Finance Act 1985

Offences etc.

12 Offences and penalties in criminal proceedings

(1) Section 39 of the principal Act (offences and penalties) shall be amended in accordance with the following provisions of this section; but any increased penalty provided for by those provisions does not apply to an offence committed on or before the date this Act is passed.

(2) In subsections (1)(b). (2)(ii) and (3)(b) (maximum of 2 years imprisonment on indictment) for " 2 " there shall be substituted " 7".

(3) After subsection (1) there shall be inserted the following subsection: —

“(1A) Any reference in subsection (1) above or subsection (3) below to the evasion of tax includes a reference to the obtaining of—

(a) a payment under section 14(5) above; or

(b) a refund under section 21 or section 22 above; or

(c) a repayment under section 23 above ; and any reference in those subsections to the amount of the tax shall be construed,—

(i) in relation to tax itself or a payment falling within paragraph (a) above, as a reference to the aggregate of the amount (if any) falsely claimed by way of credit for input tax and the amount (if any) by which output tax was falsely understated; and

(ii) in relation to a refund or repayment falling within paragraph (b) or paragraph (c) above, as a reference to the amount falsely claimed by way of refund or repayment.”

(4) In subsection (2)(i) (penalty on summary conviction for certain offences relating to false documents or false information) after the words " statutory maximum " there shall be inserted " or, where subsection (2A) or subsection (2B) below applies, to the alternative penalty specified in that subsection if it is greater".

(5) After subsection (2) there shall be inserted the following subsections: —

“(2A) In any case where—

(a) the document referred to in subsection (2) (a) above is a return required under this Act, or

(b) the information referred to in subsection (2) (b) above is contained in or otherwise relevant to such a return,

the alternative penalty referred to in subsection (2)(i) above is a penalty equal to three times the aggregate of the amount (if any) falsely claimed by way of credit for input tax and the amount (if any) by which output tax was falsely understated.

(2B) In any case where—

(a) the document referred to in subsection (2)(a) above is a claim for a refund under section 21 or section 22 above or for a repayment under section 23 above, or

(b) the information referred to in subsection (2)(b) above is contained in or otherwise relevant to such a claim,

the alternative penalty referred to in subsection (2)(i) above is a penalty equal to three times the amount falsely claimed.

(2C) The reference in subsection (2) (a) above to furnishing, sending or otherwise making use of a document which is false in a material particular, with intent to deceive, includes a reference to furnishing, sending or otherwise making use of such a document, with intent to secure that a machine will respond to the document as if it were a true document.

(2D) Any reference in subsection (2) (a) or subsection (20 above to producing, furnishing or sending a document includes a reference to causing a document to be produced, furnished or sent.”

(6) After subsection (3) there shall be inserted the following subsection: —

“(3A) Where an authorised person has reasonable grounds for suspecting that an offence has been committed under the preceding provisions of this section, he may arrest anyone whom he has reasonable grounds for suspecting to be guilty of the offence.”

(7) The following provisions shall cease to have effect—

(a) in subsection (5), paragraph (a) and the words from " or, if greater " onwards ;

(b) subsection (6); and

(c) subsection (7).

(8) In subsection (8)—

(a) for the words " the failure referred to in subsection (7) above " there shall be substituted " a person's failure to comply with any regulations made under this Act"; and

(b) for the words from " that subsection " to " (if it is greater) " there shall be substituted " that person shall be liable on summary conviction to a penalty of level 3 on the standard scale, together with a penalty of whichever is the greater of £10 and";

but that subsection, as so amended, shall not apply to a failure which begins on or after such day as the Treasury may by order made by statutory instrument appoint.

(9) In accordance with the provisions of subsections (1) to (7) above, section 39 of the principal Act, excluding subsection (8), shall have effect as set out in Schedule 6 to this Act.