2 NCL plc, which has a divisionalised structure, undertakes civil engineering and mining a

Ashura has been employed by Rift plc since 1 January 2013. She has also been self-employed since 1 July 2015, preparing her first accounts for the nine-month period ended 5 April 2016. The following information is available for the tax year 2015–16:

Employment

(1) During the tax year 2015–16, Ashura was paid a gross annual salary of ￡56,200.

(2) On 1 January 2016, Ashura personally paid two subscriptions. The first was a professional subscription of ￡320 paid to an HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC’s) approved professional body. The second was a subscription of ￡680 to a health club which Ashura regularly uses to meet Rift plc’s clients. Ashura was not reimbursed for the costs of either of these subscriptions by Rift plc.

(3) During the tax year 2015–16, Ashura used her private motor car for business purposes. She drove 3,400 miles in the performance of her duties for Rift plc, for which the company paid her an allowance of 55 pence per mile.

(4) During the tax year 2015–16, Ashura contributed ￡2,800 into Rift plc’s HMRC registered occupational pension scheme and ￡3,400 (gross) into a personal pension scheme.

Self-employment

(1) Ashura’s tax adjusted trading loss based on her draft accounts for the nine-month period ended 5 April 2016 is ￡3,300. This figure is before making any adjustments required for:

(i) Advertising expenditure of ￡800 incurred during January 2015. This expenditure has not been deducted in calculating the loss of ￡3,300.

(ii) The cost of Ashura’s office (see note (2) below).

(iii) Capital allowances.

(2) Ashura runs her business using one of the five rooms in her private house as an office. The total running costs of the house for the nine-month period ended 5 April 2016 were ￡4,350. No deduction has been made for the cost of the office in calculating the loss of ￡3,300.

(3) On 10 June 2015, Ashura purchased a laptop computer for ￡2,600.

On 1 July 2015, Ashura purchased a motor car for ￡19,200. The motor car has aemission rate of 137 grams per kilometre. During the nine-month period ended 5 April 2016, Ashura drove a total of 8,000 miles, of which 2,500 were for self-employed business journeys.

Other information

Ashura’s total income for the previous four tax years is as follows:

Required:

(a) State TWO advantages for Ashura of choosing 5 April as her accounting date rather than a date early in the tax year such as 30 April. (2 marks)

(b) Calculate Ashura’s revised tax adjusted trading loss for the nine-month period ended 5 April 2016. (6 marks)

(c) Explain why it would not be beneficial for Ashura to claim loss relief under the provisions giving relief to a loss incurred in the early years of trade. Note: You should assume that the tax rates and allowances for the tax year 2015–16 also applied in all previous tax years. (2 marks)

(d) Assuming that Ashura claims loss relief against her total income for the tax year 2015–16, calculate her taxable income for this tax year. (5 marks)

An initial cash outlay investment of ￡12 million will be required and a net cash inflow amounting to ￡5 million is

expected to arise in each of the four years of the life of the project.

The activities involved in the West project will cause the local river to become polluted and discoloured due to the

discharge of waste substances from mining operations.

It is estimated that at the end of year four a cash outlay of ￡2 million would be required to restore the river to its

original colour. This would also clear 90% of the pollution caused as a result of the mining activities of the IOA

Division.

The remaining 10% of the pollution caused as a result of the mining activities of the IOA Division could be cleared

up by a further cash outlay of ￡2 million.

(c) Evaluate the West project and, stating your reasons, comment on whether the board of directors of NCL plc

should spend the further ￡2 million in order to eliminate the remaining 10% of pollution. (6 marks)

(Ignore Taxation).

4 Diverse Holdings Plc has five wholly-owned subsidiary companies. These are:

(i) Organic Foods Ltd (OFL) which is involved in the production and sale of organically grown fruit and vegetables.

OFL has built up a very good reputation as a supplier of quality produce.

(ii) Haul-Trans Ltd (HTL) which was acquired on 1 December 2005 and is involved in transporting a range of

products on behalf of third parties.

(iii) Kitchen Appliances Ltd (KAL) which is involved in the manufacture and sale of small, manually-operated kitchen

appliances. KAL has recently suffered from squeezed margins as a consequence of competition from low cost

imports.

(iv) Paper Supplies Ltd (PSL) which manufactures and sells a narrow range of stationery products to two distributors.

(v) Office Products Ltd (OPL) which manufactures and sells computer workstations with unique design features

which are highly regarded by health and safety experts.

The management accountant of Diverse Holdings Plc has gathered the following actual and forecast information

relating to the five subsidiaries:

Required:

(a) Identify and comment on FOUR advantages that may be gained as a result of the adoption of a formal system

of strategic planning. (4 marks)

You should assume that today’s date is 1 March 2014.

