Finance Act 1971

45 Machinery and plant on hire-purchase etc.

(1) Where a person carrying on a trade incurs capital expenditure on the provision of machinery or plant for the purposes thereof under a contract providing that he shall or may become the owner of the machinery or plant on the performance of the contract—

(a) the machinery or plant shall be treated for the purposes of this Chapter as belonging to him at any time when he is entitled to the benefit of the contract so far as it relates to that machinery or plant, and

(b) all capital expenditure in respect of that machinery or plant to be incurred by him under the contract after the time when the machinery or plant is brought into use for the purposes of the trade shall be treated for the purposes of this Chapter as having been incurred by him at that time.

(2) Where a person to whom any machinery or plant is treated as belonging by virtue of subsection (1)(a) above ceases to be entitled to the benefit of the contract in question so far as it relates to that machinery or plant without in fact becoming the owner of the machinery or plant—

(a) the machinery or plant shall be treated for the purposes of this Chapter as ceasing to belong to him at the time when he ceases to be so entitled, and

(b) if he ceases to be so entitled after the machinery or plant has been brought into use for the purposes of the trade, the disposal value of the machinery or plant—

(i) shall not exceed the total capital expenditure which he would have incurred in respect of the machinery or plant if he had wholly performed the contract, but

(ii) subject to that limitation, shall be taken as an amount equal to any capital sums which he receives, or is entitled to receive, by way of consideration, compensation, damages or insurance moneys in respect of his rights under the contract, or in respect of the machinery or plant, together with so much of the said capital expenditure as he has not in fact incurred.