that the home-based technology will be exempt from normal benefit in kind restrictions. Minister Ahern said that taxing the equipment would go against Government policy of making broadband more widely available, and is encouraging users to install the technology in their homes to make working from home a more feasible concept. The Irish Independent adds that the Revenue Commissioners' Employers' Guide states that if an employer provides an employee with DSL or broadband, or a similar technology for business purposes, then a taxable benefit will not be incurred, even if the employer foots the bill for the equipment.

Well done, Minister. Its not always the high-profile measures that are needed to make a difference.

vinnyfitz

I'm sure Ahern was following up on behind the scenes pressure from Ioffl

De Rebel

That’s a very positive move and deserves to be welcomed.

And every bit as important is the thinking behind it. No doubt the Minister had to take a strong stand on this (by all accounts Finance are very sweet on the BIK proposals). Which shows that he is well focussed on the benefits to be derived from broadband.

There’s hope ………

spongebob

Civil servants have stacks of phones, the Gardai for example with their O2 phones.

Civil servants also have stacks of parking spots in central Dublin, expect some consistency there too

Xian

Originally posted by vinnyfitz
I'm sure Ahern was following up on behind the scenes pressure from Ioffl

Nope, credit where it's due. We didn't have the opportunity to act on rumours we'd heard so this was entirely off their own bat.