George, a software developer, was born on 11 June 1986. He has accepted a one-year contract to update software for Xpee plc.

(1) The contract will run from 6 April 2014 to 5 April 2015, with a fee of ￡40,000 payable for the entire year of the contract. A condition of the contract is that George will have to do the work personally and not be permitted to sub-contract the work to anyone else.

(2) George will work from home, but will have to attend weekly meetings at Xpee plc’s offices to receive instructions regarding the work to be performed during the following week.

(3) George will not incur any significant expenses in respect of the contract apart from the purchase of a new laptop computer for ￡3,600 on 6 April 2014. This laptop will be used 100% for business purposes.

(4) During the term of the contract, George will not be permitted to work for any other clients. He will therefore not have any other income during the tax year 2014–15.

(5) George’s tax liability for the tax year 2013–14 was collected through PAYE, so he will not be required to make any payments on account in respect of the tax year 2014–15.

George has several friends who are also software developers. He understands that his employment status is not clear cut but that his income tax liability for the tax year 2014–15 will be the same regardless of whether he is treated as employed or as self-employed. However, George appreciates that there are advantages to being classed as self-employed.

Required:

(a) List FOUR factors which are indicators of George being treated as an employee in relation to his contract with Xpee plc rather than as self-employed. Note: You should confine your answer to the information given in the question. (2 marks)

(b) Calculate George’s income tax liability and national insurance contributions for the tax year 2014–15 if he is treated as self-employed in respect of his contract with Xpee plc. (4 marks)

(c) If George is treated as being an employee of Xpee plc instead of self-employed:

(i) Explain why his income tax liability will be payable earlier. (2 marks)

(ii) Calculate the additional amount of national insurance contributions which he personally will suffer for the tax year 2014–15. (2 marks)

2 Ice-Time Ltd (ITL) manufactures a range of sports equipment used in a variety of winter-sports in Snowland.

Development engineers within ITL have recently developed a prototype of a small engine-propelled bobsleigh named

the ‘Snowballer’, which has been designed for use by young children. The directors of ITL recently spent ￡200,000

on market research, the findings of which led them to believe that a market exists for the Snowballer.

The marketing director has suggested that ITL should use the ‘Olympic’ brand in order to market the Snowballer.

The finance director of ITL has gathered relevant information and prepared the following evaluation relating to the

proposed manufacture and sale of the Snowballer.

(1) Sales are expected to be 3,200 units per annum at a selling price of ￡2,500 per unit.

(2) Variable material, labour, and overhead costs are estimated at ￡1,490 per unit.

(3) In addition, a royalty of ￡150 per unit would be payable to Olympic plc, for the use of their brand name.

(4) Fixed overheads are estimated at ￡900,000 per annum. These overheads cannot be avoided until the end of the

year in which the Snowballer is withdrawn from the market.

(5) An initial investment of ￡5 million would be required. A government grant equal to 50% of the initial investment

would be received on the date the investment is made. However, because the Snowballer would be classified as

a luxury good, no tax allowances would be available on this initial investment. The estimated life cycle of the

Snowballer is six years.

(6) Corporation tax at the rate of 30% per annum is payable in the year in which profit occurs.

(7) All cash flows are stated in current prices and, with the exception of the initial investment and the government

grant, will occur at the end of each year.

(8) The nominal cost of capital is 15·44%. Annual inflation during the period is expected to amount to 4%.

Required:

(a) Calculate the net present value (NPV) of the Snowballer proposal and recommend whether it should be

undertaken by the directors of ITL. (4 marks)

The company’s main contract was with Dank plc a large industrial conglomerate.

In the course of its research activity, Clean Ltd’s scientists developed a new super glue. Des was very keen to pursue the manufacture of the glue but the board of directors overruled him and decided that the company should stick to its core business.

The managing director of Dank plc is a friend of Des’s and has told him that Dank plc will not be renewing its contract with Clean Ltd as he is not happy with its performance. He also told Des that he would be happy to continue to deal with him, if only he was not linked to Clean Ltd.

Following that discussion Des resigned from his position as managing director of Clean Ltd and set up his own company, Flush Ltd which later entered into a contract with Dank plc to replace Clean Ltd. Flush Ltd also manufactures the new glue discovered by Clean Ltd’s scientists, which has proved to be very profitable.

Required:

In the context of company law, advise the board of Clean Ltd as to whether they can take any action against Des or Flush Ltd.(10 marks)

to at least 50%, in order to reduce the company’s cost of capital and increase its market value.

The managing director of Semer is not convinced by the logic of the proposal, or the accuracy of the calculations, but

is unable to explain the reasons for his reservations.

A summary of the proposal and its implications is shown below.

