Heinz UK and Ireland is to introduce fuel cards and a mileage tracking system for its 500 drivers in
an effort to increase the accuracy of claims for fuel reimbursement.
The food manufacturer is trialling the system and will roll it out to all drivers during the summer. The system is linked to the firm’s automated expenses processes and will allow staff to fill in details of business travel online, as well as order a new car or change a vehicle.
The service, developed by IFC Fleet Outsourcing, also tells staff their tax liabilities on different cars. Ken Horrocks, reward manager for Heinz UK and Ireland, said: “All of this is about making people’s money go further. We can then reimburse the company car business mileage at actual cost per mile.
“The advisory rates have just been changed by HM Revenue and Customs. In a lot of cases, the rates have not gone up even if the fuel price has actually gone up 20%. We are trying to reimburse people at the actual cost of travel and sometimes that is lower than the HMRC rate. This is because the cars [in the fleet] are very efficient, so there is an actual saving for the business. Drivers are actually paid what it is costing, and [HMRC] will accept that because we have the proof of the trips and the cost of the fuel.”
After a review of the company fleet, conducted by the Energy Savings Trust, Heinz has also reduced the average C02 emissions per car from 166g to 141g per km. This was achieved by implementing a series of recommendations resulting from the review, including looking at cars’ whole-life costs, which has made employees aware of the tax penalties and other costs associated with driving high-polluting cars.
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