Finance Act 2003

Compliance

93 Information powers

(1) Schedule 13 has effect with respect to the powers of the Inland Revenue to call for documents and information for the purposes of stamp duty land tax.

(2) In that Schedule—

• Part 1 confers power on an authorised officer to call for documents or information from the taxpayer;

• Part 2 confers power on an authorised officer to call for documents from a third party;

• Part 3 confers power on an authorised officer to call for the papers of a tax accountant;

• Part 4 imposes restrictions on the powers under Parts 1 to 3;

• Part 5 confers powers on the Board to call for documents or information;

• Part 6 provides for an order of a judicial authority for the delivery of documents;

• Part 7 provides for entry with a warrant to obtain evidence of an offence;

• Part 8 relates to falsification etc of documents.

(3) A person who is required by a notice under Part 1, 2 or 3 of Schedule 13 to deliver a document or to provide information, or to make a document available for inspection, and who fails to comply with the notice is liable to a penalty not exceeding £300.

(4) If the failure continues after a penalty has been imposed under subsection (3), he is liable to a further penalty or penalties not exceeding £60 for each day on which the failure continues after the day on which the penalty under that subsection was imposed (but excluding any day for which a penalty under this subsection has already been imposed).

(5) No penalty shall be imposed under subsection (3) or (4) in respect of a failure at any time after the failure has been remedied.

(6) A person who is required by a notice under Part 1, 2 or 3 of Schedule 13 to deliver a document or to provide information, or to make a document available for inspection, and who fraudulently or negligently delivers, provides or makes available any incorrect document or information is liable to a penalty not exceeding £3,000.

94 Power to inspect premises

(1) If for the purposes of this Part the Board authorise an officer of theirs to inspect any property for the purpose of ascertaining its market value, or any other matter relevant for the purposes of this Part, the person having custody or possession of the property shall permit the officer so authorised to inspect it at such reasonable times as the Board may consider necessary.

(2) A person who wilfully delays or obstructs an officer of the Board acting in pursuance of this section commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 1 on the standard scale.

95 Offence of fraudulent evasion of tax

(1) A person commits an offence if he is knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of tax by him or any other person.

(2) A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable—

(a) on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum, or both;

(b) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years or a fine, or both.

96 Penalty for assisting in preparation of incorrect return etc

A person who assists in or induces the preparation or delivery of any information, return or other document that—

(a) he knows will be, or is likely to be, used for any purpose of tax, and

(b) he knows to be incorrect,

is liable to a penalty not exceeding £3,000.

97 Power to allow further time and reasonable excuse for failure

(1) For the purposes of this Part a person shall be deemed not to have failed to do anything required to be done within a limited time if he did it within such further time, if any, as the Inland Revenue may allow.

(2) Where a person had a reasonable excuse for not doing anything required to be done for the purposes of this Part—

(a) he shall be deemed not to have failed to do it unless the excuse ceased, and

(b) after the excuse ceased, he shall be deemed not to have failed to do it if he did it without unreasonably delay after the excuse had ceased.

98 Admissibility of evidence not affected by offer of settlement etc

(1) Statements made or documents produced by or on behalf of a person are not inadmissible in proceedings to which this section applies by reason only that it has been drawn to his attention—

(a) that where serious tax fraud has been committed the Board may accept a money settlement and that the Board will accept such a settlement, and will not pursue a criminal prosecution, if he makes a full confession of all tax irregularities, or

(b) that the extent to which he is helpful and volunteers information is a factor that will be taken into account in determining the amount of any penalty,

and that he was or may have been induced thereby to make the statements or produce the documents.

(2) The proceedings to which this section applies are—

(a) any criminal proceedings against the person in question for any form of fraudulent conduct in connection with or in relation to tax;

(b) any proceedings against him for the recovery of any tax due from him;

(c) any proceedings for a penalty or on appeal against the determination of a penalty.

99 General provisions about penalties

(1) Schedule 14 has effect with respect to the determination of penalties under this Part and related appeals.

(2) The Board may in their discretion mitigate a penalty under this Part, or stay or compound any proceedings for the recovery of such a penalty.

They may also, after judgment, further mitigate or entirely remit the penalty.

(3) Nothing in the provisions of this Part relating to penalties affects any criminal proceedings for an offence.