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little c
|  24 Jun '08 15:02 : 0 recs : edited 1 time : last edit 24 Jun '08 15:03
Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black. Black could be the best colour for you, owl. |
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owl
| 14 Aug '07 11:49 : 0 recs
My Bentley engineer has a choice of lovingly-owned 89-91 Continental convertible for me to consider.
Any thoughts for best colour? |
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Thoughtful
| 11 Aug '07 11:11 : 0 recs
Sometime back I had group of accountant friends some in private practice and some working for HM revenue.
Talk about creating work for the profession?
Almost as bad as the bio chemists and foot and mouth!
Meanwhile have to create work for the holiday and travel business........???
Looks like my next port of call will be Italy, been there many times but still a lot more to see and do! |
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owl
| 11 Aug '07 10:39 : 0 recs
Thoughtful
Oh no, they absolutely know who their master is.
Mine is honrest enough to have told me a while back that, if he even thinks I may have done something wrong, he's obliged to report it to the Revenue.
And has no professional need to tell me he has. |
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Thoughtful
| 11 Aug '07 08:48 : 0 recs
owl all accountants work for the revenue even if they don't know it!
Welcome to Thoughtful's alternative view of the world!
You will have realised that Thoughtful sees the world in a different way to most people.
On the subject of cars, the average family car has become a consumable with a design life of some 8/10yrs! |
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owl
| 10 Aug '07 05:20 : 0 recs
3dc
I have this accountant.
To some of my ideas, his response? He sucks his teeth.
I call him my alternative wife. |
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3dc
| 10 Aug '07 03:23 : 0 recs
In the 80s I worked at a firm owned by some rather shifty characters who claimed to have the best tax lawyers in the US on their side.
One night I was working late and the lawyer was there too - late.
I made a beer run and sat down with him while the computers chewed through his calculations.....
After several beers I asked: "how do these guys afford all the nice Porsches and Benzes?"
He said "you've got time?" and put his feet up. Sipped some more beer and said "The short form of the story is they don't buy them. You me and the other taxpayers pay for them. The long form is a bit more complicated..."
It was like this: They and some other friends were from the same place of worship. They all owned or controlled companies. When enough people and not the same people as the previous time wanted new luxury cars they would form an auto leasing company! This leasing company would not contain enough members of any board to key the interests of the tax men. The company would buy the cars the members wanted and then lease them to their companies. The lease company would run a depreciation schedule on the cars (typ 3 or 4 year write down). The leasee companies would write down the cost of leasing the cars. After 4 years the leasing company would declare insolvency and fold. Nobody would trace down the cars. They would sort of fall through the wood work.... Maybe quietly sold out of state or reported mis-placed or something. In later years they moved them to Mexico for the last period of the leases.
OK...
Depreciation at the lease company followed by folding with never a year of profit.
Write down of leases at the leased to company who never repeats a lease from this stupid company...
Add it up... Not only are the cars free... they got pretax money out of their firms equal to the value of the cars as writedowns...
for them Win Win WIn with any car they desired.
For the taxpayer lose lose lose
Almost impossible to prove or notice any intent to defraud.
In later years they made sure to have nobody from their boards on the leasing ownership and the just have a friendly deal between buddies to scratch backs with no visible connection..
I asked the lawyer/acct.. What about you? You know all the dirt. Are you not worried that someday they will remove you from the scene? He said "No, I know too much and have it in overseas bank deposit boxes that some associates they don't know of know about". Besides I hide them lots of money and they pay me very well...
I never saw him again and quit working there when it became clear every aspect of the company was owned by another company. No future there. |
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owl
| 09 Aug '07 12:47 : 0 recs
agnostic
I shall drive it myself, I won't push the tax-offset.
Though an hourly fee for actual assignments, rather than prospecting, seems fair. |
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agnostic
| 09 Aug '07 12:45 : 0 recs : edited 2 times : last edit 09 Aug '07 12:46
owl:
Sorry, I thought you were going to drive it yourself and claim the appropriate salary.
Drivers who have been through the RR school are the cream, but expensive (advertise in the upper-crust magazines).
From what you say, depreciation is even better than I thought. Sounds like a good deal to me, since you obviously have the administrative infrastructure. |
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owl
| 09 Aug '07 12:35 : 0 recs : edited 2 times : last edit 09 Aug '07 12:43
agnostic
Thanks, the Bentley will cost £50k and £3k per annum (estimated by my nearest independent engineer).
The tax-offset of 25% annual write-down of value against other profits broadly equals the running cost.
Depreciation: the 89-91's have stayed at £50k for the last two years, as long as mileage is low.
As to high pay to the driver, correct in theory, edgy in practice.
Finding the right one's the issue.
Bentley Drivers Club?
I think my engineer's a better bet, he also acts as broker between old and new clients.. |
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Merlin
| 09 Aug '07 12:12 : 0 recs
jodpurs, peaked cap, black gloves and leather gaiters-and mute.
No sunglasses or banter. |
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agnostic
| 09 Aug '07 10:18 : 0 recs
owl:
No, one should not think laterally, one should go for the Bentley. It's taken most of its depreciation by now (though not for tax purposes I suspect), you'll be able to get spares and excellent service for as long as you need (at a price, granted) - and you'll end up catering to a much nicer clientele.
And of course, it's not a case of "can" employ a driver - is there an alternative? And the driver must be a skilled, sympathetic, experienced (therefore highly paid) operator. Again, for tax purposes, at least. |
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owl
| 09 Aug '07 04:14 : 0 recs
Merlin
Will this do the trick?
http://www.zenithclassics.co.uk/details.asp?VechId='1299'
Or can it be used for tricks? |
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owl
| 09 Aug '07 03:49 : 0 recs : edited 2 times : last edit 09 Aug '07 03:50
A marvellous weeze: a wedding car service.
Provided with a long-wheel base-convertible smooth-touring high-torque car.
Funded by a company I own, which is particularly generous to the Treasury.
Clearly a company's assets must be for its sole and whole use.
However it can employ a driver to commercialise the asset.
By displaying it in likely picturesque locations.
Now: is a £50k 90 Bentley Continental drophead the ideal company asset?
Or should one think laterally and import a left-hand-drive 1969 Lincoln Continental convertible? |
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owl
| 07 Aug '07 17:31 : 0 recs : edited 2 times : last edit 07 Aug '07 17:40
3dc
Thanks for the suggestion to use car-parts.com
I've found this afternoon for $213 a glass/steel/rubber sunroof (moonroof) sub-assembly for my Prelude, plus about the same if Fedex collect it to bring to the UK.
From a yard 10 miles from my home.
In practice I'll get them to keep it for me and put it in a suitcase on my next trip.
Honda cost here, new with VAT £530.
And searching my UK local scrap yards is too tedious. The existing part can still be used, it's the rust I need to get rid of. |
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owl
| 07 Aug '07 17:23 : 0 recs
Merlin
Good, enjoy. |
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Merlin
| 07 Aug '07 17:13 : 0 recs
My Grandparents did |
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owl
| 07 Aug '07 16:14 : 0 recs
Merlin
So did you inherit yours? |
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Merlin
| 07 Aug '07 16:13 : 0 recs
It was Alan Clarke said of Michael Heseltine. |
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owl
| 07 Aug '07 15:47 : 0 recs
3dc
I've promised my realtor a scale model of the new Convertible Roller, with teak boat-tail.
Sadly he's had to put its purchase on ice and is making do with a pre-BMW roller.
Any ideas? |
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