Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988

799 Computation of underlying tax. U.K.

M1 (1) Where in the case of any dividend arrangements provide for underlying tax to be taken into account in considering whether any and if so what credit is to be allowed against the United Kingdom taxes in respect of the dividend, the tax to be taken into account by virtue of that provision shall be so much of the foreign tax borne on the relevant profits by the body corporate paying the dividend as—

[F1 (a)] is properly attributable to the proportion of the relevant profits represented by the dividend[F2 , and

(b) does not exceed the amount calculated by applying the formula set out in subsection (1A) below.]

[F3 [F4 (1A) The formula is—

where—

D is the amount of the dividend;

U is the amount of underlying tax that would fall to be taken into account as mentioned in subsection (1) above, apart from paragraph (b) of that subsection; and

M% is the maximum relievable rate;

and for the purposes of this subsection the maximum relievable rate is the rate of corporation tax [F5 applicable to profits of the company by which the dividend is received for the accounting period in which it is received or, where there is more than one such rate, the average rate over the whole of that accounting period].]]

[F6 (1B) Where, under any arrangements, a company makes a claim for an allowance by way of credit in accordance with this Chapter—

(a) the claim may be so framed as to exclude such amounts of underlying tax as may be specified for the purpose in the claim; and

(b) any amounts of underlying tax so excluded shall be left out of account for the purposes of this section.]

(2) Where under the foreign tax law the dividend has been increased for tax purposes by an amount to be set off against the recipient’s own tax under that law or, to the extent that it exceeds his own tax thereunder, paid to him, then, from the amount of the underlying tax to be taken into account under subsection (1) above there is to be subtracted the amount of that increase.

[F7 (2A) No underlying tax shall be taken into account under subsection (1) above in the case of a dividend if, under the law of any territory outside the United Kingdom, a deduction is allowed to a resident of that territory in respect of an amount determined by reference to the dividend.]

(3) For the purposes of subsection (1) above the relevant profits, subject to subsection (4) below, are—

[F8 (za) if the dividend is received in an accounting period of the recipient in which the recipient is not a small company, and the dividend is a relevant dividend, the profits in respect of which the dividend is paid;]

(a) [F9 in a case not falling under paragraph (za),] if the dividend is paid for a specified period, the profits of that period; [F10 and]

(b) F11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(c) [F12 in a case not falling under paragraph (za),] if the dividend is [F13 not paid for a specified period], the profits of the last period for which accounts of the body corporate were made up which ended before the dividend became payable.

[F14 (3A) For the purposes of subsection (3)—

(a) “small company” has the same meaning as in Part 9A of CTA 2009 (company distributions),

(b) “relevant dividend” means a dividend that, for the purposes of section 931H of that Act (dividends derived from transactions not designed to reduce tax), is treated as paid in respect of profits other than relevant profits (see subsection (4) of that section), and

(c) the profits in respect of which a dividend is paid are the profits in respect of which the dividend is treated as paid for the purposes of that section.]

(4) If, in a case falling under paragraph (a) or (c) of subsection (3) above, the total dividend exceeds the profits available for distribution of the period mentioned in that paragraph the relevant profits shall be the profits of that period plus so much of the profits available for distribution of preceding periods (other than profits previously distributed or previously treated as relevant profits for the purposes of this section or section 506 of the 1970 Act) as is equal to the excess; and for the purposes of this subsection the profits of the most recent preceding period shall first be taken into account, then the profits of the next most recent preceding period, and so on.

[F15 (5) For the purposes of paragraphs (a) and (c) of subsection (3) above, “profits”, in the case of any period, means the profits available for distribution.

(6) In subsections (4) and (5) above, “profits available for distribution” means, in the case of any company, the profits available for distribution as shown in accounts relating to the company—

(a) drawn up in accordance with the law of the company’s home State, and

(b) making no provision for reserves, bad debts [F16 , impairment losses] or contingencies other than such as is required to be made under that law.

(7) In this section, “home State”, in the case of any company, means the country or territory under whose law the company is incorporated or formed.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 799(1) renumbered as s. 799(1)(a) (with effect in accordance with Sch. 30 para. 8(5)(6) of the amending Act) by virtue of Finance Act 2000 (c. 17), Sch. 30 para. 8(2)

F2 S. 799(1)(b) and preceding word inserted (with effect in accordance with Sch. 30 para. 8(5)(6) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2000 (c. 17), Sch. 30 para. 8(2)

F3 S. 799(1A) inserted (with effect in accordance with Sch. 30 para. 8(5)(6) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2000 (c. 17), Sch. 30 para. 8(3)

F4 S. 799(1A) substituted (with effect in accordance with Sch. 27 para. 2(4)(5) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2001 (c. 9), Sch. 27 para. 2(2)

F5 Words in s. 799(1A) substituted (with effect in accordance with s. 57(6) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2009 (c. 10), s. 57(1)

F6 S. 799(1B) inserted (with effect in accordance with Sch. 27 para. 2(4)(5) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2001 (c. 9), Sch. 27 para. 2(3)

F7 S. 799(2A) inserted (with effect in accordance with s. 85(2) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2005 (c. 7), s. 85(1)

F8 S. 799(3)(za) inserted (with effect in accordance with Sch. 14 para. 31 of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2009 (c. 10), Sch. 14 para. 8(2)(a)

F9 Words in s. 799(3)(a) inserted (with effect in accordance with Sch. 14 para. 31 of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2009 (c. 10), Sch. 14 para. 8(2)(b)

F10 Word at the end of s. 799(3)(a) inserted (with effect in accordance with Sch. 30 para. 8(5)(6) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2000 (c. 17), Sch. 30 para. 8(4)(a)

F11 S. 799(3)(b) repealed (with effect in accordance with Sch. 30 para. 8(5)(6) of the repealing Act) by Finance Act 2000 (c. 17), Sch. 30 para. 8(4)(b), Sch. 40 Pt. 2(13), Note

F12 Words in s. 799(3)(c) inserted (with effect in accordance with Sch. 14 para. 31 of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2009 (c. 10), Sch. 14 para. 8(2)(c)

F13 Words in s. 799(3)(c) substituted (with effect in accordance with Sch. 30 para. 8(5)(6) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2000 (c. 17), Sch. 30 para. 8(4)(c)

F14 S. 799(3A) inserted (with effect in accordance with Sch. 14 para. 31 of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2009 (c. 10), Sch. 14 para. 8(3)

F15 S. 799(5)-(7) added (with effect in accordance with Sch. 30 para. 9(3) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2000 (c. 17), Sch. 30 para. 9(2)

F16 Words in s. 799(6)(b) inserted (with effect in accordance with s. 80(3)(4) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2005 (c. 7), Sch. 4 para. 7

Marginal Citations

M1 Source—1970 s.506; 1976 s.50(3)