Finance Act 1996

81 Meaning of “loan relationship” etc

(1) Subject to the following provisions of this section, a company has a loan relationship for the purposes of the Corporation Tax Acts wherever—

(a) the company stands (whether by reference to a security or otherwise) in the position of a creditor or debtor as respects any money debt; and

(b) that debt is one arising from a transaction for the lending of money;

and references to a loan relationship and to a company’s being a party to a loan relationship shall be construed accordingly.

(2) For the purposes of this Chapter a money debt is a debt which falls to be settled—

(a) by the payment of money; or

(b) by the transfer of a right to settlement under a debt which is itself a money debt.

(3) Subject to subsection (4) below, where an instrument is issued by any person for the purpose of representing security for, or the rights of a creditor in respect of, any money debt, then (whatever the circumstances of the issue of the instrument) that debt shall be taken for the purposes of this Chapter to be a debt arising from a transaction for the lending of money.

(4) For the purposes of this Chapter a debt shall not be taken to arise from a transaction for the lending of money to the extent that it is a debt arising from rights conferred by shares in a company.

(5) For the purposes of this Chapter—

(a) references to payments or interest under a loan relationship are references to payments or interest made or payable in pursuance of any of the rights or liabilities under that relationship; and

(b) references to rights or liabilities under a loan relationship are references to any of the rights or liabilities under the agreement or arrangements by virtue of which that relationship subsists;

and those rights or liabilities shall be taken to include the rights or liabilities attached to any security which, being a security issued in relation to the money debt in question, is a security representing that relationship.

(6) In this Chapter “money” includes money expressed in a currency other than sterling.