ACFO will focus on ‘The State of the Nation’ at its autumn seminar, with fleet management changing at an unprecedented pace triggering a spectacular increase in fleet administration.

The event is being held on September 21 at Plant Oxford, the production home of the Mini owned by BMW Group (UK), which along with business mobility and fleet leasing experts Alphabet GB, is sponsoring the seminar.

John Pryor, chairman of ACFO, the UK’s premier fleet decision-makers’ organisation, said: “There is huge uncertainty across the country as a consequence of the Brexit negotiations and following the general election which, allied to major changes in taxation and legislation impacting on the fleet sector means change on a scale that I do not believe the fleet industry has previously seen.

“At the seminar a range of expert speakers will put into context what is happening and aim to draw some conclusions as to the action fleet decision-makers can take to ensure management of their transport and travel operations reflect what is happening and, potentially, what will occur over the weeks, months and years to come.

“Delegates will, we hope, leave the seminar fully briefed on all the changes and with the facts separated from many of the myths that are circulating around the fleet industry.”

Speakers include:

• Alison Avo, corporate services relationship manager, operations and customer service directorate at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), who will bring delegates up to speed on a range of issues including the increasing digitalisation of fleet services.
• Sarah Green, head of Dart Charge service, Highways England, who will provide an update on Dart Charge and a range of other issues including developments in respect of charges for the two Severn Crossing bridges which are due to revert to central government control at the end of this year or in early 2018, and the proposed new £6 billion Lower Thames Crossing which will connect Essex and Kent east of Tilbury and Gravesend with the aim of reducing the traffic burden on the Dartford Crossing.

Other key fleet industry topics to be tackled by speakers will include:

• A tax update that will focus on: the Government’s consultation on the taxation of benefits-in-kind and employee expenses that includes an examination of Approved Mileage Allowance Payments made to employees that drive their own cars on business journeys; an update on ACFO’s call for HM Revenue and Customs to publish Advisory Fuel Rates for plug-in cars; the future viability of both car salary sacrifice and car or cash allowance programmes following tax changes that came into effect on April 6 and the impact on P11D reporting of the measure; and developments that can be expected in the Autumn Budget including possible changes to the tax treatment of diesel vehicles and company car benefit-in-kind tax rates for 2020/21.
• The impact on fleets and vehicle-related taxation of the introduction of the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP), the new vehicle CO2 and MPG test procedure that will replace the long-established New European Driving Cycle (NEDC).
• An update on the lease accounting standards changes that are effective from January 1, 2019, which require most leased assets to be reported on company balance sheets.

The seminar, which starts at 9.30am and finishes at 1.30pm, with an optional tour of Plant Oxford, will conclude with a panel discussion that will tackle the impact on the fleet industry of the ongoing Brexit negotiations and the fall-out from the general election result.

Further speakers to be confirmed will be from Alphabet GB, BMW Group (UK) and the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association.

To book a place at the seminar email Fiona Spencer at info@acfo.org or go to www.acfo.org.