Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988

2 (1) Subject to [F2 paragraph 2A] below, a controlled foreign company pursues an acceptable distribution policy in respect of a particular accounting period if, and only if—

(a) a dividend which is not paid out of specified profits is paid for that accounting period F3 . . . ; and

(b) the dividend is paid during, or not more than eighteen months after the expiry of, [F4 that period] or at such later time as the Board may, in any particular case, allow; and

(c) the dividend is paid at a time when the company is not resident in the United Kingdom (whether or not it is at that time a controlled foreign company); and

F5 (d) the [F6 amount] of the dividend or, if there is more than one, of the aggregate of those dividends which is paid to persons resident in the United Kingdom [F6 is not less than][F7 90 per cent. of the company’s net chargeable profits] for the accounting period referred to in paragraph (a) above or, where sub-paragraph (4) or (5) below applies, of the appropriate portion of those profits;

F3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[F8 (1A) A payment of dividend to a company shall not fall within sub-paragraph (1)(d) above unless it is taken into account in computing the company’s income for corporation tax[F9 and—

(a) it is chargeable neither under Case I of Schedule D nor under Case VI of that Schedule in circumstances where by virtue of section 436, 439B or 441 profits are computed in accordance with the provisions of this Act applicable to Case I; or

(b) if it is chargeable under Case I, or under Case VI in the circumstances described in paragraph (a) above, it is not involved in a UK tax avoidance scheme;

and paragraph 2B below has effect for the purposes of paragraph (b) above.]]

[F10 (1B) A dividend paid by a company shall not fall within sub-paragraph (1)(d) above if, and to the extent that, the profits which are the relevant profits in relation to the dividend derive from dividends or other distributions paid to the company at any time which are dividends or other distributions—

(a) to which section 208 applied; or

(b) to which that section would have applied if the company had been resident in the United Kingdom at that time.

Subsections (3) and (4) of section 799 (double taxation relief: computation of underlying tax) apply for the purposes of this sub-paragraph as they apply for the purposes of subsection (1) of that section.]

(2) F11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[F12 (3) For the purposes of this paragraph and paragraph 2A below, a dividend which is not paid for the period or periods the profits of which are, in relation to the dividend, the relevant profits for the purposes of section 799 shall be treated (subject to sub-paragraph (3A) below) as so paid.

(3A) For the purposes of this paragraph and paragraph 2A below—

(a) where a dividend is paid for a period which is not an accounting period but falls wholly within an accounting period, it shall be treated as paid for that accounting period, and

(b) where a dividend (“the actual dividend”) is paid for a period which falls within two or more accounting periods—

(i) it shall be treated as if it were a number of separate dividends each of which is paid for so much of the period as falls wholly within an accounting period, and

(ii) the necesssary apportionment of the amount of the actual dividend shall be made to determine the amount of the separate dividends.]

(4) This sub-paragraph applies where—

(a) throughout the accounting period in question all the issued shares of the controlled foreign company are of a single class, and

(b) at the end of that accounting period some of those shares are held by persons resident outside the United Kingdom, and

(c) at no time during that accounting period does any person have an interest in the company other than an interest derived from the issued shares of the company;

and in a case where this sub-paragraph applies the appropriate portion for the purposes of sub-paragraph (1)(d) above is the fraction of which the denominator is the total number of the issued shares of the company at the end of the accounting period in question and, subject to sub-paragraph (8) below, the numerator is the number of those issued shares by virtue of which persons resident in the United Kingdom have interests in the company at that time.

(5) This sub-paragraph applies where—

(a) throughout the accounting period in question there are only two classes of issued shares of the controlled foreign company and, of those classes, one (“non-voting shares”) consists of non-voting fixed-rate preference shares and the other (“voting shares”) consists of shares which carry the right to vote in all circumstances at general meetings of the company; and

(b) at the end of that accounting period some of the issued shares of the company are held by persons resident outside the United Kingdom; and

(c) at no time during that accounting period does any person have an interest in the company other than an interest derived from non-voting or voting shares;

and in a case where this sub-paragraph applies the appropriate portion of the profits referred to in sub-paragraph (1)(d) above is the amount determined in accordance with sub-paragraph (6) below.