Proposal to increase the capital gearing of Semer plc

The company’s current weighted average cost of capital is estimated to be 10·6%. If the proportion of debt is

increased to 50% of total capital, by the repurchase of ordinary shares at their current market value, the cost of capital

may be reduced to 9·9%. A reduced cost of capital means that the value of the company will increase which will be

welcomed by our shareholders. Calculations supporting the above proposal are shown below:

(ii) The current price of Semer’s ordinary shares is 410 pence.

(iii) The market price of one 8% debenture 2010 is ￡112.

(iv) The market return is 10·5% and the risk free rate 4·0%.

(v) Semer’s equity beta is 1·2.

(vi) Semer currently pays ￡15 million in dividends.

(vii) The corporate tax rate is 30%.

(viii) The company currently generates a free cash flow of ￡60 million per year, which is expected to increase by

approximately 3% per year.

Required:

(a) What, if any, are the mistakes in the proposal？ Correcting for any mistakes produce revised estimates of the

company’s current cost of capital and current value. Brief explanation of the reasons for any revisions should

be included. (15 marks)

￡32,000 and is provided with a petrol-driven company car which has a CO2 emission rate of 187g/km and had a

list price when new of ￡22,360. In August 2003, when he was first provided with the car, Benny paid the company

￡6,100 towards the capital cost of the car. Golden Tan plc does not pay for any of Benny’s private petrol and he is

also required to pay his employer ￡18 per month as a condition of being able to use the car for private purposes.

On 1 December 2006 Golden Tan plc notified Benny that he would be made redundant on 28 February 2007. On

that day the company will pay him his final month’s salary together with a payment of ￡8,000 in lieu of the three

remaining months of his six-month notice period in accordance with his employment contract. In addition the

company will pay him ￡17,500 in return for agreeing not to work for any of its competitors for the six-month period

ending 31 August 2007.

On receiving notification of his redundancy, Benny immediately contacted Joe Egmont, the managing director of

Summer Glow plc, who offered him a senior management position leading the company’s expansion into Eastern

Europe. Summer Glow plc is one of Golden Tan plc’s competitors and one of the most innovative companies in the

industry, although not all of its strategies have been successful.

Benny has agreed to join Summer Glow plc on 1 September 2007 for an annual salary of ￡39,000. On the day he

joins the company, Summer Glow plc will grant him an option to purchase 10,000 ordinary shares in the company

for ￡2·20 per share under an unapproved share option scheme. Benny can exercise the option once he has been

employed for six months but must hold the shares for at least a year before he sells them.

The new job will require Benny to spend a considerable amount of time in London. Summer Glow plc has offered

Benny the exclusive use of a flat that the company purchased on 1 June 2003 for ￡165,000; the flat is currently

rented out. The flat will be made available from 1 September 2007. The company will pay all of the utility bills

relating to the flat as well as furnishing and maintaining it. Summer Glow plc has also suggested that if Benny would

rather live in a more central part of the city, the company could sell the existing flat and buy a more centrally located

one, of the same value, with the proceeds.

On 15 March 2007 Benny intends to sell 5,800 shares in Mahana plc, a quoted company, for ￡24,608. His

transactions in the company’s shares have been as follows:

￡

June 1988 Purchased 8,400 shares 6,744

February 1996 Sale of rights nil paid 610

January 2005 Purchased 1,300 shares 2,281

The sale of rights, nil paid, was not treated as a part disposal of Benny’s holding in Mahana plc.

Benny’s shareholding in Mahana plc represents less than 1% of the company’s issued ordinary share capital. He will

not make any other capital disposals in 2006/07.

In addition to his employment income, Benny receives rental income of ￡4,000 (net of deductible expenses) each

year. He normally submits his tax return in August but he has not yet prepared his return for 2005/06. He expects

to be very busy in December and January and is planning to prepare his tax return in late February 2007.

Required:

(a) Calculate Benny’s employment income for 2006/07. (4 marks)

Sam, who is aged 24 and single.

In November 2005 Stuart sold a house in Plymouth for ￡422,100. Stuart had inherited the house on the death of

his mother on 1 May 1994 when it had a probate value of ￡185,000. The subsequent pattern of occupation was as

follows:

1 May 1994 to 28 February 1995 occupied by Stuart and Rebecca as main residence

1 March 1995 to 31 December 1998 unoccupied

1 January 1999 to 31 March 2001 let out (unfurnished)

1 April 2001 to 30 November 2001 occupied by Stuart and Rebecca

1 December 2001 to 30 November 2005 used occasionally as second home

Both Stuart and Rebecca had lived in London from March 1995 onwards. On 1 March 2001 Stuart and Rebecca

bought a house in London in their joint names. On 1 January 2002 they elected for their London house to be their

principal private residence with effect from that date, up until that point the Plymouth property had been their principal

private residence.

