Capital Allowances

A reduction in a company's corporate tax in order to encourage it to make capital investments. In general, when a company buys capital assets or makes some other long term investment, its corporate taxes are reduced by some amount over and above what the depreciation on the asset would have been. This amount is called the capital allowance.

capital allowances

standard allowances, for TAXATION purposes, against expenditure on FIXED ASSETS by a firm in lieu of DEPRECIATION. In the UK currently (as at 2004/05) a 25% ‘writing-down allowance’ against tax is available for firms which invest in new plant and equipment. Additionally in the case of small and medium-sized firms a 40% ‘first year allowance’ is available for INVESTMENT in new plant and equipment and a 100% tax write-off (for the three year period 2000/03) for investment in computers and e-commerce. A business may choose its own rates of depreciation for fixed assets which may differ from the statutory capital allowances. Capital allowances may also be varied by the government to encourage or discourage capital INVESTMENT. See DEPRECIATION, CORPORATION TAX.

capital allowances

‘write-offs’ against CORPORATION TAX when a FIRM invests in new plant and equipment. In the UK currently (as at 2004/05) a 25% ‘writing-down allowance’ against tax is available for firms that invest in new plant and equipment. Additionally, in the case of small and medium-sized firms, a 40% ‘first-year allowance’ is available for investment in new plant and equipment and a 100% tax write-off for investment in computers and e-commerce.

Capital allowances are aimed at stimulating investment, thereby increasing the supply-side capabilities of the economy and the rate of ECONOMIC GROWTH. See CAPITAL GOODS, DEPRECIATION 2.