Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

TestingTaxCoronavirusLatest NewsBenefits

Government scraps plan to class coronavirus tests as taxable benefit in kind

by Ashleigh Webber 7 Jul 2020
by Ashleigh Webber 7 Jul 2020 Shutterstock
Shutterstock

Controversial plans to get workers to pay income tax on coronavirus testing kits purchased by their employer have been scrapped by the government.

Concerns emerged after HM Revenue & Customs issued new workplace benefits guidance that stated Covid-19 testing kits or tests carried out by a third party, which have been purchased by an employer for its employees, were to be treated as a taxable benefit in kind.

Coronavirus testing

ICO guidance on workplace coronavirus testing published

Hospital staff to receive weekly coronavirus tests

The classification of testing kits as a benefit in kind was heavily criticised by Treasury Committee chairman Mel Stride, who asked chancellor Rishi Sunak to look into the issue.

He said: “Many employees, especially healthcare and hospitality workers, are required to undergo regular coronavirus testing.

“Many of our key workers could be faced with the perverse incentive of avoiding employer-sponsored tests in order to reduce their tax bill… This cannot be right.”

Sunak told MPs on Tuesday that he would look into the issue “very quickly”. HMRC has since removed the reference to testing kits from its guidance, indicating that staff would not have to pay tax on them.

Organisations in some sectors including healthcare and hospitality are undergoing weekly coronavirus tests for the safety of their colleagues and visitors.

Guidance published by the Information Commissioner’s Office in May said that employers still needed to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act when handling Covid-19 test data.

They can keep lists of employees who have had symptoms or tested as positive, but they need to ensure the processing of this data is “necessary and relevant for the stated purpose”.

This article was updated on 8 July 2020.

Ashleigh Webber
Ashleigh Webber

Ashleigh is editor at OHW+ and HR and wellbeing editor at Personnel Today. Ashleigh's areas of interest include employee health and wellbeing, equality and inclusion and skills development. She has hosted many webinars for Personnel Today, on topics including employee retention, financial wellbeing and menopause support. Prior to joining Personnel Today in 2018, she covered the road transport sector for Commercial Motor and Motor Transport magazines, touching on some of the employment and wellbeing issues experienced by those in road haulage.

previous post
Don’t let Covid-19 blind you to other health and safety risks, waste firms warned
next post
Chancellor to announce kickstart scheme for jobs

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You may also like

Davos hears that ‘wages can rise’ without creating...

26 May 2022

Employees resigning in 2022: Survey shows ‘great resignation’...

24 May 2022

How should HR handle the highest inflation in...

18 May 2022

Wages fall 1.2% behind inflation as cost of...

17 May 2022

‘Small spike’ in minimum wage underpayment among 20-24...

13 May 2022

BBC awards pay increase as pension scheme review...

12 May 2022

KPMG offers pay rises of £2k or £4k...

6 May 2022

Pay transparency: How organisations can break the taboo

5 May 2022

Survey reveals public desire for CEO pay restraint

4 May 2022

Law firm says staff can work from home...

3 May 2022
  • Strathclyde Business School expands its Degree Apprenticeship offer in England PROMOTED | The University of Strathclyde is expanding its programmes...Read more
  • The Search for Talent: Six Major Employer Pitfalls PROMOTED | The Great Resignation continues unabated...Read more
  • Navigating the widening “Skills Confidence Gap” in 2022, and beyond PROMOTED | Cornerstone OnDemand conducted a global study...Read more
  • Apprenticeships are the solution to your recruitment problems PROMOTED | Apprenticeships have the pulling power...Read more
  • What it really means to be mentally fit PROMOTED | What is mental fitness...Read more
  • How music can help to ease anxiety at work PROMOTED | A lot has happened since March 2020, hasn’t it?...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+