Finance Act 1942

35 Power to require production of accounts and books.

(1) Where a person who has been duly required to deliver a statement of the profits or gains arising to him from any trade, profession or vocation fails to deliver the statement, or where the Commissioners of Inland Revenue are not satisfied with the statement delivered by any such person, the Commissioners of Inland Revenue may serve on that person a notice in writing or notices in writing requiring him to do any of the following things, that is to say—

(a) to deliver to the surveyor copies of such accounts (including balance sheets) relating to the trade, profession or vocation as may be specified or described in the notice within such period as may be therein specified, including, where the accounts have been audited, a copy of the auditor's certificate ;

(b) to make available, within such time as may be specified in the notice, for inspection by the surveyor or by any officer authorised by the Commissioners of Inland Revenue, all such books, accounts and documents in his possession or power as may be specified or described in the notice, being books, accounts and documents which contain information as to transactions of the trade, profession or vocation,

and, if a person on whom any such notice is served fails without reasonable excuse to comply with the requirements of the notice, he shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding fifty pounds and, after judgment has been given for that penalty, to a further penalty of the like amount for every day during which the failure continues.

Where the person on whom the notice is served is a body corporate, that body corporate shall be liable to a penalty when there is any failure to comply with the notice, as well as the secretary or other officer performing the duties of secretary of the body corporate.

(2) The power conferred by section one hundred and thirty-nine of the Income Tax Act, 1918, on commissioners hearing appeals to issue precepts to the appellant ordering the delivery of schedules of particulars shall extend to the issue of precepts requiring the appellant to make available, within the time limited by the precept, for their inspection or that of the surveyor or any officer authorised by the Commissioners of Inland Revenue, all such books, accounts or documents in his possession or power as may be specified or described in the precept, being books, accounts or documents which, in the opinion of the commissioners issuing the precept, contain or may contain information relating to the subject matter of the appeal.

(3) The surveyor or other officer or the commissioners may take copies of, or extracts from, any books, accounts or documents made available for his or their inspection under this section.