Taxation logo taxation mission text

Since 1927 the leading authority on tax law, practice and administration

Slow growing

25 August 2009
Issue: 4220 / Categories: Forum & Feedback
An orchid-growing business has paid to create a website that will advertise the business even though sales are not anticipated for the first five years. Are these costs capital or revenue expenditure?

A client has set up a new orchid-plant nursery business as a sole trader. The plants will take four to five years to grow before any sales will be generated and therefore trading losses will be made for the first few years.

Our client has set up a website to advertise the business but it is not the immediate intention of the website to generate sales since – as mentioned above – he is not in a position to sell goods certainly not for a few years at least.

Should the initial setting-up costs of the website to be treated as capital expenditure?

Clearly he does intend to generate sales in the long term and the website will in time assist in this.

Readers’ advice is welcomed.

Query 17 456 – IT Geek

Reply from N.K.

Using the parameters provided by IT Geek the...

If you or your firm subscribes to Taxation.co.uk, please click the login box below:

If you are not a subscriber but are a registered user or have a free trial, please enter your details in the following boxes:

Alternatively, you can register free of charge to read a limited amount of subscriber content per month.
Once you have registered, you will receive an email directing you back to read this item in full.

Please reach out to customer services at +44 (0) 330 161 1234 or 'customer.services@lexisnexis.co.uk' for further assistance.

back to top icon