ACFO has launched a new ‘Digital Brief’ initiative to provide members with access to Q&A sessions with industry experts on key issues.

ACFO chairman John Pryor said the ‘Digital Brief’ provides another opportunity for ACFO members to obtain a wealth of information without leaving their desks

The new service starts on Thursday 3 May with a briefing on fleet-related tax changes that have been introduced in 2018/19 and those that are planned for future years.

The 15-minute Q&A session between ACFO chairman John Pryor and Richard Cox, senior consultant at vehicle funding and fleet management solution specialist Arval UK, will cover issues including:

• Changes in company car benefit-in-kind tax including an increase from 3% to 4% in the diesel supplement.
• The impact of Optional Remuneration Arrangements (OpRA), which came into effect last year, but could leave employees with demands for unpaid tax in 2018/19.
• Increases in Vehicle Excise Duty and the introduction of a diesel car supplement.
• A tightening of the capital allowance thresholds.
• Rises in car and van fuel benefit charges and van benefit charge.

Members will then be able to ask follow-up questions by emailing the organisation’s ‘Helpdesk’ at [email protected].

The new service is being introduced some seven months since ACFO said it was moving its focus onto running webinars instead of regional meetings, after attendance at the meetings had dwindled as fleet managers increasingly come under time pressures.

John Pryor said: “The ‘Digital Brief’ is an added-value service for members. As well as addressing ‘what fleet decision-makers’ need to know, we will be aiming to address some of the nuances and ‘what if’ scenarios that the tax changes will trigger and could impact on fleet policies and company car choice lists.”

Further Digital Brief sessions are currently under consideration and could include the 25 May introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the arrival of the new Worldwide harmonised Light vehicles Test Procedure for car and light van emissions and fuel economy. Members are also being asked to submit other suggestions for topics.