Summer 2009 Newsletter Content Pot and kettle No more stealth Pensions hit A place in the sun Ready or not... Nice motor Making allowances Good times, bad times Tax-free checkup Three square meals Funny question Dividend rules OK? Too good to be true? Pay my friend Early EIS Mind the halfpennies Just the ticket Flat rate changes Foreign Service This year, next year Partial exemption Penalties Compliance checks Under their eye Howzat? Know your rights Discipline Don't be mean Redundancy Two sorts of absence Warranties

Tax-free checkup Normally putting "tax" and "checkup" together is enough to make anyone ill - blood pressure, palpitations, chest pains. The Inspector asking awkward questions and making unreasonable demands. But HM Revenue & Customs are human after all: they have confirmed that employees can be given free medical check-ups by their employer without incurring a benefit-in-kind, even if check-ups aren't available to all staff on the same terms. This is a sensible rule that allows, for example, employees who use computer screens to be given regular eye-tests. It's not supposed to extend to treatment, though - that's still a taxable benefit.