Tag: theatre

5 Creative Tax Reliefs

People in Cinema

The Creative Industries have done rather well in the last couple of years as far as tax reliefs go and more are just about to come on stream.

Creative industry tax reliefs (CITR) are a group of 5 Corporation Tax reliefs that allow qualifying companies to claim a larger deduction, or in some circumstances claim a payable tax credit when calculating their taxable profits.

These reliefs work by increasing the amount of allowable expenditure. Where your company makes a loss, you may be able to ‘surrender’ the loss and convert some or all of it into a payable tax credit.

Film Tax Relief (FTR) was introduced in April 2007 and 2 additional reliefs were introduced in April 2013. These are Animation Tax Relief (ATR) and High-end Television Tax Relief (HTR). A fourth relief for Video Games Development was introduced from 1 April 2014. A fifth relief for Theatre Tax Relief is to be introduced in Autumn 2014. HMRC

Let’s take a look at the 5 tax reliefs:

Film Tax Relief (FTR)

Your company will be entitled to claim FTR on a film as long as:

  • the film passes the culture test – it is considered a ‘British film’
  • the film is intended for theatrical release
  • at least 25% of the total production costs relate to activities in the UK

Animation Tax Relief (ATR)

Your company will be entitled to claim ATR on an animation programme if:

  • the programme passes the cultural test – a similar test to that for FTR but within the European Economic Area
  • the programme is intended for broadcast
  • at least 51% of the total core expenditure is on animation
  • at least 25% of the total production costs relate to activities in the UK

High-end Television Tax Relief (HTR)

Your company will be entitled to claim HTR on a programme if:

  • the programme passes the cultural test – a similar test to that for FTR but within the European Economic Area
  • the programme is intended for broadcast
  • the programme is a drama, comedy or documentary
  • at least 25% of the total production costs relate to activities in the UK
  • the average qualifying production costs per hour of production length is not less than £1million per hour
  • the slot length in relation to the programme must be greater than 30 minutes

Video Games Development

Your company will be entitled to claim VGTR as long as:

  • the video game is British
  • the video game is intended for supply
  • at least 25% of core expenditure is incurred on goods or services that are provided from within in the European Economic Area (EEA)

Theatre Tax Relief

Details to follow in the Autumn of 2014

 

steve@bicknells.net

No more Class 1NI for Self Employed Entertainers

Entertainer

Following 18 months of extensive engagement with representatives from all fields of the entertainment industry, HMRC published on 15 May 2013 a public consultation document: ‘National Insurance and Self-Employed Entertainers’, which discussed the precise difficulties being caused by the current application of the Regulations. The consultation presented four possible options for simplifying the NICs treatment of entertainers going forwards.

The consultation ran for 12 weeks receiving 11,814 individual responses of which 99.1% supported the option of repealing the Social Security (Categorisation of Earners) Regulations in relation to the entertainers. On 23 October 2013 HMRC published a summary of the consultation responses which included the announcement of the Government’s decision to repeal these Regulations insofar as they relate to entertainers from 6 April 2014 and a first draft of the legislation implementing this.

From 6 April 2014, producers engaging entertainment performance services will not be required to deduct Class 1 NICs contributions from any payments they make to you. This includes additional use payments such as royalties. The engager will make payments to the entertainer gross of tax and NICs and the entertainer must declare these earnings as part of their normal self-employed Self-Assessment return.

Please note that this guidance does not apply if you are an entertainer on an employment contract, and receive a regular salary from your engager with tax and NICs deducted at source under the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) system.

If you engage the services of entertainers

From 6 April 2014, you will not be required to operate Class 1 NICs for the entertainers you engage. If you are currently deducting employees’ Class 1 NICs from the payments you make to your entertainers (including additional use payments such as royalties), and paying the respective employers’ Class 1 NICs on these payments, you should continue to do so up until 5 April 2014. From 6 April 2014 however you should cease to do this.

The changes will be of interest to all national broadcasters, film companies, theatre managers, independent production companies, their representative bodies and agents in the Film & TV Production Industries, Equity, individual entertainers, companies engaging entertainers, and any other interested parties.

See HMRC Brief 35/13 for more details

steve@bicknells.net