I also think that it is important that when advertising a job that the equipment supplied is also listed, it is true that engineers do take into consideration the car they get to drive about in as inevitably they will get taxed on it, so they are paying for the privelage.

Last company I worked for, we had the option of using our own cars, which was ideal, I got deductions off my tax for using my own car, and was about

Optica Security Systems Ltd

we are looking for qualified engineers who live in the leeds area

Tel. 0845 1662454

E-mail info@optica-security.co.uk

company cars biggest emotional subject in our industry........if you all went self employed you soon wouldnt be worried about what vehicle you drove around in or what phone you had as long as it didnt cost you much. It takes an average of

Edited February 24, 200620 yr by ALSEC

How can that be? As a service engineer whos work takes him all over three counties how can a vehicle not be a tool used to carry out the job? As an engineer who has to put systems on test remotely retrieve results from those tests, collect extra work whilst on the move and take emergency phone calls when on call - how can a phone not be classed as a tool? They are both essential items that everyone needs and gets and it annoys me when employers make out that they are doing you a favour by issuing you with them.

It depends on how much personal access you have to both as to whether they are perks or not and what scheme the vehicle is under,so it can be a big perk.

OK fair enough. On that subject - if I were issued with a car rather than a van, ie an astra estate rather than an astravan and I worked from home (ie no commuting as working from the second you step out of the front door to the second you walk back in) and I didn't use the car for any personal use at all would i still be taxed for the car??

The tax man says that your travel to your first call is personal mileage and is therefore a benefit = taxable.I work from home and have no option but I don't pay tax as I'm purchasing my own car.However,if you can get your employer to say you are travelling to "appointments" then apparantly you don't.If you have a van and you get it home with you then you'll be taxed like the rest of the estate drivers (ie - around

Edited February 24, 200620 yr by Cerberus NI

I don't pay for mileage to my first job from home or my last job to home, however if I stop for instance to do shopping it's business to the supermarket then private "chargeable" mileage home. However because I take the company car home I'm taxed on that car as a "perk" which works out to be around

I don't pay for mileage to my first job from home or my last job to home, however if I stop for instance to do shopping it's business to the supermarket then private "chargeable" mileage home. However because I take the company car home I'm taxed on that car as a "perk" which works out to be around

Edited March 4, 200620 yr by Alex

HI all, First time on the site. WE ARE ALSO LOOKING FOR ALARM INSTALL/SERVICE PERSONNEL in the south. If there is sombody out there that lives in the Southampton/Winchester/ Portsmouth and Reading and would like a change then e-mail me at

john.williams48@btinternet.com. INFO :

We have Astra estate vans, one week on call per month or there about's, understanding of CCTV and Gardtec pannels would be an advantage. C&G 2381 16th Edition training would be provided if req .Two years experience in the trade.

Product training provided. Good customer skills and want to be part of a team, then join us.

Having looked at the comments regarding what should be in a job advert, I think we all have an opinion that in part has developed from our past employment. If you have worked for a company that provided tools, then tools should be provided.

I belive that vans, phones and the main tools are down to the firm, as you would find it hard to do the job without them.

Most tradesmen do have a lot of their own tools that they would want to use, that's fine be me.

The TAX man? well he does not go away, just got to deal with it the best way for your own situation.

All the best.