Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988

577 Business entertaining expenses. U.K.

(1) M1 Subject to the provisions of this section—

(a) no deduction shall be made in computing [F1 profits] chargeable to tax under F2 . . . Schedule D for any expenses incurred in providing business entertainment, and such expenses shall not be included in computing any expenses of management in respect of which relief may be given under the Tax Acts; [F3 and]

(b) no deduction for expenses so incurred shall be made from emoluments chargeable to tax under Schedule E; F4 . . .

(c) F4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(2) F5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(3) The expenses to which paragraph (a) of subsection (1) above applies include, in the case of any person, any sums paid by him to, or on behalf of, or placed by him at the disposal of a member of his staff exclusively for the purpose of defraying expenses incurred or to be incurred by him in providing business entertainment, but where—

(a) any such sum falls to be included in his emoluments chargeable to tax under Schedule E; and

(b) the deduction or inclusion of that sum as mentioned in that paragraph falls to be disallowed in whole or in part by virtue of this section;

paragraph (b) of that subsection shall not preclude the deduction of any expenses defrayed out of that sum.

(4) F5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(5) For the purposes of this section “business entertainment” means entertainment (including hospitality of any kind) provided by a person, or by a member of his staff, in connection with a trade carried on by that person, but does not include anything provided by him for bona fide members of his staff unless its provision for them is incidental to its provision also for others.

(6) F5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(7) In this section—

(a) any reference to expenses incurred in F6 . . . providing entertainment includes a reference to expenses incurred in F6 . . . providing anything incidental thereto;

(b) references to a trade include references to any business, profession or vocation; and

(c) references to the members of a person’s staff are references to persons employed by that person, directors of a company or persons engaged in the management of a company being for this purpose deemed to be persons employed by it.

(8) This section shall apply in relation to the provision of a gift as it applies in relation to the provision of entertainment, except that it shall not by virtue of this subsection apply in relation to the provision for any person of a gift consisting of an article incorporating a conspicuous advertisement for the donor, being an article—

(a) which is not food, drink, tobacco or a token or voucher exchangeable for goods; and

(b) the cost of which to the donor, taken together with the cost to him of any other such articles given by him to that person in the same [F7 relevant tax period], does not exceed [F8 £50].

[F9 (8A) In subsection (8)(b) “relevant tax period” means—

(a) for the purposes of corporation tax, an accounting period;

(b) for the purposes of income tax—

(i) for a year of assessment in relation to which sections 60 to 63 apply and give a basis period, that basis period;

(ii) in any other case, a year of assessment.]

(9) M2 Subsection (8) above shall not preclude the deduction, in computing [F1 profits] under F2 . . . Case I or II of Schedule D, of expenditure incurred in making a gift to a body of persons or trust established for charitable purposes only; and for the purposes of this subsection the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England and the Trustees of the National Heritage Memorial Fund shall each be treated as such a body of persons.

(10) M3 Nothing in this section shall be taken as precluding the deduction of expenses incurred in F10 . . . the provision by any person of anything which it is his trade to provide, and which is provided by him in the ordinary course of that trade for payment or, with the object of advertising to the public generally, gratuitously.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 577(1)(a)(9) substituted (31.7.1998) by Finance Act 1998 (c. 36), s. 46(3)(a), Sch. 7 para. 1

F2 Words in s. 577(1)(9) repealed (with effect in accordance with s. 38(2)(3) of the repealing Act) by Finance Act 1998 (c. 36), Sch. 27 Pt. 3(4), Note

F3 Word at the end of s. 577(1)(a) inserted (with effect in accordance with s. 579 of the amending Act) by Capital Allowances Act 2001 (c. 2), Sch. 2 para. 51(1)(a)

F4 S. 577(1)(c) and preceding word repealed (with effect in accordance with s. 579 of the repealing Act) by Capital Allowances Act 2001 (c. 2), Sch. 2 para. 51(1)(b), Sch. 4

F5 S. 577(2)(4)(6) repealed (with effect in accordance with s. 72(1) of the repealing Act) by Finance Act 1988 (c. 39), Sch 14 Pt. 4

F6 Words in s. 577(7)(a) repealed (with effect in accordance with s. 579 of the repealing Act) by Capital Allowances Act 2001 (c. 2), Sch. 2 para. 51(2), Sch. 4

F7 Words in s. 577(8)(b) substituted (with application in accordance with s. 73(4) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2001 (c. 9), s. 73(2)(a)

F8 Words in s. 577(8)(b) substituted (with application in accordance with s. 73(4) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2001 (c. 9), s. 73(2)(b)

F9 S. 577(8A) inserted (with application in accordance with s. 73(4) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2001 (c. 9), s. 73(3)

F10 Words in s. 577(10) repealed (with effect in accordance with s. 579 of the repealing Act) by Capital Allowances Act 2001 (c. 2), Sch. 2 para. 51(3), Sch. 4

Marginal Citations

M1 Source-1970 s.411(1)-(8); 1985 s.43; 1971 s.50(8)

M2 Source-1980 s.54, 118(3); 1983 s.46(3)(b)

M3 Source-1970 s.411(9)