Taxes Management Act 1970

[F1 12B Records to be kept for purposes of returns. U.K.

(1) Any person who may be required by a notice under section 8, 8A F2 ... or 12AA of this Act (or under any of those sections as extended by section 12 of this Act) to make and deliver a return for a year of assessment or other period shall—

(a) keep all such records as may be requisite for the purpose of enabling him to make and deliver a correct and complete return for the year or period; and

[F3 (b) preserve those records until the end of the relevant day, that is to say, the day mentioned in subsection (2) below or, where a return is required by a notice given on or before that day, whichever of that day and the following is the latest, namely—

(i) where enquiries into the return F4 ... are made by an officer of the Board, the day on which, by virtue of section [F5 28A(1) or 28B(1)] of this Act, those enquiries are F6 ... completed; and

(ii) where no enquiries into the return F7 ... are so made, the day on which such an officer no longer has power to make such enquiries.]

(2) The day referred to in subsection (1) above is—

(a) in the case of a person carrying on a trade, profession or business alone or in partnership or a company, the fifth anniversary of the 31st January next following the year of assessment or (as the case may be) the sixth anniversary of the end of the period;

(b) in any other case, the first anniversary of the 31st January next following the year of assessment F8 ...

[F9 (2A) Any person who—

(a) is required, by such a notice as is mentioned in subsection (1) above given at any time after the end of the day mentioned in subsection (2) above, to make and deliver a return for a year of assessment or other period; and

(b) has in his possession at that time any records which may be requisite for the purpose of enabling him to make and deliver a correct and complete return for the year or period,

shall preserve those records until the end of the relevant day, that is to say, the day which, if the notice had been given on or before the day mentioned in subsection (2) above, would have been the relevant day for the purposes of subsection (1) above.]

(3) In the case of a person carrying on a trade, profession or business alone or in partnership—

(a) the records required to be kept and preserved under subsection (1) [F10 or (2A)] above shall include records of the following, namely—

(i) all amounts received and expended in the course of the trade, profession or business and the matters in respect of which the receipts and expenditure take place, and

(ii) in the case of a trade involving dealing in goods, all sales and purchases of goods made in the course of the trade; and

(b) the duty under that subsection shall include a duty to preserve until [F11 the end of the relevant day] all supporting documents relating to such items as are mentioned in paragraph (a)(i) or (ii) above.

(4) [F12 Except in the case of records falling within subsection (4A) below,] the duty under subsection (1) [F13 or (2A)] above to preserve records may be discharged by the preservation of the information contained in them; and where information is so preserved a copy of any document forming part of the records shall be admissible in evidence in any proceedings before the Commissioners to the same extent as the records themselves.

[F14 (4A) The records which fall within this subsection are—

(a) any statement in writing such as is mentioned in—

(i) subsection (1) of section 234 of the principal Act (amount of qualifying distribution and tax credit), or

[F15 (ii) section 495(1) or 975(2) or (4) of ITA 2007 (statements about deduction of income tax),]

which is furnished by the company or person there mentioned, whether after the making of a request or otherwise;

[F16 (b) any record (however described) which is required by regulations under section 70(1)(c) of the Finance Act 2004 to be given to a sub-contractor (within the meaning of section 58 of that Act) on the making of a payment to which section 61 of that Act (deductions on account of tax) applies;]

(c) any such record as may be requisite for making a correct and complete claim in respect of, or otherwise requisite for making a correct and complete return so far as relating to, an amount of tax—

(i) which has been paid under the laws of a territory outside the United Kingdom, or

(ii) which would have been payable under the law of such a territory but for a relief to which section 788(5) of the principal Act (relief for promoting development and relief contemplated by double taxation arrangements) applies.]

(5) [F17 [F18 Subject to subsections (5A) and (5B)] below,] any person who fails to comply with subsection (1) [F19 or (2A)] above in relation to a year of assessment or accounting period shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding £3,000.

[F20 (5A) Subsection (5) above does not apply where the records which the person fails to keep or preserve are records which might have been requisite only for the purposes of claims, elections or notices which are not included in the return.]

[F21 (5B) Subsection (5) above also does not apply where—

(a) the records which the person fails to keep or preserve are records falling within paragraph (a) of subsection (4A) above; and

(b) an officer of the Board is satisfied that any facts which he reasonably requires to be proved, and which would have been proved by the records, are proved by other documentary evidence furnished to him.]

