Section 402: Charge to tax on dividends from non-UK resident companies
1630.This section charges to tax dividends of companies not resident in the United Kingdom. It is based on section 18(1) and (3) of ICTA.
1631.For the reasons explained in the overview, the expression “distribution” has not been adopted. It is possible that a non-UK resident company may make a distribution of income which would not fall within Chapter 4 of Part 4 of this Act because it is not a “dividend”. But if the distribution comprises income it will fall to be dealt with either under alternative specific charges (eg interest) or within “income not otherwise charged”, the charge on which appears in Chapter 8 of Part 5 of this Act.
1632.The term “dividend” is not defined in this Act. “Dividend” is a widely used and understood term and is defined only in very specific circumstances not applicable in this context (see, for example, section 49 of ICTA – dividends held in the name of Treasury). It is not thought appropriate to attempt to define “dividend” here. It will usually be a matter of referring to the relevant company law to determine whether or not a payment made by a company is a dividend.
1633.Subsection (2) highlights an exemption from income tax for dividends paid under approved share incentive plans (“SIPs”) and subsection (3) signposts section 498 of ITEPA. See further the commentary on the SIPs legislation in Chapter 3 of Part 4 of this Act and Chapter 9 of Part 6 of this Act (particularly the commentary on section 770 of this Act).
1634.Subsection (4) ensures that dividends of a capital nature do not fall within the charge to tax under this Chapter. In determining whether a payment is income in nature, it is necessary (as it is under the source legislation) to analyse the payment under local law (see CIR v Trustees of Joseph Reid (dec’d) (1949), 30 TC 431 HL and Rae v Lazard Investment Co Ltd (1963), 41 TC 1 HL). Whiteman on Income Tax, Third Edition, on page 1107, comments in this context “the proper test in such circumstances is, applying the local law, whether or not the corpus of the asset is left intact after the distribution. If it is not, the receipt will be a capital receipt; if it is, the payment will be chargeable”.
