2020年12月ACCA考试报名截止时间：11月9日

正确答案：
(a) (i) Individual salesmen
The taxable benefit is determined by the list price of the vehicle plus the cost of the accessories (￡20,000) and the CO2
emission rate. The current vehicles have a CO2 emission rate of 168 grams/kilometre, so the benefit will be calculated
at the rate of 20% ((168 – 140)/5 + 15), resulting in a total annual car and car fuel benefit charge of ￡6,880 (20,000
x 20% + 14,400 x 20%). The low emission vehicles will be chargeable at the basic percentage rate of 15% resulting
in a total annual car and fuel benefit charge of ￡5,160 (20,000 x 15% + 14,400 x 15%). The salesmen will thus
make an annual income tax saving at their marginal rate of tax, i.e. ￡378 (1,720 x 22%) if they are basic rate taxpayers
and ￡688 (1,720 x 40%) if they are higher rate taxpayers.
Linden Limited
The current vehicles will be classed as ‘expensive’ cars based on the discounted list price plus the cost of the accessories
of ￡18,824 (19,600 x 94% + 400). The annual writing down allowances will thus be restricted to ￡3,000 throughout
the period of ownership, but there will be no restriction of the balancing allowance available on disposal. The low
emission vehicles will be eligible for a 100% first year allowance of ￡19,020 (19,600 x 95% + 400), but there will
also be a balancing charge on disposal equivalent to the sales proceeds. Therefore, the total of the allowances available
over the life of the cars will be effectively the same in both cases. As a single company with taxable profits of
￡1·4 million, Linden Limited will pay corporation tax at the small companies marginal rate of 32·75% in the year to
31 July 2007, giving a tax benefit in that year of ￡5,247 for each low emission car purchased ((19,020 – 3,000) x
32·75%).
The company will also make an annual saving in terms of the Class 1A national insurance contributions payable on the
salesmen’s benefits of ￡220 ((6,880 – 5,160) x 12·8%). But, as these Class 1A contributions are deductible for
corporation tax, the net saving will only be ￡205 (220 x (100 – 32·75)%).
As the VAT liability payable on the provision of private fuel is based on engine capacity (not the CO2 emission rate) this
will not necessarily be affected.

正确答案：D

正确答案：
(c) Corporate governance provisions varying by country
There is a debate about the extent to which corporate governance provisions (in the form. of either written codes, laws or
general acceptances) should be global or whether they should vary to account for local differences. In this answer, Vincent
Viola’s view is critically evaluated.
In general terms, corporate governance provisions vary depending on such factors as local business culture, businesses’
capital structures, the extent of development of capital funding of businesses and the openness of stock markets. In Germany,
for example, companies have traditionally drawn much of their funding from banks thereby reducing their dependence on
shareholders’ equity. Stock markets in the Soviet Union are less open and less liquid than those in the West. In many
developing countries, business activity is concentrated among family-owned enterprises.
Against Vincent’s view
Although business cultures vary around the world, all business financed by private capital have private shareholders. Any
dilution of the robustness of provisions may ignore the needs of local investors to have their interests adequately represented.
This dilution, in turn, may allow bad practice, when present, to exist and proliferate.
Some countries suffer from a poor reputation in terms of endemic corruption and fraud and any reduction in the rigour with
which corporate governance provisions are implemented fail to address these shortcomings, notwithstanding the fact that they
might be culturally unexpected or difficult to implement.
In terms of the effects of macroeconomic systems, Vincent’s views ignore the need for sound governance systems to underpin
confidence in economic systems. This is especially important when inward investment needs are considered as the economic
wealth of affected countries are partly underpinned by the robustness, or not, of their corporate governance systems.
Supporting Vincent’s view
In favour of Vincent’s view are a number of arguments. Where local economies are driven more by small family businesses
and less by public companies, accountability relationships are quite different (perhaps the ‘family reasons’ referred to in the
case) and require a different type of accounting and governance.
There is a high compliance and monitoring cost to highly structured governance regimes that some developing countries may
deem unnecessary to incur.
There is, to some extent, a link between the stage of economic development and the adoption of formal governance codes.
It is generally accepted that developing countries need not necessarily observe the same levels of formality in governance as
more mature, developed economies.
Some countries’ governments may feel that they can use the laxity of their corporate governance regimes as a source of
international comparative advantage. In a ‘race to the bottom’, some international companies seeking to minimise the effects
of structured governance regimes on some parts of their operations may seek countries with less tight structures for some
operations.

正确答案：
(ii) Two factors which might reduce the return earned by the investment are as follows:
(i) Poor product quality
The very nature of the product requires that it is of the highest quality i.e. the cakes are made for human
consumption. Bad publicity via a ‘product recall’ could potentially have a catastrophic effect on the total sales to
Superstores plc over the eighteen month period.
(ii) The popularity of the Mighty Ben character
There is always the risk that the popularity of the character upon which the product is based will diminish with a
resultant impact on sales volumes achieved. In this regard it would be advisable to attempt to negotiate with
Superstores plc in order to minimise potential future losses.