No other capital disposals were made by Stuart in the tax year 2005/06. He has ￡29,500 of capital losses brought

forward from previous years.

Stuart intends to invest the gross sale proceeds from the sale of the Plymouth house, and is considering two

investment options, both of which he believes will provide equal risk and returns. These are as follows:

(1) acquiring shares in Omikron plc; or

(2) acquiring further shares in Omega plc.

Notes:

1. Omikron plc is a listed UK trading company, with 50,250,000 shares in issue. Its shares currently trade at 42p

per share.

2. Stuart and Rebecca helped start up the company, which was then Omega Ltd. The company was formed on

1 June 1990, when they each bought 24,000 shares for ￡1 per share. The company became listed on 1 May

1997. On this date their holding was subdivided, with each of them receiving 100 shares in Omega plc for each

share held in Omega Ltd. The issued share capital of Omega plc is currently 10,000,000 shares. The share price

is quoted at 208p – 216p with marked bargains at 207p, 211p, and 215p.

Stuart and Rebecca’s assets (following the sale of the Plymouth house but before any investment of the proceeds) are

as follows:

Assets Stuart Rebecca

￡ ￡

Family house in London 450,000 450,000

Cash from property sale 422,100 –

Cash deposits 165,000 165,000

Portfolio of quoted investments – 250,000

Shares in Omega plc see above see above

Life insurance policy note 1 note 1

Note:

1. The life insurance policy will pay out a sum of ￡200,000 on the death of the first spouse to die.

Stuart has recently been diagnosed with a serious illness. He is expected to live for another two or three years only.

He is concerned about the possible inheritance tax that will arise on his death. Both he and Rebecca have wills whose

terms transfer all assets to the surviving spouse. Rebecca is in good health.

Neither Stuart nor Rebecca has made any previous chargeable lifetime transfers for the purposes of inheritance tax.

Required:

(a) Calculate the taxable capital gain on the sale of the Plymouth house in November 2005 (9 marks)

(d) The management of Wonderland plc have become concerned about the increased level of operating costs

associated with its petrol-driven ferries and have made a strategic decision to dispose of these. They are now

considering entering into a contract with the Newman Steamship Company (NSC), a shipping organisation based

in Robynland. The contract would entail NSC providing transport to and from Cinola Island for all visitors to the

zoo and circus.

As a result of negotiations with NSC, the directors of Wonderland plc are considering two options whereby NSC

will become responsible for the transportation of visitors to and from Cinola Island with effect from 1 December

2007 or 1 December 2008.

Additional information is available as follows:

(1) NSC would require Wonderland plc to pay for the necessary modifications to their steamships in order that

they would satisfy marine regulations with regard to passenger transportation. The only firm which could

undertake this work is currently working to full capacity and would require a payment of ￡2,450,000 in

order to undertake the work necessary so that the ferries could be in operation by 1 December 2007. The

same firm would require a payment of ￡1,725,000 in order to make the necessary modifications so that

the ferries could be in operation by 1 December 2008. The government of Robynland would be willing to

pay a grant of 8% towards the cost of getting the ferries into operation by 1 December 2007, but would not

be willing to pay a grant in respect of any later date.

(2) On 1 December 2002 Wonderland plc paid ￡500,000 to the Port Licencing Authority of Robynland. This

payment was for a licence which entitles Wonderland plc to use all harbour facilities in Robynland during

the five-year period ending 30 November 2007. The licence could be renewed on 1 December 2007 at a

cost of ￡150,000 per annum.

(3) Redundancy payments would need to be paid in respect of loss of employment. These would amount to

￡1,200,000 if the contract with NSC commenced on 1 December 2007. This amount would reduce to

￡750,000 if the contract commenced on 1 December 2008.

(4) Wonderland plc has a contract for the provision of petrol for its ferries which is due to expire on 30 November

2008. Early termination of the contract would incur a penalty charge of ￡76,000. An emergency reserve

stock of petrol held by Wonderland plc, which cannot be used after 30 November 2007 due to marine

regulations regarding the age of fuel, could be sold for ￡55,000 on 1 December 2007 but not on any date

thereafter.

(5) The ferries could be sold for ￡3,300,000 on 1 December 2007. If retained after 1 December 2007 the

ferries would require servicing during the year ending 30 November 2008 which would incur costs

amounting to ￡150,000. The resale value of the ferries on 1 December 2008 would be ￡2,900,000.

(6) Stock of consumable items which originally cost ￡150,000 could be sold on 1 December 2007 for

￡110,000 and on 1 December 2008 for ￡50,000.

Required:

(i) On purely financial grounds, advise whether the management of Wonderland plc should enter into a

contract with NSC with effect from 1 December 2007 or 1 December 2008. You may ignore the time

value of money. (9 marks)