Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988

486 Industrial and provident societies and co-operative associations

(1) Notwithstanding anything in the Tax Acts, share interest or loan interest paid by a registered industrial and provident society shall not be treated as a distribution; and, subject to subsection (7) below and section 487(3), any share or loan interest paid in an accounting period of the society—

(a) shall be deductible in computing, for the purposes of corporation tax, the income of the society for that period from the trade carried on by the society, or

(b) if the society is not carrying on a trade, shall be treated for those purposes as a charge on the income of the society.

(2) Notwithstanding anything in sections 348 to 350, any share interest or loan interest paid by a registered industrial and provident society, except any to which subsection (3) below applies, shall be paid without deduction of income tax.

(3) This subsection applies to any share interest or loan interest payable to a person whose usual place of abode is not within the United Kingdom, and in any such case section 349(2) shall apply to the payment as it applies to a payment of yearly interest, and income tax shall be deducted accordingly.

(4) Any share interest or loan interest paid by a registered industrial and provident society shall be chargeable under Case III of Schedule D.

(5) Where at any time, by virtue of this section, the income of a person from any source, not having previously been chargeable by direct assessment on that person, becomes so chargeable, section 66(3) shall apply as if the source of that income were a new source of income acquired by that person at that time.

(6) Every registered industrial and provident society shall, within three months after the end of any accounting period of the society, deliver to the inspector a return showing—

(a) the name and place of residence of every person to whom the society has by virtue of this section paid without deduction of income tax sums amounting to more than £15 in that period; and

(b) the amount so paid in that period to each of those persons.

(7) If for any accounting period a return under subsection (6) above is not duly made by a registered industrial and provident society, share and loan interest paid by the society in that period shall not be deductible in computing its income, or be treated as a charge on income.

(8) If in the course of, or as part of, a union or amalgamation of two or more registered industrial and provident societies, or a transfer of engagements from one registered industrial and provident society to another, there is a disposal of an asset by one society to another, both shall be treated for the purposes of corporation tax in respect of chargeable gains as if the asset were acquired from the society making the disposal for a consideration of such amount as would secure that neither a gain nor a loss would accrue to that society on the disposal.

(9) Subsections (1) and (8) above shall have effect as if references to a registered industrial and provident society included any co-operative association established and resident in the United Kingdom, and having as its object or primary object to assist its members in the carrying on of agricultural or horticultural businesses on land occupied by them in the United Kingdom or in the carrying on of businesses consisting in the catching or taking of fish or shellfish.

(10) It is hereby declared that, in computing, for the purposes of any provision of the Tax Acts relating to profits or gains chargeable under Case I of Schedule D (“the tax computation”), any profits or gains of—

(a) any registered industrial and provident society which does not sell to persons not members thereof; or

(b) any registered industrial and provident society the number of the shares in which is not limited by its rules or practice;

there are to be deducted as expenses any sums which—

(i) represent a discount, rebate, dividend or bonus granted by the company to members or other persons in respect of amounts paid or payable by or to them on account of their transactions with the company, being transactions which are taken into account in the tax computation; and

(ii) are calculated by reference to those amounts or to the magnitude of those transactions and not by reference to the amount of any share or interest in the capital of the company.

(11) No dividends or bonus deductible in computing income as mentioned in subsection (10) above shall be regarded as a distribution.

(12) In this section—

• “co-operative association” means a body of persons having a written constitution from which the Minister is satisfied, having regard to the provision made as to the manner in which the income of the body is to be applied for the benefit of its members and all other relevant provisions, that the body is in substance a co-operative association;

• “the Minister” means—

  • the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, as regards England and Wales;

  • he Secretary of State, as regards Scotland; and

  • the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland, as regards Northern Ireland;

• “registered industrial and provident society” means a society registered or deemed to be registered under the [1965 c. 12.] Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965 or under the [1969 c. 24 (N.I.).] Industrial and Provident Societies Act (Northern Ireland) 1969;

• “share interest” means any interest, dividend, bonus or other sum payable to a shareholder of the society by reference to the amount of his holding in the share capital of the society;

• “loan interest” means any interest payable by the society in respect of any mortgage, loan, loan stock or deposit;

and references to the payment of share interest or loan interest include references to the crediting of such interest.