Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988

246Q Repayment or set-off: supplementary. U.K.

(1) Subsections (2) and (3) below shall have effect to determine whether the amount which is the smaller of the amounts found under section 246N(4) is to be repaid, set off, or partly repaid and partly set off.

(2) If at the time when it falls to be determined whether the amount mentioned in subsection (1) above is to be repaid or set off—

(a) advance corporation tax paid (or treated for the purposes of section 239 as paid) by the company in respect of distributions made by it in the relevant period has so far as possible been set against its liability to corporation tax for the period under section 239(1), but

(b) the company’s liability to corporation tax for the period is to any extent undischarged,

the amount mentioned in subsection (1) above shall so far as possible be set off against the company’s liability to corporation tax for the relevant period (and an amount of that liability equal to the amount so set off shall accordingly be discharged); and any excess of the amount mentioned in subsection (1) above over the amount so set off shall be repaid.

(3) Where paragraph (a) of subsection (2) above applies but paragraph (b) of that subsection does not, the whole of the amount mentioned in subsection (1) above shall be repaid.

(4) No amount shall be repayable under section 246N and this section until the expiry of nine months from the end of the relevant period.

(5) An amount of advance corporation tax which has been dealt with under section 246N and this section—

(a) shall not be set off under section 239(1) against the company’s liability to corporation tax for any accounting period;

(b) shall not be available for the purposes of a claim under section 240.

(6) A return made by the company for the relevant period under section 11 of the Management Act, or an amendment of such a return, shall be treated as a claim for the purposes of section 246N and this section if the return or (as the case may be) the amendment contains such particulars as the inspector may require.

(7) A claim for those purposes which is not made by means of a return under section 11 of the Management Act, or by means of an amendment of such a return, shall be supported by such particulars as the inspector may require.

(8) In a case where—

(a) a claim is made under section 246N and this section, and

(b) by virtue of the claim, an amount of advance corporation tax is repaid or set off which has already been set off by virtue of section 239(4) against the company’s corporation tax liability for an accounting period falling after the accounting period to which the claim relates,

the set-off by virtue of section 239(4) of that amount shall be treated for the purposes of section 252 as if it ought not to have been made.

(9) In determining for the purposes of subsection (8) above whether an amount repaid or set off by virtue of a claim under section 246N and this section is an amount which has already been set off against the company’s corporation tax liability for an accounting period, amounts of advance corporation tax repaid or set off by virtue of that claim shall be treated as having been set off against that liability only after any other amounts of advance corporation tax that were capable of being set off against that liability have been taken into account.

(10) Where section 252 applies by virtue of this section the reference in subsection (5) of that section to the Management Act shall be treated as not including a reference to section 34 of that Act.

(11) In this section “the relevant period” shall be construed in accordance with section 246N(1).