Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988

553 Non-resident policies and off-shore capital redemption policies. U.K.

M1 (1) If, in the case of a substitution of policies falling within paragraph 25(1) or (3) of Schedule 15, the new policy is a qualifying policy, section 540 shall have effect with the following modifications—

(a) the surrender of the rights conferred by the old policy shall not be a chargeable event (within the meaning of that section); and

(b) the new policy shall be treated as having been issued in respect of an insurance made on the day referred to in paragraph 26 of that Schedule.

(2) If at any time [F1 the conditions in paragraph 24(3) of Schedule 15 to this Act are not fulfilled] with respect to a new non-resident policy which has previously become a qualifying policy, then, from that time onwards, this Chapter shall apply in relation to the policy as if it were not a qualifying policy.

(3) Subject to [F2 subsections (5) and (5A)] below, on the happening of a chargeable event in relation to a new non-resident policy or a new offshore capital redemption policy, the amount which, apart from this subsection, would by virtue of section 541 be treated as a gain arising in connection with the policy shall be reduced by multiplying it by the fraction—

where—

A is the number of days on which the policy holder was resident in the United Kingdom in the period for which the policy has run before the happening of the chargeable event; and

B is the number of days in that period.

(4) The calculation of the number of days in the period referred to in subsection (3) above shall be made in like manner as is provided in section 550(4), substituting a reference to the number of days for the reference to the number of years.

(5) If, on the happening of the chargeable event referred to in subsection (3) above or at any time during the period referred to in that subsection, the policy is or was held by a trustee resident outside the United Kingdom or by two or more trustees any of whom is or was so resident, no reduction shall be made under that subsection unless—

(a) the policy was issued in respect of an insurance made on or before 19th March 1985; and

(b) on that date the policy was held by a trustee who was so resident or, as the case may be, by two or more trustees any of whom was so resident.

[F3 (5A) If, on the happening of the chargeable event referred to in subsection (3) above or at any time during the period referred to in that subsection, the policy is or was held by a foreign institution, no reduction shall be made under that subsection unless—

(a) the policy was issued in respect of an insurance made on or before 16th March 1998; and

(b) on that date the policy was held by a foreign institution.]

(6) Subject to [F4 subsections (6A) and (7)] below, where, under section 541, a gain (reduced in accordance with subsection (3) above) is to be treated as arising in connection with a new non-resident policy or a new offshore capital redemption policy—

(a) section 547 shall have effect, in relation to the gain, as if subsection (5) were omitted; and

(b) the gain shall be chargeable to tax under Case VI of Schedule D;

but any relief under section 550 shall be computed as if this subsection had not been enacted.

[F5 (6A) Paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (6) above do not apply to a gain in a case where the Board are satisfied, on a claim made for the purpose—

(a) that the insurer has not, at any time (“a relevant time”) between the making of the insurance and the date on which the gain is treated as arising, been resident in the United Kingdom;

(b) that at all relevant times the insurer has—

(i) as a body deriving its status as a company from the laws of a territory outside the United Kingdom,

(ii) as a company with its place of management in such a territory, or

(iii) as a company falling, under the laws of such a territory, to be regarded, for any other reason, as resident or domiciled in that territory,

been within a charge to tax under the laws of that territory;

(c) that that territory is a territory within the European Economic Area when the gain is treated as arising;

(d) that the charge to tax mentioned in paragraph (b) above has at all relevant times been such a charge made otherwise than by reference to profits as (by disallowing their deduction in computing the amount chargeable) to require sums payable and other liabilities arising under policies of the same class as the policy in question to be treated as sums or liabilities falling to be met out of amounts subject to tax in the hands of the insurer;

(e) that the rate of tax fixed for the purposes of that charge in relation to the amounts subject to tax in the hands of the insurer (not being amounts arising or accruing in respect of investments that are of a particular description for which a special relief or exemption is generally available) has at all relevant times been at least 20 per cent.; and

(f) that none of the insurer’s obligations under the policy in question to pay any sum or to meet any other liability arising under that policy is or has been the subject, in whole or in part, of any reinsurance contract relating to anything other than the risk that the person whose life is insured by the policy will die or will suffer any sickness or accident;

and paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (6) above shall also not apply where the case would fall within paragraphs (a) to (f) above if references to a relevant time did not include references to any time when the conditions required to be fulfilled in relation to that time for the purposes of subsection (7) below were fulfilled.]

(7) Paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (6) above do not apply to a gain arising in connection with a new non-resident policy if the conditions in [F6 sub-paragraph (3)] of paragraph 24 of Schedule 15 are fulfilled at all times between the date on which the policy was issued and the date on which the gain is treated as arising.

[F7 (7A) Where, in the case of a gain to which subsection (6)(a) and (b) above applies, the rights conferred by the policy were vested immediately before the happening of the chargeable event in question in personal representatives within the meaning of Part XVI, the gain shall be deemed for the purposes of income tax to be income of the personal representatives as such.]

(8) Where a claim is made under section 550 in respect of the amount of a gain treated as arising in connection with a new non-resident policy or a new offshore capital redemption policy (with or without other amounts), the “appropriate fraction” which, in accordance with subsection (2) of that section, is to be applied to that amount shall be modified by deducting from the number of complete years referred to in subsection (3) of that section any complete years during which the policy holder was not resident in the United Kingdom.

(9) Subsection (5) of section 550 shall not apply in relation to a new non-resident policy or a new offshore capital redemption policy.

(10) In this section—

• “chargeable event” has, subject to subsection (1) above, the meaning given by section 540 or, as the case may be, 545;

• [F8 “foreign institution” has the same meaning as in section 547;]

• “new non-resident policy” has the meaning given by paragraph 24 of Schedule 15; and

• “new offshore capital redemption policy” means a capital redemption policy, as defined in section 539(3), which—

  (a)

  is issued in respect of [F9 a contract] made after 22nd February 1984; and

  (b)

  is so issued by a company resident outside the United Kingdom.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 553(2) substituted (1.5.1995) by Finance Act 1995 (c. 4), s. 55(8)(a) (with saving)

F2 Words in s. 553(3) substituted (with effect in accordance with Sch. 14 para. 7(5) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1998 (c. 36), Sch. 14 para. 4(2)

F3 S. 553(5A) inserted (with effect in accordance with Sch. 14 para. 7(5) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1998 (c. 36), Sch. 14 para. 4(3)

F4 Words in s. 553(6) substituted (with effect in accordance with s. 56(4) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1995 (c. 4), s. 56(2)

F5 S. 553(6A) inserted (with effect in accordance with s. 56(4) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1995 (c. 4), s. 56(2)

F6 Words in s. 553(7) substituted (1.5.1995) by Finance Act 1995 (c. 4), s. 55(8)(b) (with saving)

F7 S. 553(7A) inserted (with effect in accordance with s. 76(6) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1995 (c. 4), s. 76(3)

F8 S. 553(10): definition of "foreign institution" inserted (with effect in accordance with Sch. 14 para. 7(5) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1998 (c. 36), Sch. 14 para. 4(4)

F9 Words in s. 553(10) substituted (with effect in accordance with s. 168(6) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1996 (c. 8), s. 168(5)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C5 S. 553: power to modify conferred (with effect in accordance with s. 56(4) of the affecting Act) by Finance Act 1995 (c. 4), s. 56(3)

Marginal Citations

M1 Source-1984 Sch.15 Part III; 1984 s.76(5); 1985 s.51