What £100k car to buy? Company Accounting Question
What £100k car to buy? Company Accounting Question
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Cpb1702

Original Poster:

423 posts

143 months

Monday 7th November 2022
quotequote all
Own company needs to increase turnover by £100k to win major long term contract with blue chip client. Work with this one client is limited to a % of total turnover.

Accountant has advised to buy and then, within a short period, re sell a car. Could take up to a £10k loss as worth it for size of long term contract.

Firstly is this nuts?

Secondly what car would you suggest buying in December / Jan and selling in March / April. Has to be from a main dealer and sold back to one, on the advice of the accountant.

My thoughts are:

Taycan
Ferrari Cali

Any other suggestions?


joshcowin

7,554 posts

204 months

Monday 7th November 2022
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V12 vantage

bobthemonkey

4,199 posts

244 months

Monday 7th November 2022
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New Range Rover ?

N88

1,314 posts

207 months

Monday 7th November 2022
quotequote all
I suggest you get a new accountant

It would be classed as purchase and then sale of an asset so only the gain or loss would hit your P&L

J1990

847 posts

81 months

Tuesday 8th November 2022
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N88 said:
I suggest you get a new accountant

It would be classed as purchase and then sale of an asset so only the gain or loss would hit your P&L
This.
Unless you're in the motor trade then I have no idea how your accountant is expecting the purchase and sale of an asset to impact your revenue.


The rules here are really simply and quite strict.

Purchase Price = £100k
Depreciate 20%/year over 5 years (For the sake of simplicity, completely unrealistic figure)

If you sell for £50k after 5 years then you'll have depreciated the asset in the business fully and made a 'profit on disposal' which will be liable to corporation tax.
If you sell for £20k after 1 year then you'll make a 'loss on disposal' and be able to claim back some via corporation tax.


Unless your accountant is setting you up as a motor trader on the side and you're just going to be a terrible one on paper then it sounds like there's some major confusion here.

Flumpo

4,024 posts

101 months

Sunday 20th November 2022
quotequote all
Cpb1702 said:
Own company needs to increase turnover by £100k to win major long term contract with blue chip client. Work with this one client is limited to a % of total turnover.

Accountant has advised to buy and then, within a short period, re sell a car. Could take up to a £10k loss as worth it for size of long term contract.

Firstly is this nuts?

Secondly what car would you suggest buying in December / Jan and selling in March / April. Has to be from a main dealer and sold back to one, on the advice of the accountant.

My thoughts are:

Taycan
Ferrari Cali

Any other suggestions?
Is your accountant at a lose end as Chris moyles is in the jungle?

Good luck whatever you decide.