Autumn Statement: Office tax perks could be cut under review of workplace expenses No further details were given but accountants said one proposal could be for HM Revenue and Customs to bring in a new flat rate allowance per employee for expenses incurred off site. The fear is that it could lead to firms having to pay more in tax for other employee benefits like subsidised canteens. Other perks which could be changed is the £30,000 tax free cap on redundancy payouts. Another perk is the right of firms to hand out to their own staff cheap products - such as chocolate bar manufacturers allowing staff to take home bars from the factory at a knockdown rate. The reason why these perks would be axed is that by increasing tax on them companies will be less likely to provide them. Amanda Flint, from Grant Thornton, said that even the traditional Christmas box - when managers give small gifts valued at up to £50 to the staff - could lose its tax free status too. She said: "Currently you have small gifts from your employer at Christmas tax free. There is no set level of gift but these tend to be below £50 per person. Those employees lucky enough to receive this benefit would be sorry to see it go. Mark Groom, a tax partner at Deloitte, added that other changes could mean people have to pay more to use petrol in a company for a private journey. Currently the amount people can claim is calculated based on a complicated fuel scale, however the Office for Tax Simplification might look to change this. Other mileage rules could also be changed. Currently employees can claim 45p a mile to use a private car for business purposes for the first 10,000miles, and 25p a mile thereafter, without any explicit clearance from the Inland Revenue. Office perks under threat Cheap fuel. People who use company cars to take private journeys could find themselves paying more for this benefit in kind. Mileage allowances could also be reformed. Annual Christmas box. There is no level on the value of the annual gifts that companies can give to their staff. Subsidised staff restaurant. There is no limit on the amount of money companies can use to subsidise staff restaurants. The only stipulation is that it must only be spent on reasonable food and drink. In-house perks. Companies are allowed to give their staff cheap rates to buy their own products. These could be cut back in the review. £30,000 tax free redundancy payout. HMRC is concerned about the way that companies can pay out £30,000 to employees even though contractual relationships are still in place.