Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988

689 Recovery from trustees of discretionary trusts of higher rate tax due from beneficiaries

(1) The provisions of this section shall have effect in relation to the excess amount of the income tax due from any person (“the beneficiary”) to whom, or for whose benefit, any income or any capital may in the discretion of some other person be paid or applied under a trust.

(2) In this section “the excess amount” means so much of the income tax payable in respect of the beneficiary’s income as exceeds what would be the amount thereof if all income tax were chargeable at the basic rate to the exclusion of any higher rate.

(3) If the whole or part of the excess amount of the income tax charged in respect of the income of the beneficiary is not paid before the expiry of six months from the date when it became due and payable, the Board may at any time thereafter, so long as the excess amount or any part thereof remains unpaid, cause to be served on the trustees of the trust a notice that the excess amount or any part thereof remains unpaid.

(4) Where such a notice is served in accordance with the provisions of this section on the trustees of the trust, it shall be the duty of the trustees, as soon as may be, and if necessary from time to time, to pay to the Board in or towards satisfaction of the excess amount or any part thereof from time to time remaining unpaid any income or capital which, by virtue of any exercise of the discretion under the trust, the beneficiary may become entitled to receive or to have applied for his benefit.

(5) Any payments made out of income by trustees on account of tax in respect of which a notice under this section has been served shall be deemed for all the purposes of the Income Tax Acts to represent income paid to the beneficiary.

(6) Any sum which the trustees are liable to pay by virtue of this section shall be recoverable from them as a debt due to the Crown.

(7) Where there are two or more trustees under the trust, a notice under this section shall be deemed to have been validly served upon the trustees if served upon any one of them, but nothing in this section shall render a trustee personally liable for anything done by him in good faith and in ignorance of the fact that such a notice has been served.