(6) For the purposes of this section—

(a) a person engaged in the letting of property shall be treated as carrying on a trade; and

(b) “supporting documents” includes accounts, books, deeds, contracts, vouchers and receipts.]

Textual Amendments

F1 S. 12B and cross-heading inserted (with effect in accordance with s. 199(2)(3) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1994 (c. 9), Sch. 19 para. 3; S.I. 1998/3173, art. 2

F2 Word in s. 12B(1) repealed (with effect in accordance with s. 117(4)(5) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1998 (c. 36), Sch. 19 para. 6, Sch. 27 Pt. 3(28); S.I. 1998/3173, art. 2

F3 S. 12B(1)(b) substituted (with effect in accordance with s. 103(7) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1995 (c. 4), s. 105(1)

F4 Words in s. 12B(1)(b)(i) repealed (with effect in accordance with s. 88(3) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2001 (c. 9), Sch. 29 para. 20(2)(a), Sch. 33 Pt. 2(13) Note

F5 Words in s. 12B(1)(b)(i) substituted (with effect in accordance with s. 88(3) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2001 (c. 9), Sch. 29 para. 20(2)(b)

F6 Words in s. 12B(1)(b)(i) repealed (with effect in accordance with s. 88(3) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2001 (c. 9), Sch. 29 para. 20(2)(c), Sch. 33 Pt. 2(13) Note

F7 Words in s. 12B(1)(b)(ii) repealed (with effect in accordance with s. 88(3) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2001 (c. 9), Sch. 29 para. 20(3), Sch. 33 Pt. 2(13) Note

F8 Words in s. 12B(2) repealed (with effect in accordance with s. 103(7) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1995 (c. 4), s. 105(2), Sch. 29 Pt. 8(14)

F9 S. 12B(2A) inserted (with effect in accordance with s. 103(7) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1995 (c. 4), s. 105(3)

F10 Words in s. 12B(3)(a) inserted (with effect in accordance with s. 103(7) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1995 (c. 4), s. 105(4)(a)

F11 Words in s. 12B(3)(b) substituted (with effect in accordance with s. 103(7) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1995 (c. 4), s. 105(4)(b)

F12 Words in s. 12B(4) inserted (with effect in accordance with s. 124(1) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1996 (c. 8), s. 124(2) (with s. 124(9))

F13 Words in s. 12B(4) inserted (with effect in accordance with s. 103(7) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1995 (c. 4), s. 105(5)

F14 S. 12B(4A) inserted (with effect in accordance with s. 124(1) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1996 (c. 8), s. 124(3) (with s. 124(9))

F15 S. 12B(4A)(a)(ii) substituted (with effect in accordance with s. 1034(1) of the amending Act) by Income Tax Act 2007 (c. 3), s. 1034(1), Sch. 1 para. 246 (with Sch. 2)

F16 S. 12B(4A)(b) substituted (with effect in accordance with s. 77 of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2004 (c. 12), Sch. 12 para. 1(2)

F17 Words in s. 12B(5) inserted (with effect in accordance with s. 103(7) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1995 (c. 4), s. 105(6)(a)

F18 Words in s. 12B(5) substituted (with effect in accordance with s. 124(1) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1996 (c. 8), s. 124(4) (with s. 124(9))

F19 Words in s. 12B(5) inserted (with effect in accordance with s. 103(7) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1995 (c. 4), s. 105(6)(b)

F20 S. 12B(5A) inserted (with effect in accordance with s. 103(7) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1995 (c. 4), s. 105(7)

F21 S. 12B(5B) inserted (with effect in accordance with s. 124(1) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1996 (c. 8), s. 124(5) (with s. 124(9))

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 12B applied (with modifications) (E.W.) (1.4.2000) by Education (Student Loans) (Repayment) Regulations 2000 (S.I. 2000/944), regs. 1(1), 18

C2 S. 12B applied (with modifications) (N.I.) (1.4.2000) by The Education (Student Loans) (Repayment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 (S.R. 2000/121), regs. 1, 18

C3 S. 12B(5) excluded (with effect in accordance with s. 33(1) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2004 (c. 12), s. 33(3)(a)