News – Page 31

  • Article

    Britvic modeller puts staff in driving seat

    2006-08-01T00:00:01Z

    Britvic has launched an online company car modeller to enable staff to choose the most cost-effective car option. The online system, which was piloted to 15 employees last month, is available to the 850 staff who are eligible for Britvic's user-chooser car scheme via its intranet site. It will enable ...

  • Article

    Met gives employers mobile-use headache

    2006-08-01T00:00:01Z

    Employers in London could receive a visit from the police if their company car drivers are caught using a mobile phone at the wheel, under a new scheme devised by the London Metropolitan Police and Transport for London. But some employers claim they are being unfairly treated because there is ...

  • Article

    Car smoking ban edges closer

    2006-08-01T00:00:01Z

    Employers must ensure they have communicated their smoking policies to company car drivers if staff are to avoid proposed penalty fines. Last month, the Department of Health proposed penalty fines of £50 for company car drivers who smoke in a car that is to be passed to another employee later ...

  • Article

    Less than quarter don't offer cash scheme

    2006-07-01T00:00:01Z

    Just 23.8% of UK employers which provide a company car scheme for employees do not provide a cash alternative. Watson Wyatt's Company car/cash allowance report 2006 also found that 56.9% of employers offer staff a choice of both options, while a further 15.2% only offer a cash allowance.The UK topped ...

  • Article

    News update - PwC adds green cars to attract graduates

    2006-06-01T00:00:01Z

    A new company car scheme that offers environmentally-friendly vehicles has been launched by Pricewaterhouse-Coopers (PwC) to help attract 1,200 new school leavers and graduates.From this month, eligible recruits can choose from seven low CO2-emission cars as part of the School Leavers' and Graduate Entrants' car scheme.Carolyn Wilkinson, senior employee benefits ...

  • Article

    Legislation update - Government's Eco worries

    2006-06-01T00:00:01Z

    A plan to review employee car ownership (Eco) schemes published by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) last month has prompted speculation that new tax legislation could be introduced next year.The publication stated that the review will cover areas such as how Eco schemes work, what the impact of schemes has ...

  • Article

    Avoid tax investigations into your drivers' mileage

    2006-06-01T00:00:01Z

    The Miles Consultancy has launched a brand new cost effective and simple on-line solution to the ever-growing investigations by the HMRC into driver' business mileage data.For 99 pence per driver per month drivers can have a fully automated system that accurately and efficiently gathers and records information through an on-line ...

  • Article

    Laboursite exceeds savings through cash allowance scheme

    2006-05-01T00:00:01Z

    Laboursite, a Middlesex-based construction logistics company, expects to exceed projected savings targets after implementing a cash allowance scheme.Simon Mills, fleet and expense control manager, said the firm has already saved £34,000 in income tax and national insurance contributions in the seven months since the scheme has been operating. It initially ...

  • Article

    Philips reduces driver grades

    2006-05-01T00:00:01Z

    Electronics company Philips is to simplify its UK fleet arrangements for its 1,000-plus business drivers by reducing the number of grades on offer.The firm, which allocates cars according to employees' role and position, currently has around 10 grades for business users. It is now looking to reduce these to approximately ...

  • Article

    Pfizer pares back car choice across Europe

    2006-05-01T00:00:01Z

    Pfizer is cutting company car choice across Europe after successfully implementing the policy in the UK.The move goes against a current trend for organisations to offer staff a greater choice of company car. Pfizer introduced measures last year to align its fleet and cut back on costs, which effectively reduced ...

  • Article

    Work-related road accident woes

    2006-05-01T00:00:01Z

    Employers are not doing enough to prevent work-related road accidents, according to a study by ALD Automotive. Some 40% do not review accidents, and over half (58%) of employers do not interview drivers after accidents. A further 56% do not have a strategy in place to prevent common accidents recurring, ...

  • Article

    Fleets welcome excise duty cuts

    2006-04-01T00:00:01Z

    Fleet observers have welcomed vehicle excise duty cuts announced in the 2006 Budget, but say fee hikes on new "gas guzzlers" will not deter buyers.The government has revised vehicle excise duty charges with effect from 23 March. Vehicle excise duty will now not be payable on vehicles with carbon dioxide ...

  • Article

    Employers seek to raise perks but not the costs

    2006-02-01T00:00:01Z

    Benefits professionals expect to be kept busy this year with plans to enhance their organisation's reward packages, according to research conducted by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).Just under half of respondents (46%) to the CIPD's Reward management survey 2006 intend to introduce new benefits, 15% plan to ...

  • Article

    Employee Benefits Future Strategy 2006 - Sponsor's comment: The price versus suitability battle

    2006-02-01T00:00:01Z

    Article in fullThe business car environment moves faster and becomes more complex every year, continually presenting fleet decision makers and their suppliers with new challenges. Two distinct sides to the company car market have emerged in recent years and this trend will continue in 2006.On one side are basic deals ...

  • Article

    Employers face VAT overclaiming pitfalls

    2006-01-01T00:00:01Z

    Employers could be liable for overclaiming on VAT under new tax rules and legislation being introduced by HM Revenue & Customs that require firms to produce VAT receipts - a leading tax expert has warned.Many employers have welcomed the new rules, which were unveiled at the end of last year ...

  • Article

    News update - Nestlé UK helps to swallow car charges

    2006-01-01T00:00:01Z

    Nestlé UK has introduced tax-free car parking for the 1,000 employees based at its Croydon head office in an attempt to boost its benefits package.The company is also planning to relaunch some existing benefits in February, including the home computing initiative (HCI), travel insurance, holiday trading and a healthcare cash ...

  • Article

    Feature - Focus on cars: Personal contract plans

    2006-01-01T00:00:01Z

    If you read nothing else, read this ...Under a PCP, employees have the option of owning the car rather than just leasing it.A PCP can give employees a greater choice of car, making it a useful recruitment and retention tool.A PCP may be more attractive to larger organisations due to ...

  • Article

    McDonald's offers all-employee car ownership plan

    2005-12-01T00:00:01Z

    McDonald's has offered an all-employee car ownership plan (Aecop) to 50,000 UK staff after they showed major interest in the perk. The AlphaDrive scheme, administered by fleet provider Alphabet, offers staff the choice of lease length and a fixed cost package that includes maintenance and road taxes. The new scheme ...

  • Article

    Surrey Council's car-share scheme decongests

    2005-12-01T00:00:01Z

    Surrey County Council has extended the reach of its traffic decongestion programme and signed up Watson Wyatt, Legal & General, Philips and Sutton & East Surrey Water. The scheme has been extended beyond Dorking to include Reigate & Banstead and Guildford. The new employers will sit on committees to reduce ...

  • Article

    Event news - PWC drops CO2 by 10%

    2005-11-01T00:00:01Z

    PricewaterhouseCoopers claims it has reduced CO2 emissions by 10% among its fleet of 3,650 vehicles and its staff have planted 3,500 saplings to help offset environmental damage caused by the company's fleet. The initiatives form part of the company's corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy.Speaking at a session entitled 'How to ...