(1)Chapter II of Part IV of the M1Finance Act 1996 (loan relationships) shall be amended as follows.
(2)In paragraph 3(7) of Schedule 8 (permitted period of three years for carry-back of deficits), for “three years” and “three year” there shall be substituted, in each case, “ twelve months ”.
(3)In sub-paragraph (3) of paragraph 4 of Schedule 11 (carry-back of deficit by insurance companies)—
(a)for paragraph (a) there shall be substituted the following paragraph—
“(a)carried back to accounting periods falling wholly or partly within the period of twelve months immediately preceding the deficit period; and”; and
(b)in paragraph (b), for “those periods” there shall be substituted “ up to three such periods ”.
(4)In sub-paragraph (5) of that paragraph (mechanism for carry-back in the case of insurance companies), for “the three accounting periods preceding the deficit period” there shall be substituted “ accounting periods falling wholly or partly within the period of twelve months mentioned in sub-paragraph (3)(a) above ”.
(5)In sub-paragraph (8) of that paragraph (which defines the set-off periods), in each of paragraphs (b) and (c), for “immediately preceding” there shall be substituted “ (if any) which falls wholly or partly within the period of twelve months mentioned in sub-paragraph (3)(a) above and immediately precedes ”.
(6)In sub-paragraph (9) of that paragraph (adjusted amount of a company’s eligible profit), after “is” there shall be inserted “ (subject to sub-paragraph (9A) below) ”; and after that sub-paragraph there shall be inserted the following sub-paragraph—
“(9A)Where a set-off period falls only partly within the period of twelve months mentioned in sub-paragraph (3)(a) above, the adjusted amount of a company’s eligible profit for that period shall be taken to be confined to the part of the amount computed under sub-paragraph (9) above which is proportionate to the part of the set-off period that falls within that period of twelve months.”
(7)Subject to subsection (8) below, this section has effect in relation to any deficit for a deficit period ending on or after 2nd July 1997.
(8)Paragraph 3 of Schedule 8 to the M2Finance Act 1996 shall have effect in relation to any deficit for a deficit period beginning before but ending on or after 2nd July 1997 as if the permitted period in relation to the pre-commencement part of the deficit were the period beginning with 1st April 1996 and ending immediately before the beginning of the deficit period.
(9)Where for the purposes of paragraph 23 of Schedule 15 to the Finance Act 1996 (transitional provision in connection with the carrying back of exchange losses) there is a relievable amount for an accounting period ending on or after 2nd July 1997, that paragraph shall have effect, except in relation to any pre-commencement part of that amount, as if, in section 131(10)(b) of the M3Finance Act 1993 (the permitted period) as applied by that paragraph, the words “twelve months” were substituted for the words “ three years ”.
(10)In this section “pre-commencement part”, in relation to the deficit for any deficit period or the relievable amount for any accounting period, means the part (if any) of that deficit or relievable amount which, on an apportionment in accordance with subsection (11) or, as the case may be, (12) below, is attributable to such part (if any) of that period as falls before 2nd July 1997.
(11)Except in a case where subsection (12) below applies, an apportionment for the purposes of subsection (10) above shall be made on a time basis according to the respective lengths of the part of the deficit period or, as the case may be, accounting period falling before 2nd July 1997 and the remainder of that period.
(12)Where the circumstances of a particular case are such that the making of an apportionment on the time basis mentioned in subsection (11) above would work in a manner that would be unjust or unreasonable in relation to any person, the apportionment shall be made instead (to the extent only that is necessary in order to avoid injustice and unreasonableness) in such other manner as may be just and reasonable.