Finance Act 2003

Order for the delivery of documents

32 (1) The appropriate judicial authority may make an order under this paragraph if satisfied on information on oath given by an authorised officer of the Board—

(a) that there is reasonable ground for suspecting that an offence involving serious fraud in connection with, or in relation to, stamp duty land tax has been or is about to be committed, and

(b) that documents that may be required as evidence for the purposes of any proceedings in respect of such an offence are or may be in the power or possession of any person.

(2) An order under this paragraph is an order requiring the person who appears to the authority to have in his possession or power the documents specified or described in the order to deliver them to an officer of the Board within—

(a) ten working days after the day on which notice of the order is served on him, or

(b) such shorter or longer period as may be specified in the order.

For this purpose a “working day” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday.

(3) The appropriate judicial authority is—

(a) in England and Wales, a circuit judge;

(b) in Scotland, a sheriff;

(c) in Northern Ireland, a county court judge.

(4) Where in Scotland the information relates to persons residing or having places of business at addresses situated in different sheriffdoms—

(a) an application for an order may be made to the sheriff for the sheriffdom in which any of the addresses is situated, and

(b) where the sheriff makes an order in respect of a person residing or having a place of business in his own sheriffdom, he may also make orders in respect of all or any of the other persons to whom the information relates (whether or not they have an address within the sheriffdom).

(5) In sub-paragraph (1) an “authorised officer of the Board” means an officer of the Board authorised by the Board for the purposes of this Part of this Schedule.

(6) The Inland Revenue may make provision by regulations as to—

(a) the procedures for approving in any particular case the decision to apply for an order under this Part of this Schedule, and

(b) the descriptions of officer by whom such approval may be given.