From 6/4/06 there will be no tax charge where an employer pays for an eye test and/or corrective glasses by providing a voucher to employees who use computer screens. Does a company just prepare a voucher itself & present it to an employee or is there an official version?
CLARE HUNT
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Look a bit closer
Its not a new relief where this is provided by a voucher - its to remove the anomaly where the employer bears the cost dircetly no liability arises but it might have done if a voucher was used instead. The following is from the revenue's business note:
General description of the measure
2. Employers are required by law to provide, or meet the cost of, eyecare
tests and/or corrective glasses for VDU use for their employees. HMRC
would not normally expect a tax charge on the benefit in kind. However,
this would not be the case if eyetests and/or glasses were provided by
means of a voucher.
3. The purpose of this measure is to ensure that there is no tax charge
however an employer pays for an eye test and/or corrective glasses,
whether direct to the provider, by reimbursing the cost to the employee or
by providing a voucher.
So need for a voucher then unless you want the nuisance of finding one.
IOU
Whatever non-cash piece of paper you can get an optician to accept - just like childcare vouchers.
I'm pretty sure monopoly money would do.
NeilW