Broadband - Taxable Benefit?

[jam1et]

My mate was going to get broadband installed and paid for by the company he works for. However, the company have just been informed that broadband is going to be seen as a benefit in kind and thus taxable unless you can prove its an essential requirement for your job.
Has anyone else heard of this?
Barstewards, dont miss a bloody trick do they....

[gopher]

My broadband is paid through my expenses on the basis that should there be a critical issue with our systems outside worktime I would be able to help rectify them from here (my office only has dev servers and a few non critical systems like our office mail server), also those with broadband can work from home, so not needing to take a 1/2 or full day leave for deliveries or needing less distractions.

All well and good but I do not have any vpn software installed and I cannot get access to our web exchange box, not complaining tho'

[brumster]

You can claim it back provided you have a good reason for it. Most of the time I believe people only claim a proportional amount of the total cost on the basis that it's going to be hard to believe that you don't use it entirely for business purposes - makes it a bit more belieable to the IR, I think....

[jam1et]

I get mine paid for by the company but I'm the IT Manager and need it for remote access etc so hopefully it wont affect me.

[davidd]

I'm pretty sure that home broadband is one of the very few tax free allowanced.

www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/e-commerce/sme4_broadband.htm