Finance Act 2002

Use of currency other than sterling: accounts etc partly from statements in foreign currency

4 After section 93 insert—

“93A Use of other currency: accounts partly from statements in foreign currency

(1) This section applies where in an accounting period a company carries on a business and either the first condition or the second condition is fulfilled.

(2) The first condition is that—

(a) the accounts of the company as a whole are prepared in sterling but, so far as relating to part of the business, they are prepared, using the closing rate/net investment method, from financial statements and records prepared in a currency other than sterling; or

(b) in the case of a company which is not resident in the United Kingdom, the company makes a return of accounts for its branch in the United Kingdom prepared in sterling but, so far as relating to part of the business, it is prepared, using that method, from financial statements and records prepared in a currency other than sterling.

(3) The second condition is that—

(a) the accounts of the company as a whole are prepared in a currency other than sterling (“the first currency”) in accordance with generally accepted accounting practice but, so far as relating to part of the business, they are prepared, using the closing rate/net investment method, from financial statements and records prepared in a currency (“the second currency”) which is neither sterling nor the first currency; or

(b) in the case of a company which is not resident in the United Kingdom, the company makes a return of accounts for its branch in the United Kingdom prepared in a currency other than sterling (“the first currency”) in accordance with generally accepted accounting practice, but, so far as relating to part of the business, it is prepared, using the closing rate/ net investment method, from financial statements and records prepared in a currency (“the second currency”) which is neither sterling nor the first currency.

(4) The profits or losses of the part of the business for an accounting period shall for the purposes of corporation tax be found by—

(a) taking the amount of all the profits and losses of the part of the business for the period computed and expressed in the relevant foreign currency; and

(b) taking—

(i) in a case where the first condition is fulfilled, the sterling equivalent, or

(ii) in a case where the second condition is fulfilled, the equivalent in the first currency,

of the amount found by applying paragraph (a) above.

(5) In a case where the second condition is fulfilled, effect shall be given to subsection (4) above before effectis given to section 93(4) above.

(6) In the application for the purposes of subsection (4)(a) above of—

(a) section 578A(2) or (3) of the Taxes Act 1988, or

(b) section 43(3), 74(2), 75(1), 76(2), (3) or (4), 99(1), (2) or (3) or 208(1) of the Capital Allowances Act,

it shall be assumed that any sterling amount mentioned in any of those sections is its equivalent expressed in the relevant foreign currency.

(7) Where for any accounting period—

(a) the accounts of the company, so far as relating to a part of its business, are prepared, using the closing rate/net investment method, from financial statements and records prepared in a currency which is not sterling and, where the second condition is fulfilled, is not the first currency, or

(b) in the case of a company which is not resident in the United Kingdom, its return of accounts for its branch in the United Kingdom, so far as relating to a part of the company’s business, is prepared, using that method, from such financial statements and records,

then, if different such financial statements and records are prepared in different currencies, the company shall be treated for the purposes of this section as having a separate part of a separate business for each such different currency (and this section shall accordingly apply separately in relation to each such part).

(8) In this section, “part of a business” includes any collection of assets and liabilities.

(9) In this section, unless the context otherwise requires—

• “accounts” has the same meaning as in section 93 above;

• “the closing rate/net investment method” means the method so called as described under the title “Foreign currency translation” in the Statement of Standard Accounting Practice issued in April 1983 by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales;

• “losses” has the same meaning as in section 92 above, except that it does not include allowable losses within the meaning of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992;

• “profits” has the same meaning as in section 92 above, except that it does not include chargeable gains within the meaning of that Act;

• “the relevant foreign currency” means the currency in which the financial statements and records mentioned in subsection (2) or, as the case may be, (3) above are prepared;

• “return of accounts” has the same meaning as in section 93 above.”.