Capital Transfer Tax Act 1984

Accounts and information

216 Delivery of accounts

(1) Except as otherwise provided by this section or by regulations under section 256 below, the personal representatives of a deceased person and every person who—

(a) is liable as transferor for tax on the value transferred by a chargeable transfer, or would be so liable if tax were chargeable on that value, or

(b) is liable as trustee of a settlement for tax on the value transferred by a transfer of value, or would be so liable if tax were chargeable on that value, or

(c) is liable as trustee of a settlement for tax on an occasion on which tax is chargeable under Chapter III of Part III of this Act (apart fom section 79), or would be so liable if tax were chargeable on the occasion,

shall deliver to the Board an account specifying to the best of his knowledge and belief all appropriate property and the value of that property.

(2) Where in the case of the estate of a deceased person no grant of representation or confirmation has been obtained in the United Kingdom before the expiration of the period of twelve months from the end of the month in which the death occurred—

(a) every person in whom any of the property forming part of the estate vests (whether beneficially or otherwise) on or at any time after the deceased's death or who at any such time is beneficially entitled to an interest in possession in any such property, and

(b) where any of the property is at any such time comprised in a settlement and there is no person beneficially entitled to an interest in possession in that property, every person for whose benefit any of that property (or income from it) is applied at any such time,

shall deliver to the Board an account specifying to the best of his knowledge and belief the appropriate property vested in him, in which he has an interest or which (or income from which) is applicable for his benefit and the value of that property.

(3) Where an account is to be delivered by personal representatives (but not where it is to be delivered by a person who is an executor of the deceased only in respect of settled land in England and Wales), the appropriate property is all property which formed part of the deceased's estate immediately before his death ; but—

(a) if the personal representatives, after making the fullest enquiries that are reasonably practicable in the circumstances, are unable to ascertain the exact value of any particular property, their account shall in the first instance be sufficient as regards that property if it contains a statement to that effect, a provisional estimate of the value of the property and an undertaking to deliver a further account of it as soon as its value is ascertained; and

(b) the Board may from time to time give such general or special directions as they think fit for restricting the property to be specified in pursuance of this subsection by any class of personal representatives.

(4) Where subsection (3) above does not apply the appropriate property is any property to the value of which the tax is or would be attributable.

(5) Except in the case of an account to be delivered by personal representatives, a person shall not be required to deliver an account under this section with respect to any property if a full and proper account of the property, specifying its value, has already been delivered to the Board by some other person who—

(a) is or would be liable for the tax attributable to the value of the property, and

(b) is not or would not be liable with him jointly as trustee;

and a person within subsection (2) above shall not be required to deliver an account under that subsection if he or another person within that subsection has satisfied the Board that an account will in due course be delivered by the personal representatives.

(6) An account under the preceding provisions of this section shall be delivered—

(a) in the case of an account to be delivered by personal representatives, before the expiration of the period of twelve months from the end of the month in which the death occurs, or, if it expires later, the period of three months beginning with the date on which the personal representatives first act as such ;

(b) in the case of an account to be delivered by a person within subsection (2) above, before the expiration of the period of three months from the time when he first has reason to believe that he is required to deliver an account under that subsection ;

(c) in the case of an account to be delivered by any other person, before the expiration of the period of twelve months from the end of the month in which the transfer is made or, if it expires later, the period of three months beginning with the date on which he first becomes liable for tax.

(7) A person liable for tax under section 32, 79 or 126 above or under Schedule 5 to this Act shall deliver an account under this section before the expiration of the period of six months from the end of the month in which the event by reason of which the tax is chargeable occurs.

217 Defective accounts

If a person who has delivered an account under section 216 above discovers at any time that the account is defective in a material respect by reason of anything contained in or omitted from it he shall, within six months of that time, deliver to the Board a further account containing such information as may be necessary to remedy the defect.

218 Non-resident trustees

(1) Where any person, in the course of a trade or profession carried on by him, other than the profession of a barrister, has been concerned with the making of a settlement and knows or has reason to believe—

(a) that the settlor was domiciled in the United Kingdom, and

(b) that the trustees of the settlement are not or will not be resident in the United Kingdom,

he shall, within three months of the making of the settlement, make a return to the Board stating the names and addresses of the settlor and of the trustees of the settlement.

(2) A person shall not be required to make a return under this section in relation to—

(a) any settlement made by will, or

(b) any other settlement, if such a return in relation to that settlement has already been made by another person or if an account has been delivered in relation to it under section 216 above.

(3) For the purposes of this section trustees of a settlement shall be regarded as not resident in the United Kingdom unless the general administration of the settlement is ordinarily carried on in the United Kingdom and the trustees or a majority of them (and, where there is more than one class of trustees, a majority of each class) are for the time being resident in the United Kingdom.

219 Power to require information

(1) The Board may by notice in writing require any person to furnish them within such time, not being less than thirty days, as may be specified in the notice with such information as the Board may require for the purposes of this Act.

(2) A notice under this section may be combined with one relating to income tax.

(3) Subject to subsection (4) below, a barrister or solicitor shall not be obliged in pursuance of a notice under this section to disclose, without his client's consent, any information with respect to which a claim to professional privilege could be maintained.

(4) A solicitor may be obliged in pursuance of a notice under this section to disclose the name and address of his client; and if his client is resident outside the United Kingdom and carries on outside the United Kingdom a business which includes the provision for persons in the United Kingdom of services or facilities relating to—

(a) the formation of companies outside the United Kingdom,

(b) the making of settlements outside the United Kingdom, or

(c) the securing of control over, or the management or administration of, such companies or settlements,

a solicitor may also be so obliged to disclose the names and addresses of persons in the United Kingdom for whom such services or facilities have been provided in the course of that business.

220 Inspection of property

(1) If the Board authorise any person to inspect any property for the purpose of ascertaining its value for the purposes of this Act, the person having the custody or possession of that property shall permit him to inspect it at such reasonable times as the Board may consider necessary.

(2) If any person wilfully delays or obstructs a person acting in pursuance of this section he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 1 on the standard scale (within the meaning of section 75 of the [1982 c. 48.] Criminal Justice Act 1982).