Taxes Management Act 1970

54 Settling of appeals by agreement. U.K.

(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, where a person gives notice of appeal and, before the appeal is determined by the [F1 tribunal], the inspector or other proper officer of the Crown and the appellant come to an agreement, whether in writing or otherwise, that the assessment or decision under appeal should be treated as upheld without variation, or as varied in a particular manner or as discharged or cancelled, the like consequences shall ensue for all purposes as would have ensued if, at the time when the agreement was come to, the [F1 tribunal] had determined the appeal and had upheld the assessment or decision without variation, had varied it in that manner or had discharged or cancelled it, as the case may be.

(2) Subsection (1) of this section shall not apply where, within thirty days from the date when the agreement was come to, the appellant gives notice in writing to the inspector or other proper officer of the Crown that he desires to repudiate or resile from the agreement.

(3) Where an agreement is not in writing—

(a) the preceding provisions of this section shall not apply unless the fact that an agreement was come to, and the terms agreed, are confirmed by notice in writing given by the inspector or other proper officer of the Crown to the appellant or by the appellant to the inspector or other proper officer; and

(b) the references in the said preceding provisions to the time when the agreement was come to shall be construed as references to the time of the giving of the said notice of confirmation.

(4) Where—

(a) a person who has given a notice of appeal notifies the inspector or other proper officer of the Crown, whether orally or in writing, that he desires not to proceed with the appeal; and

(b) thirty days have elapsed since the giving of the notification without the inspector or other proper officer giving to the appellant notice in writing indicating that he is unwilling that the appeal should be treated as withdrawn,

the preceding provisions of this section shall have effect as if, at the date of the appellant’s notification, the appellant and the inspector or other proper officer had come to an agreement, orally or in writing, as the case may be, that the assessment or decision under appeal should be upheld without variation.

(5) The references in this section to an agreement being come to with an appellant and the giving of notice or notification to or by an appellant include references to an agreement being come to with, and the giving of notice or notification to or by, a person acting on behalf of the appellant in relation to the appeal.

Textual Amendments

F1 Word in s. 54(1) substituted (1.4.2009) by The Transfer of Tribunal Functions and Revenue and Customs Appeals Order 2009 (S.I. 2009/56), art. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 33

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 See—Finance Act 1981 (c. 35), s.134, Sch.17 para.18—application of this section to the special tax on banking deposits. Finance Act 1982(c. 39), s.156, Sch.21 para.4(1)—application of s.54 to the tribunal under Finance Act 1970 s.463 in relation to functions transferred by s.156. Finance (No. 2) Act 1987 (c. 51), s. 84(7)—nothing in s. 55 applies to appeals against assessments under Finance (No. 2) Act 1987 s. 84. Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 (c. 1), s. 705(7)—agreement as to operation of s. 703 advance corporation tax taken into account in tax avoidance counteraction notice) requires agreement of all companies concerned.

C2 S. 54 applied (31.7.1997) by Finance (No. 2) Act 1997 (c. 58), Sch. 2 para. 11(1)

C3 Ss. 48-54: power to modify conferred (E.W.S.) (25.2.1999 for specified purposes, 1.4.1999 in so far as not already in force) by Social Security Contributions (Transfer of Functions, etc.) Act 1999 (c. 2), ss. 13(2)(a)(ii)(b), 28(2); S.I. 1999/527, art. 2(b), Sch. 2 (with arts. 3-6)

C4 Ss. 48-54 power to apply and modify conferred (26.3.1999 for specified purposes, 1.4.1999 in so far as not already in force) by The Social Security Contributions (Transfer of Functions, etc.) (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/671), arts. 1(3), 12(2)(a)(ii)(b); S.R. 1999/149, art. 2(b)(c), Schs. 1, 2 (with arts. 3-6)

C5 S. 54: power to apply conferred (8.7.2002) by Tax Credits Act 2002 (c. 21), ss. 61, 63(8)(c)

C6 S. 54 applied (with modifications) (17.12.2002) by The Tax Credits (Appeals) Regulations 2002 (S.I. 2002/2926), regs. 1(1), 3 (with reg. 1(2))

C7 S. 54 applied (with modifications) (25.2.2005) by The Child Trust Funds (Non-tax Appeals) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/191), regs. 1(1), 4(1)

C8 S. 54 power to apply (with modifications) conferred by Child Trust Funds Act 2004 (c. 6), s. 23(6) (as substituted (1.4.2009) by S.I. 2009/56, art. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 416(4))

C9 S. 54 applied (19.4.2013) by The Small Charitable Donations Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/938), regs. 1, 11(1)

C10 S. 54 applied (with modifications) (E.W.S.) (12.8.2014) by The Tax Credits (Settlement of Appeals) Regulations 2014 (S.I. 2014/1933), regs. 1(1), 3

C11 S. 54 power to apply (with modifications) conferred (14.11.2016 for the purposes of the trial, 21.4.2017 in so far as not already in force) by Childcare Payments Act 2014 (c. 28), ss. 59(4)(c), 75(2); S.I. 2016/1083, reg. 2(g); S.I. 2017/578, reg. 3(e)

C12 S. 54 applied (with modifications) (30.11.2016) by The Childcare Payments (Appeals) Regulations 2016 (S.I. 2016/1078), regs. 1, 7

C13 S. 54 applied by The Individual Savings Account Regulations 1998 (S.I. 1998/1870), Sch. para. 16(4) (as inserted (6.4.2017) by S.I. 2017/466, regs. 1, 31)

C14 S. 54 applied (25.1.2018) by The Help-to-Save Accounts Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/87), regs. 1, 19(4)

C15 Ss. 47C-57 applied (temp. until 30.4.2024) (with modifications in respect of s. 55) by Finance Act 2022 (c. 3), Sch. 10 para. 21(3)(4) (with Sch. 10 para. 43 (as amended by S.I. 2022/1321, regs. 1, 2(2)))