Discovery 5 Commercial Rear Seats

[Treewolf]

Big difference on VED, for a Defender it's the difference between £270 and £580 pa at present.

 

If you don't 'fess up to the change then it's not tax avoidance (which is legal), it's tax evasion, which is illegal. If you get caught, expect uncomfortable penalties from HMRC. Remember also that your insurance will look for any excuse not to pay out, and undeclared modifications are way up their list of exciting discoveries. That also probably means you're legally uninsured. Then of course there are the type approval aspects, which require that any seats fitted are of a type which has been type approved and fitted in a type approved way, otherwise you'll require SVA. 

 

It really isn't a good idea even to think about it nowadays. Those days are over.

[Jonny69]

54 minutes ago, Treewolf said:

Big difference on VED, for a Defender it's the difference between £270 and £580 pa at present.

 

If you don't 'fess up to the change then it's not tax avoidance (which is legal), it's tax evasion, which is illegal. If you get caught, expect uncomfortable penalties from HMRC. Remember also that your insurance will look for any excuse not to pay out, and undeclared modifications are way up their list of exciting discoveries. That also probably means you're legally uninsured. Then of course there are the type approval aspects, which require that any seats fitted are of a type which has been type approved and fitted in a type approved way, otherwise you'll require SVA. 

 

It really isn't a good idea even to think about it nowadays. Those days are over.

The VED is of no relevance really. It's capital allowance that's the big one, its 8% for a discovery car and I think 100% for the van. If you earn well a 50k van will save you probably near 10k a year in income tax. 

[Matthew Storrs]

1 hour ago, Jonny69 said:

The VED is of no relevance really. It's capital allowance that's the big one, its 8% for a discovery car and I think 100% for the van. If you earn well a 50k van will save you probably near 10k a year in income tax. 

And cost you £40k in depreciation ?!

[Jonny69]

6 minutes ago, Matthew Storrs said:

And cost you £40k in depreciation ?!

 not quite that bad. You probably break even on depreciation and tax relief to be fair. but it means i get to drive a lovely new work van about with a heated steering wheel, arm rests and 300 odd horsepower. It probably doesn't cost me any more per year than a £5K 15 year old pickup. 

[donnk]

ah the old window tax. 

 

I did this in a new disco3 when LR didnt produce a commercial. 

 

Easiest way buy a complete interior-rear from a writeoff. door cards everything. You will need the looms as well. Will be indistinguishable from a normal one.

 

Lakeland Landrover used to be the official 'converter' as they did them before they were registered so the V5 said they were vans.

 

Dont listen to any bollox about wont be insured, declare it all so they know. Be amazed if they charge you anything. Same goes for the nonsense about HMRC rolling up and demanding to count your seats. 

 

If the latest disco didnt look like a jizz covered slappers handbag i'd have another.

Edited May 28, 2020 by donnk

[donnk]

3 hours ago, Matthew Storrs said:

And cost you £40k in depreciation ?!

id try and put 50k, the more you can write it down the less tax you pay.

[Alycidon]

I have an 03 plate Defender County, so seats in the rear.   Had to take the rear seats out otherwise HMRC were going to tax it as a car.

 

A

[Stihllymok]

Interesting...I've also heard HMRC now tried to take someone to the cleaners for a standard disco commercial ????...they got away with it in the end.goodness knows what would have happened if it had a seat kit fitted.

HMRC are onto this van/commercial tax lark. VW Kombi is now a dead duck. There's still some interesting court cases pending I'm told...

[donnk]

anything ORIGINALLY SOLD with seats in the back is on sticky ground.

 

Disco's were sold specifically without, they even welded the seat bolts over. It also benfits from being a dual use vehicle even if it is over the weight specificed to be one in law which any other van is not.

[Alycidon]

On 20/06/2020 at 22:39, Stihllymok said:

Interesting...I've also heard HMRC now tried to take someone to the cleaners for a standard disco commercial ????...they got away with it in the end.goodness knows what would have happened if it had a seat kit fitted.

HMRC are onto this van/commercial tax lark. VW Kombi is now a dead duck. There's still some interesting court cases pending I'm told...

My accountant tells me the the VW Amorak 4 door pick up is now taxed as a car due to the amount of luxury stuff its fitted with. leather, air con, auto,cruise,  not the sort of things you would usually find in a van.  The high end Izuzu has most of these as options so maybe that will also come under scrutiny.

 

A