Income Tax Act 2007 (c. 3)

[F1 Part 11A U.K. Leasing arrangements: finance leases and loans]

Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. 11A inserted (with effect in accordance with s. 381(1) of the amending Act) by Taxation (International and Other Provisions) Act 2010 (c. 8), s. 381(1), Sch. 3 para. 2 (with Sch. 9 paras. 1-9, 22)

[F2 Chapter 2 U.K. Finance leases with return in capital form

Textual Amendments

F2 Pt. 11A Ch. 2 inserted (with effect in accordance with s. 381(1) of the amending Act) by Taxation (International and Other Provisions) Act 2010 (c. 8), s. 381(1), Sch. 3 para. 3 (with Sch. 9 paras. 1-9, 22)

Leases to which this Chapter applies U.K.

614BB Application of this Chapter U.K.

(1) This Chapter applies if—

(a) a lease of an asset is or has been granted, and

(b) the conditions in section 614BC are or have been met in relation to the lease at some time in a period of account of the current lessor.

(2) But this Chapter does not apply so far as, in relation to the current lessor, the lease falls to be regarded as a long funding lease for the purposes of Part 2 of CAA 2001 (plant and machinery allowances) in accordance with Chapter 6A of that Part (interpretation of provisions about long funding leases) (see section 70G of that Act).

(3) If the conditions in section 614BC have been met at some time in a period of account of the person who was at that time the lessor, they are taken to continue to be met for the purposes of this Chapter unless and until one of the conditions in subsection (4) is met.

(4) The conditions are that—

(a) the asset ceases to be leased under the lease, or

(b) the lessor's interest under the lease is assigned to a person who is not connected with any of the persons specified in subsection (5).

(5) Those persons are—

(a) the assignor,

(b) any person who was the lessor at some time before the assignment, and

(c) any person who at some time after the assignment becomes the lessor pursuant to arrangements made by a person who was the lessor, or was connected with the lessor, at some time before the assignment.

(6) If at any time the person who was the lessor at that time was a person within the charge to corporation tax on income, the reference in subsection (3) to the conditions in section 614BC having been met at that time includes a reference to the conditions in section 902 of CTA 2010 having been so met.

(7) Nothing in subsection (3) prevents this Chapter from applying again in relation to the lease where the lessor's interest is assigned if the conditions for its application are met after the assignment.

614BC The conditions referred to in section 614BB(1) U.K.

(1) This section sets out the conditions required by section 614BB(1) to be met for this Chapter to apply (conditions A to E).

(2) Condition A is that at the relevant time—

(a) the leasing arrangements fall for accounting purposes to be treated, in accordance with generally accepted accounting practice, as a finance lease or a loan, and

(b) subsection (3) or (4) applies.

(3) This subsection applies if the lessor (“L”), or a person connected with L, falls for accounting purposes to be treated, in accordance with generally accepted accounting practice, as the finance lessor in relation to the finance lease or loan.

(4) This subsection applies if the finance lease or loan falls for accounting purposes to be treated, in accordance with generally accepted accounting practice, as subsisting for the purposes of consolidated group accounts of a group of companies of which L is a member.

(5) Condition B is that, under the leasing arrangements, there is or may be payable to L, or to a person connected with L, a sum (a “major lump sum”) that is not rent but falls for accounting purposes to be treated, in accordance with generally accepted accounting practice—

(a) as to part, as repayment of some or all of the investment in respect of a finance lease or loan, and

(b) as to part, as a return on investment in respect of a finance lease or loan.

(6) Condition C is that not all of that part of the sum that falls within subsection (5)(b) would, apart from this Chapter, fall to be brought into account for income tax purposes in tax years ending with the relevant tax year as the normal rent from the lease for periods of account of L.

(7) Condition D is that, in relation to L at the relevant time—

(a) the period of account of L in which the relevant time falls, or

(b) an earlier period of account of L during which L was the lessor,

is a period of account for which the accountancy rental earnings in respect of the lease exceed the normal rent for the period.

(8) Condition E is that at the relevant time—

(a) arrangements within section 614BE(1) exist, or

(b) paragraph (a) does not apply and circumstances within section 614BE(3) exist.

(9) Section 614BD supplements this section.

614BD Provisions supplementing section 614BC U.K.

(1) In section 614BC—

• “the relevant tax year”, in relation to a major lump sum, means—

  (a)

  the tax year which is related to the period of account of the lessor (“L”) in which the major lump sum is or may be payable in accordance with the leasing arrangements, or

  (b)

  if there are two or more such tax years, the latest of them, and

• “the relevant time” means the time as at which it must be determined for the purposes of section 614BB(1) or (3) whether the conditions in section 614BC are or, as the case may be, were met.

(2) For the meaning of a tax year being related to a period of account, see section 614DB(4).

(3) Subsection (4) applies for determining the normal rent for a period of account for the purpose of determining whether condition D in section 614BC is met as respects L unless subsection (5) applies.

(4) Rent that falls to be brought into account for income tax purposes as it falls due is treated—

(a) as accruing evenly throughout the period to which, in accordance with the terms of the lease, each payment falling due relates, and

(b) as falling due as it so accrues.

(5) This subsection applies if any such payment as is mentioned in subsection (4)(a) falls due more than 12 months after the time at which any of the rent to which that payment relates is treated as accruing under subsection (4)(a).

614BE The arrangements and circumstances referred to in section 614BC(8) U.K.

(1) The arrangements referred to in section 614BC(8)(a) are arrangements under which—

(a) the lessee or a person connected with the lessee may acquire, whether directly or indirectly, the leased asset or an asset representing the leased asset from the lessor or a person connected with the lessor, and

(b) in connection with that acquisition, the lessor or a person connected with the lessor may receive, whether directly or indirectly, a qualifying lump sum from the lessee or a person connected with the lessee.

(2) In this section “qualifying lump sum” means any sum that is not rent but at least part of which would fall for accounting purposes to be treated, in accordance with generally accepted accounting practice, as a return on investment in respect of a finance lease or loan.

(3) The circumstances referred to in section 614BC(8)(b) are circumstances which make it more likely—

(a) that the events described in subsection (4) will occur, than

(b) that the event described in subsection (5) will occur.

(4) The events mentioned in subsection (3)(a) are—

(a) that the lessee or a person connected with the lessee will acquire, whether directly or indirectly, the leased asset or an asset representing the leased asset from the lessor or a person connected with the lessor, and

(b) that, in connection with that acquisition, the lessor or a person connected with the lessor will receive, whether directly or indirectly, a qualifying lump sum from the lessee or a person connected with the lessee.

(5) The event mentioned in subsection (3)(b) is that, before any such acquisition as is mentioned in subsection (4) takes place, the leased asset or, as the case may be, the asset representing the leased asset, will have been acquired, in a sale on the open market, by an independent third party.

(6) In subsection (5) “independent third party” means a person who—

(a) is not the lessor or the lessee, and

(b) is not connected with either of them.

(7) For the meaning of an asset representing the leased asset, see section 614DD.]