DoH responds over issue of CET funding

Following last week’s article on frequently asked CET-related questions, optician has received numerous queries on whether optometrists in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland can apply for the £270 payment.

A spokeswoman for the DoH told optician that the payment scheme only related to England and that practitioners elsewhere in the UK should contact their relevant local government body regarding funding.

If you are an optometrist or an OMP you can claim £270 as ‘payment for loss of earnings in respect of CET’ for 2004/05, but the deadline is October 31. The 2005/06 figure is £425.

The AOP stated this week it has received a response from the Inland Revenue on the issue of claiming back expenses for undertaking CET.

‘Generally speaking the grants paid to the practising optometrist or employer by the DoH are taxable income and should be treated as such,’ HM Revenue & Customs said.

‘When the optometrist is an employee attending a CET course paid for by the employer, the employee should not be assessed under the benefit rules on the cost of the training and the employer should get a deduction against income.’

Self-employed optometrists should get a deduction against income for the cost of the CET.