(6) The amount referred to in sub-paragraph (5) above is that given by the formula—

• where—

• P is the amount of any dividend falling within (a) and (b) of sub-paragraph (1) above which is paid in respect of the non-voting shares or, if there is more than one such dividend, of the aggregate of them;

• Q is, subject to sub-paragraph (8) below, the number of the non-voting shares by virtue of which persons resident in the United Kingdom have interests in the company at the end of the accounting period in question;

• R is the total number at that time of the issued non-voting shares;

• X is the [F13 net chargeable profits] for the accounting period in question;

• Y is, subject to sub-paragraph (8) below, the number of voting shares by virtue of which persons resident in the United Kingdom have interests in the company at the end of that accounting period; and

• Z is the total number at that time of the issued voting shares.

(7) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (5)(a) above, non-voting fixed-rate preference shares are shares—

(a) which are fixed-rate preference shares as defined in paragraph 1 of Schedule 18; and

(b) which either carry no right to vote at a general meeting of the company or carry such a right which is contingent upon the non-payment of a dividend on the shares and which has not in fact become exercisable at any time prior to the payment of a dividend for the accounting period in question.

(8) In any case where the immediate interests held by persons resident in the United Kingdom who have indirect interests in a controlled foreign company at the end of a particular accounting period do not reflect the proportion of the shares or, as the case may be, shares of a particular class in the company by virtue of which they have those interests (as in the case where they hold, directly or indirectly, part of the shares in a company which itself holds, directly or indirectly, some or all of the shares in the controlled foreign company) the number of those shares shall be treated as reduced for the purposes of sub-paragraph (4) or (6) above, as the case may be, to such number as may be appropriate having regard to—

(a) the immediate interests held by the persons resident in the United Kingdom; and

(b) any intermediate shareholdings between those interests and the shares in the controlled foreign company.

(9) The definition of “profits” in section 747(6)(b) does not apply to any reference in this paragraph to specified profits or to relevant profits for the purposes of section 799.

Textual Amendments

F2 Words in Sch. 25 para. 2(1) substituted (with application in accordance with s. 134(5) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1994 (c. 9), s. 134(2)(a)(i)

F3 Words in Sch. 25 para. 2(1) repealed (with application in accordance with s. 134(5) of the repealing Act) by Finance Act 1994 (c. 9), s. 134(2)(a)(ii)(v), Sch. 26 Pt. 5(15), Note

F4 Words in Sch. 25 para. 2(1)(b) substituted (with application in accordance with s. 134(5) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1994 (c. 9), s. 134(2)(a)(iii)

F5 Repealed by 1990 s.67(3)(a)and s.132and Sch.19 Part IVin relation to dividends paid on or after 20March 1990.

F6 Words in Sch. 25 para. 2(1)(d) substituted (with application in accordance with s. 134(5) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1994 (c. 9), s. 134(2)(a)(iv)

F7 Words in Sch. 25 para. 2(1)(d) substituted (with effect in accordance with s. 182 of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1996 (c. 8), Sch. 36 para. 4(2)(a)

F8 1990 s.67(3)(b)in relation to dividends paid on or after 20March 1990.

F9 Words in Sch. 25 para. 2(1A) added (with application in accordance with s. 82(8) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2001 (c. 9), s. 82(2)

F10 Sch. 25 para. 2(1B) inserted (with application in accordance with s. 88(2) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1999 (c. 16), s. 88(1)

F11 Sch. 25 para. 2(2) repealed (with application in accordance with s. 134(5) of the repealing Act) by Finance Act 1994 (c. 9), s. 134(2)(b), Sch. 26 Pt. 5(15), Note

F12 Sch. 25 para. 2(3)(3A) substituted for para. 2(3) (with application in accordance with s. 134(5) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1994 (c. 9), s. 134(2)(c)

F13 Words in Sch. 25 para. 2(6) substituted (with effect in accordance with s. 182 of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1996 (c. 8), Sch. 36 para. 4(2)(b)