Customs and Excise Duties (General Reliefs) Act 1979

[F1 13A Reliefs from duties and taxes for persons enjoying certain immunities and privileges. U.K.

(1) The Commissioners may by order make provision for conferring in respect of any persons to whom this section applies reliefs, by way of remission or repayment, from payment by them or others of duties of customs or excise, value added tax or car tax.

(2) An order under this section may make any relief for which it provides subject to such conditions binding the person in respect of whom the relief is conferred and, if different, the person liable apart from the relief for payment of the tax or duty (including conditions which are to be complied with after the time when, apart from the relief, the duty or tax would become payable) as may be imposed by or under the order.

(3) An order under this section may include any of the provisions mentioned in subsection (4) below for cases where—

(a) relief from payment of any duty of customs or excise, value added tax or car tax chargeable on any goods, or on the supply of any goods or services or the importation of any goods has been conferred (whether by virtue of an order under this section or otherwise) in respect of any person to whom this section applies, and

(b) any condition required to be complied with in connection with the relief is not complied with.

(4) The provisions referred to in subsection (3) above are—

(a) provision for payment to the Commissioners of the tax or duty by—

(i) the person liable, apart from the relief, for its payment, or

(ii) any person bound by the condition, or

(iii) any person who is or has been in possession of the goods or has received the benefit of the services,

or for two or more of those persons to be jointly and severally liable for such payment, and

(b) in the case of goods, provision for forfeiture of the goods.

(5) An order under this section—

(a) may contain such incidental and supplementary provisions as the Commissioners think necessary or expedient, and

(b) may make different provision for different cases.

(6) In this section and section 13C of this Act—

• “ duty of customs ” includes any agricultural levy within the meaning of section 6 of the [F2 European Union] Act M1 1972 chargeable on goods imported into the United Kingdom, and

• “ duty of excise ” means any duty of excise chargeable on goods and includes any addition to excise duty by virtue of section 1 of the Excise Duties (Surcharges or Rebates) Act M2 1979.

(7) For the purposes of this section and section 13C of this Act, where in respect of any person to whom this section applies relief is conferred (whether by virtue of an order under this section or otherwise) in relation to the use of goods by any persons or for any purposes, the relief is to be treated as conferred subject to a condition binding on him that the goods will be used only by those persons or for those purposes.

(8) Nothing in any order under this section shall be construed as authorising a person to import any thing in contravention of any pro-hibition or restriction for the time being in force with respect to it under or by virtue of any enactment.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Ss. 13A–13C inserted by Finance Act 1989 (c. 26, SIF 40:1), s. 28(1)(2)

F2 Words in Act substituted (22.4.2011) by The Treaty of Lisbon (Changes in Terminology) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/1043), arts. 2, 3, 4 (with art. 3(2)(3)4(2)6(4)6(5))

Marginal Citations

M1 1972 c.68 (29:5).

M2 1979 c.8 (40:1).