Government Urged to Alter Salary Sacrifice Rules for Lowest Paid
Fleet Evolution is calling on the Government to change the rules for salary sacrifice schemes, saying it’s unfair to low-paid workers.
EV salary sacrifice and fleet management specialist Fleet Evolution is calling on the Government to amend the rules governing salary sacrifice and the lowest paid, as the current laws discriminate against the very people they are designed to protect.
Fleet Evolution says that under the existing rules, no employee can enter into a salary sacrifice scheme for assets of any kind, be that cars, bikes, pensions, or healthcare if by doing so, the arrangement takes their take-home pay below the National Living Wage (NLW).
It currently stands at £9.50 per hour, a standard that came in from April this year and was up from £8.91 in the previous tax year. The intention is to protect the lowest-paid workers, ensure they have a minimum standard of living and prevent them from getting into financial hardship. However, Andrew Leech, Fleet Evolution’s founder and managing director, argues that the rules designed to protect the lowest paid are ironically hurting them!.
“We would like Government to make a minor adjustment to the current rules with a caveat which states that the National Living Wage threshold remains in force unless the employee opts for and agrees to a beneficial salary sacrifice arrangement which takes them below that level,” he said.
To illustrate the point, Leech points to the case of a teaching assistant at a local academy whose current car was a 1.0 litre Ford Fiesta EcoBoost five-door with a total annual running cost of £6,560, including an annual fuel cost of £1,469, which equated to over £540 a month.
"She wasn't eligible, despite the fact that this would have saved her £240 a month"
The assistant wanted to switch to an all-electric Nissan Leaf with a monthly rental of just under £300 a month via the Fleet Evolution salary sacrifice scheme. However, she wasn’t eligible under the existing rules as the sacrifice would have taken her below the NLW, despite the fact that this would have saved her around £240 a month at a time when she, like so many others, faced rising costs across the board.
“For staff in lower pay brackets, like our teaching assistant, being able to have an electric car under a salary sacrifice scheme means they can save substantial sums against the cost of running their own vehicle. But the current NLW rules actually discriminate against them and prevent them from doing that.
“As we have been able to demonstrate previously, when compared to the running costs of a conventional fossil-fuelled car, the savings from having an electric car under a salary sacrifice scheme can be in the region of £300-£400 a month.
“This represents a significant proportion of a lower-paid worker’s monthly take-home salary at a time when living costs are coming under unprecedented pressure.
“At the same time, by switching to an EV, they would also be making a major contribution to reducing their carbon footprint by running a vehicle with zero carbon emissions when the Government is looking to move away completely from fossil fuels.
“For employers, making salary sacrifice cars available to all employees, especially the lower paid, could show them in a positive light by trying to help their employees manage their living costs when inflation is at a 40-year high at over 9%,” he said.
Will you switch to electric motoring?
The Tamworth-based business, which is in the midst of a record year in terms of EV orders, can help clients make the case for switching to EVs by providing carbon output reporting, showing the impact of switching away from ICE models and the level of CO2 emissions that can be saved by making such a move.
“This MI reporting portrays, not only the environmental impact of running EVs instead of ICE models, but the annual savings in CO2 emissions that fit in with any CSR policy,” added Andrew Leech.
If you’re interested in making savings on your motoring and helping the environment, switch to electric vehicles today! Get the guide below.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if an employee leaves?
If an employee leaves then you do not have to continue with payments for the car. However, we will offer the car to the employee under a more standard lease option or to outwardly pay for the vehicle. So, as an employee, you can always have the option of car ownership regardless of if you stay with the company in question or not. Hence, it is a good system to buy a brand new vehicle even if you are worried about the company commitment.
What cars are available on salary sacrifice?
Through Salary Sacrifice you can find a lot of brand new cars for amazing prices. However, you gain the most when choosing ultra low emission vehicles. Providing salary sacrifice schemes for a company car has many benefits, but the option of having new electric vehicles is by far the most impressive.
Tags : electric car, electric vehicle, national living wage, nlw, Salary Sacrifice