Fringe benefits call for hairline decisions

It is astonishing that so many people do not know the gross amount of their income, let alone the amount spent on them by their employers for fringe benefits. Some fringe benefits are statutory — eg, employers have to pay National Insurance and allow so many weeks paid holiday each year; others are non‐statutory. These latter can cover a remarkable mix: eg, vacations, non‐contributory pensions, private health schemes, use of a car, tuition for study, “business” trips to exotic places, free or subsidised housing, marriage dowries, seats at the opera, use of a hunting lodge.