Sometimes we might have tax benefits if we do manage to buy our laptop and other IT equipment at our work. My current job did have a program where employees could to that with tax advantages. Have you done this too?
A lot of the offices here do offer benefits like this, and the items range anywhere from laptops to cars. I have heard of some of my friends' parents being able to buy their cars at half the price of what they would pay at a retailer, but I think it's also partly because they have been working there for a long time and they are given better perks than others.
Most large employers, especially tech companies, offer incredible perks for working at that company. A lot of these benefits are based upon time worked, so veterans for a given company get a lot more than newbies just starting out. You can find discounts on technology, vehicles, and countless other purchases. If these opportunities are available to you, then you should absolutely take advantage of them.
My office has that option but not because of tax benefits but mainly because the companies get supplier discounts by ordering large batch of products. I bought my current computer from the company and it saves me more than 50% percent compared to buying them online.
At my workplace, there is a "salary sacrifice" scheme where you can purchase technology and pay for it monthly, directly from your wages. The monthly repayment is taken from your pay before tax is deducted so it is essentially a tax-free purchase in this respect. Several of my colleagues have taken this offer up and found it to be a great way to upgrade to the latest technology without braking the bank.
That's pretty much the same thing missbishi and now that you mention it, I have the same situation regarding day care for those with small kids. The advantage here is that we pay directly like you say from the gross salary, meaning that part is actually tax free.
When I worked for the public school system, there was a program like this but I never participated. The reason is that it was like buying from Rent-A-Center or some place that has outrageous financing charges. They tried to promote it like someone was doing us a favor but only the opposite was true.
