Inaugural green tax calculator goes live

Big Four member KPMG will today launch an online tax calculator designed to
provide the firm’s clients with tax break information and incentives.

Environmental Tax Health Check, or ETHiC, has been tested by clients for
several months, with minor amendments having now been made in time for the
launch.

According to Frank Sangster, partner at KPMG, the end of 2007 signaled a
change in the way companies viewed green tax, with many ‘unaware of the full
visibility of taxes paid’.

In conjunction with an IT provider, the software program hosting the
calculator took six months to conceive. Pre-written paragraphs have been
programmed into the software and a report is produced dependent on the data
submitted.

Sangster said the calculator will serve to quash debate over what constitutes
a green tax.

The program used also enables KPMG to capture and save the data, allowing the
firm to track industry specific green tax bills at any point in time.

Energy and natural resource clients are expected to benefit most from the
calculator, but Sangster says interest has been shown by hoteliers and an
airline.

‘We’re aiming it at companies with a reasonable sized business but we do get
calls from smaller businesses as well. Anyone who uses a lot of energy or with a
lot of offices, such as retailers,’ he said.

Some of the taxes interpreted by the calculator include the climate change
levy, landfill tax, air passenger duty and fuel duty on employee private fuel
and supply vehicles.