Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988

418 “Distribution” to include certain expenses of close companies

(1) Subject to such exceptions as are mentioned in section 209(1), in the Corporation Tax Acts “distribution”, in relation to a close company, includes, unless otherwise stated, any such amount as is required to be treated as a distribution by subsection (2) below.

(2) Subject to subsection (3) below, where a close company incurs expense in or in connection with the provision for any participator of living or other accommodation, of entertainment, of domestic or other services, or of other benefits or facilities of whatever nature, the company shall be treated as making a distribution to him of an amount equal to so much of that expense as is not made good to the company by the participator.

(3) Subsection (2) above shall not apply to expense incurred in or in connection with the provision—

(a) for a person employed in director’s or higher-paid employment (within the meaning of section 167) of such benefits as are mentioned in any of sections 154 to 165; or

(b) of living accommodation for any person if the accommodation is (within the meaning of section 145) provided by reason of his employment; or

(c) for the spouse, children or dependants of a person employed by the company of any pension, annuity, lump sum, gratuity or other like benefit to be given on that person’s death or retirement.

(4) The amount of the expense to be taken into account under subsection (2) above as a distribution shall be the same as would under Chapter II of Part V be the cash equivalent of the resultant benefit to the participator.

(5) Subsection (2) above shall not apply if the company and the participator are both resident in the United Kingdom and—

(a) one is a subsidiary of the other or both are subsidiaries of a third company also so resident, and

(b) the benefit to the participator arises on or in connection with a transfer of assets or liabilities by the company to him, or to the company by him.

(6) The question whether one body corporate is a subsidiary of another for the purposes of subsection (5) above shall be determined as a question whether it is a 51 per cent. subsidiary of that other, except that that other shall be treated as not being the owner—

(a) of any share capital which it owns directly in a body corporate if a profit on a sale of the shares would be treated as a trading receipt of its trade; or

(b) of any share capital which it owns indirectly, and which is owned directly by a body corporate for which a profit on a sale of the shares would be a trading receipt; or

(c) of any share capital which it owns directly or indirectly in a body corporate not resident in the United Kingdom.

(7) Where each of two or more close companies makes a payment to a person who is not a participator in that company, but is a participator in another of those companies, and the companies are acting in concert or under arrangements made by any person, then each of those companies and any participator in it shall be treated as if the payment made to him had been made by that company.

This subsection shall apply, with any necessary adaptations, in relation to the giving of any consideration, and to the provision of any facilities, as it applies in relation to the making of a payment.

(8) For the purposes of this section any reference to a participator includes an associate of a participator, and any participator in a company which controls another company shall be treated as being also a participator in that other company.