People set up in business for a variety of reasons. For some it is a dream that becomes a reality some years later. In working towards that dream, they may purchase items before the business starts to trade, to enable the business to trade, rather than for the purposes of the trade, e.g. a professional

Work may be undertaken on a property to repair it or to improve it, and it will not always be clear where the dividing line falls. The distinction is important for tax purposes as, depending on how the accounts are prepared, relief may be given in a different way for capital expenditure and for revenue

For tax purposes, where an employee uses their own car for work, mileage allowances can be paid tax-free up to the approved amount, which is simply the business mileage for the year multiplied by the approved rate (which for cars and vans is set at 45p per mile for the first 10,000 business miles in