Doom wrote:
if someone has paid £50k for a plate and the council deregulates, that person is entitled to claim the 50k back in tax relief, so add that up across the country and I can see the IRS not being a happy bunny, and they can't get out of it because they won't allow you the start up price, stating to me last time I had an investigation " we don't allow relief on the plate money so to make it a cushion if you sell it later as we want a slice of the profit" this means and I'm sure they will wiggle it somehow, that they are saying they are backing a wager on you, and if you win they get a share, and if you lose they have to allow you the losses in tax relief, now who wants to dereg so quickly, I bet the chancellor didn't think of this when he allowed his croanies to meddle with things.
Another conspiracy theory
It's a capital asset like property and thus subject to capital gains tax rather than treated as current trading expenditure for income tax purposes.
However, I think losses on capital items can only be allowed against other capital gains, so for the average taxi owner the chances of getting relief for any losses on a plate are probably pretty slim.
If, however, you made a business out of buying and selling plates then the buying/selling costs would be treated as revenue/expenditure and assessed for income tax, as would someone making a business out of buying and selling houses.
Of course, your main residence is exempt from capital gains tax, thus most people don't pay it, but if you have a second home then it's not exempt, which is why some of the MPs have been getting into bother because they've been 'flipping' their second home to get Commons allowances but telling the tax man a different story
