Tax incentives for Self employed buying EVs

the_amazing_raisin

Okay, this could probably go in the taxation forum, but I'm wondering if anyone here has knowledge of this topic

I've seen that employees are able to claim a reduction in BIK for taxation when using an EV as a company vehicle.

Basically they can reduce the value of the car for BIK by €50k, so if the car costs less than €50k there's no tax impact, and the impact is significantly reduced for cars over that amount.

I'm wondering is there a similar incentive out there for the self employed? There's a lot of sole traders out there driving vans for example and with longer range electric vans becoming available it'd be interesting to see if there's much uptake

graememk

cruisey1987 wrote: »

Okay, this could probably go in the taxation forum, but I'm wondering if anyone here has knowledge of this topic

I've seen that employees are able to claim a reduction in BIK for taxation when using an EV as a company vehicle.

Basically they can reduce the value of the car for BIK by €50k, so if the car costs less than €50k there's no tax impact, and the impact is significantly reduced for cars over that amount.

I'm wondering is there a similar incentive out there for the self employed? There's a lot of sole traders out there driving vans for example and with longer range electric vans becoming available it'd be interesting to see if there's much uptake

If your self employed there is no benefit in kind tax.

I don't think there is BIK on a company van either as its a commercial vehicle and not a car.

Water John

In the past if you owned a company you could purchase an EV for personal use via the company, that's gone. You can still claim 100% of the operating expenses as business cost, service, tyres, insurance and electricity.

the_amazing_raisin

Water John wrote: »

In the past if you owned a company you could purchase an EV for personal use via the company, that's gone. You can still claim 100% of the operating expenses as business cost, service, tyres, insurance and electricity.

I think you can claim the lease/finance costs as allowed expenses too

3d4life

I think companies can still claim ACA

Maybe this also applies to self employed ? ( would suggest asking 'your' accountant )

the_amazing_raisin

3d4life wrote: »

I think companies can still claim ACA

Maybe this also applies to self employed ? ( would suggest asking 'your' accountant )

Oh I'm not self employed, just asking out of curiosity. Don't think I could take the stress of running a business

drunkmonkey

Water John wrote: »

In the past if you owned a company you could purchase an EV for personal use via the company, that's gone. You can still claim 100% of the operating expenses as business cost, service, tyres, insurance and electricity.

It's not gone....

2019 to 2022 Extension of Exemption
You may choose to make an electric car available to your employee for private use between now and 31 December 2020.

Where this occurs, no charge to BIK arises in respect of any use by your employee where either of the following apply:

the OMV of the car is €50,000 or less
or
you first made this car available to your employee between 10 October 2017 and 9 October 2018.
Where neither of the above apply, only a partial exemption is available. This is granted by reducing the OMV by €50,000 when calculating the cash equivalent for the car.

Water John

Thanks for that, monkey.

drunkmonkey

You can also claim back 20% of the vat if it's being used for 60% or more business purposes.