Taxes Management Act 1970

16 Fees, commissions, etc.

(1) Every person carrying on a trade or business shall, if required to do so by notice from an inspector, make and deliver to the inspector a return of all payments of any kind specified in the notice made during a period so specified, being—

(a) payments made in the course of the trade or business, or of such part of the trade or business as may be specified in the notice, for services rendered by persons not employed in the trade or business, or

(b) payments for services rendered in connection with the formation, acquisition, development or disposal of the trade or business, or any part of it, by persons not employed in the trade or business, or

(c) periodical or lump sum payments made in respect of any copyright.

(2) Every body of persons carrying on any activity which does not constitute a trade or business shall, if required to do so by notice from an inspector, make and deliver to the inspector a return of all payments of a kind specified in the notice made during a period so specified, being—

(a) payments made in the course of carrying on the activity, or such part of the activity as may be specified in the notice, for services rendered by persons not employed by the said body of persons, or

(b) periodical or lump sum payments made in respect of any copyright.

(3) A return required under either of the preceding subsections shall, if the trade or business or other activity is carried on by an unincorporated body of persons (other than a company), be made and delivered by the person who is or performs the duties of secretary of the body, and the notice shall be framed accordingly.

(4) A return under the preceding provisions of this section shall give the name of the person to whom each payment was made, the amount of the payment and such other particulars (including particulars as to the services or rights in respect of which the payment was made, the period over which any services were rendered and any business name and any business or home address of the person to whom payment was made) as may be specified in the notice.

(5) No person shall be required under the preceding provisions of this section to include in a return—

(a) particulars of any payment from which income tax is deductible, or

(b) particulars of payments made to any one person where the total of the payments to that person which would otherwise fall to be included in the return does not exceed £15, or

(c) particulars of any payment made in a year of assessment ending more than three years before the service of the notice requiring him to make the return.

(6) A person who fails to deliver, within the time limited in any notice served on him under this section, a true and correct return which he is required by the notice to deliver shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding £50 and, after judgment has been given for that penalty, to a further penalty of the like amount for every day during which the failure continues.

(7) In this section—

(a) references to payments for services include references to payments in the nature of commission of any kind and references to payments in respect of expenses incurred in connection with the rendering of services, and

(b) references to the making of payments include references to the giving of any valuable consideration,

and the requirement imposed by subsection (4) above to state the amount of a payment shall, in relation to any consideration given otherwise than in the form of money, be construed as a requirement to give particulars of the consideration.