Tax Credits (Initial Expenditure) Act 1998

1998 CHAPTER 16

An Act to authorise the incurring of expenditure in connection with the replacement of certain social security benefits with income tax credits.

[21st May 1998]

Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1 Authorisation of expenditure

(1) The Secretary of State and the Commissioners of Inland Revenue may incur expenditure in doing anything which in his or their opinion is appropriate for the purpose of facilitating any of the following things, namely—

(a) the transfer to the Commissioners of such of the functions of the Secretary of State as relate to family credit and disability working allowance;

(b) the exercise by the Commissioners of those functions;

(c) the replacement of those benefits with income tax credits; and

(d) the exercise by the Commissioners of functions relating to those credits.

(2) The powers conferred by subsection (1) above—

(a) shall be exercisable whether or not Parliament has given any approval on which any of the things there mentioned depends; and

(b) shall be without prejudice to any power conferred otherwise than by virtue of that subsection.

(3) Any expenditure incurred under this section shall be defrayed out of money provided by Parliament.

(4) In its application to Northern Ireland, this section shall have effect with the following modifications, namely—

(a) for references to the Secretary of State there shall be substituted references to the Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland; and

(b) for the reference to money provided by Parliament there shall be substituted a reference to money appropriated by Measure of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

2 Short title and extent

(1) This Act may be cited as the Tax Credits (Initial Expenditure) Act 1998.

(2) This Act extends to Northern Ireland.