Finance Act 2002

91 Supplementary charge in respect of ring fence trades

After section 501 of the Taxes Act 1988 insert—

“501A Supplementary charge in respect of ring fence trades

(1) Where in any accounting period beginning on or after 17th April 2002 a company carries on a ring fence trade, a sum equal to 10 per cent of its adjusted ring fence profits for that period shall be charged on the company as if it were an amount of corporation tax chargeable on the company.

(2) A company’s adjusted ring fence profits for an accounting period are the amount which, on the assumption mentioned in subsection (3) below, would be determined for that period (in accordance with this Chapter) as the profits of the company’s ring fence trade chargeable to corporation tax.

(3) The assumption is that financing costs are left out of account in computing—

(a) the amount of the profits or loss of any ring fence trade of the company’s for each accounting period beginning on or after 17th April 2002; and

(b) where for any such period the whole or part of any loss relief is surrendered to the company in accordance with section 492(8), the amount of that relief or, as the case may be, that part.

(4) For the purposes of this section, “financing costs” means the costs of debt finance.

(5) In calculating the costs of debt finance for an accounting period the matters to be taken into account include—

(a) any costs giving rise to debits in respect of debtor relationships of the company under Chapter 2 of Part 4 of the Finance Act 1996 (loan relationships);

(b) any exchange gain or loss, within the meaning of Chapter 2 of Part 2 of the Finance Act 1993, in relation to debt finance;

(c) any trading profit or loss, under Chapter 2 of Part 4 of the Finance Act 1994 (interest rate and currency contracts), in relation to debt finance;

(d) the financing cost implicit in a payment under a finance lease; and

(e) any other costs arising from what would be considered in accordance with generally accepted accounting practice to be a financing transaction.

(6) Where an amount representing the whole or part of a payment falling to be made by a company—

(a) falls (or would fall) to be treated as a finance charge under a finance lease for the purposes of accounts relating to that company and one or more other companies and prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting practice, but

(b) is not so treated in the accounts of the company,

the amount shall be treated for the purposes of this section as financing costs falling within subsection (5)(d) above.

(7) If—

(a) in computing the adjusted ring fence profits of a company for an accounting period, an amount falls to be left out of account by virtue of subsection (5)(d) above, but

(b) the whole or any part of that amount is repaid,

the repayment shall also be left out of account in computing the adjusted ring fence profits of the company for any accounting period.

(8) In this section “finance lease” means any arrangements—

(a) which provide for an asset to be leased or otherwise made available by a person to another person (“the lessee”), and

(b) which, under generally accepted accounting practice,—

(i) fall (or would fall) to be treated, in the accounts of the lessee or a person connected with the lessee, as a finance lease or a loan, or

(ii) are comprised in arrangements which fall (or would fall) to be so treated.

(9) For the purposes of applying subsection (8)(b) above, the lessee and any person connected with the lessee are to be treated as being companies which are incorporated in a part of the United Kingdom.

(10) In this section “accounts”, in relation to a company, includes any accounts which—

(a) relate to two or more companies of which that company is one, and

(b) are drawn up in accordance with—

(i) section 227 of the Companies Act 1985, or

(ii) Article 235 of the Companies (Northern Ireland) Order 1986.”.