Tax breaks for work health schemes welcomed

Article Type: Environment and safety From: Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Volume 60, Issue 4

The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer’s decision to give tax breaks on health initiatives at work is good for employers and their employees.

Before this afternoon’s budget, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) had urged George Osborne to remove tax disincentives on employer-provided therapies and vocational rehabilitation programmes.

Today, the Chancellor announced that the Government would introduce a targeted tax relief, so amounts up to £500 paid by employers on recommended schemes are not treated as a taxable benefit in kind.

IOSH head of policy and public affairs Richard Jones said: “IOSH has been calling for this for many years and a recent IOSH-commissioned survey of UK SMEs(conducted by ComRes) showed considerable support for these sorts of Government incentive”.

“We are delighted at the inclusion of this concession, which is an important start and recognises that removing tax disincentives could help encourage more employers to provide useful support for ill or injured employees.”

“Removing tax disincentives and encouraging employers who want to do the right thing for their employees is a win-win situation for everyone. It’s good for employers and businesses, it’s good for workers and their families, and it’s good for the economy and society as a whole.”

Each year over 130 million working days are lost to sickness absence. The Government commissioned Dame Carol Black and David Frost to conduct an independent review of sickness absence.

The Government’s decision follows recommendation made in their report,“Health at work – an independent review of sickness absence”,released in January.

More information is available from: www.iosk.co.uk