Finance Act 1994

9 (1) In subsection (2) of section 262 of that Act (widow’s bereavement allowance)—

(a) for the words “a deduction from her total income”, where they occur in paragraphs (a) and (b), there shall be substituted “ an income tax reduction ”; and

(b) for the words after paragraph (b) there shall be substituted— “ the income tax reduction mentioned in paragraph (b) above shall instead be made (without a claim being made and in accordance with section 257A) in relation to her late husband’s liability to tax for that year as if there had been no such election. ”

(2) For subsections (3) and (4) of that section (cases where allowance transferred back to deceased would be unused) there shall be substituted the following subsections—

“(3) If the amount of an income tax reduction falling to be made by virtue of subsection (2) above in relation to the liability of a widow’s late husband—

(a) is less by virtue of section 256(2)(b) than the income tax reduction which, but for subsection (2) above, would have been made in her case by virtue of the election mentioned in that subsection, or

(b) by virtue of his having no income tax liability to which that reduction is applicable, is nil,

the widow shall be entitled (in addition to any reduction to which she is entitled by virtue of subsection (1) above and without making a further claim) to an income tax reduction calculated by reference to an amount equal to the unused part of the amount by reference to which the income tax reduction transferred to the late husband in pursuance of subsection (2) above would have fallen to be calculated.

(3A) In subsection (3) above the references, in relation to an amount to which paragraph (a) or (b) of that subsection applies, to the unused part of an amount by reference to which any income tax reduction would have fallen to be calculated are references to so much of it (including, where paragraph (b) of that subsection applies, all of it) as has no practical effect on the determination of the amount to which that paragraph applies.”