SCHEDULES
SCHEDULE 27 Group relief in case of non-resident companies etc.
Part I Amendments of Chapter IV of Part X of the Taxes Act 1988
Limits on amount of relief
4
After section 403C of that Act insert—
403D Relief for or in respect of non-resident companies.
1
In determining for the purposes of this Chapter the amounts for any accounting period of the losses and other amounts available for surrender by way of group relief by a non-resident company, no loss or other amount shall be treated as so available except in so far as—
a
it is attributable to activities of that company the income and gains from which for that period are, or (were there any) would be, brought into account in computing the company’s chargeable profits for that period for corporation tax purposes;
b
it is not attributable to activities of the company which are made exempt from corporation tax for that period by any double taxation arrangements; and
c
no part of—
i
the loss or other amount, or
ii
any amount brought into account in computing it,
corresponds to, or is represented in, any amount which, for the purposes of any foreign tax, is (in any period) deductible from or otherwise allowable against non-UK profits of the company or any other person.
2
In determining for the purposes of sections 403A and 403C the total profits for an accounting period of a non-resident company, there shall be disregarded—
a
amounts not falling to be comprised for corporation tax purposes in the chargeable profits of the company for that accounting period, and
b
so far as not falling within paragraph (a) above, any amounts arising from activities which are made exempt from corporation tax for that period by any double taxation arrangements.
3
In this section “non-UK profits”, in relation to any person, means amounts which—
a
are taken for the purposes of any foreign tax to be the amount of the profits, income or gains on which (after allowing for deductions) that person is charged with that tax, and
b
are not amounts corresponding to, and are not represented in, the total profits (of that or any other person) for any accounting period,
or amounts taken into account in computing such amounts.
4
Subsection (2) above applies for the purposes of subsection (3)(b) above as it applies for the purposes of sections 403A and 403C.
5
For the purposes of this section an amount shall not be taken to be an amount which for the purposes of any foreign tax is deductible from or otherwise allowable against any non-UK profits of any person by reason only that it is—
a
an amount of profits brought into account for the purpose of being excluded from the profits that are non-UK profits of that person by reference to that foreign tax; or
b
an amount brought into account in computing the amount of any profits falling to be so excluded.
6
So much of the law of any territory outside the United Kingdom as for the purposes of any foreign tax makes the deductibility of any amount dependent on whether or not it is deductible for tax purposes in the United Kingdom shall be disregarded for the purposes of this section.
7
For the purposes of this section activities of a company are made exempt from corporation tax for any period by double taxation arrangements if the effect of any such arrangements is that the income and gains (if any) arising for that period from those activities is to be disregarded in computing the company’s chargeable profits.
8
In this section “double taxation arrangements” means any arrangements having effect by virtue of section 788.
9
In this section “foreign tax” means any tax chargeable under the law of any territory outside the United Kingdom which—
a
is charged on income and corresponds to United Kingdom income tax; or
b
is charged on income or chargeable gains or both and corresponds to United Kingdom corporation tax;
but for the purposes of this section a tax shall not be treated as failing to correspond to income tax or corporation tax by reason only that it is chargeable under the law of a province, state or other part of a country, or is levied by or on behalf of a municipality or other local body.
10
In determining for the purposes of this section whether any activities are made exempt from corporation tax for any period by any double taxation arrangements any requirement that a claim is made before effect is given to any provision of the arrangements shall be disregarded.
403E Relief for overseas losses of UK resident companies.
1
In determining, for the purposes of this Chapter, the amounts for any accounting period of the losses and other amounts available for surrender by way of group relief by any company resident in the United Kingdom (“the resident company”), a loss or other amount shall be treated as not so available in so far as it—
a
is attributable to an overseas branch or agency of that company, and
b
is a loss or other amount falling within subsection (2) below.
2
Subject to subsection (3) below, a loss or other amount attributable to an overseas branch or agency falls within this subsection if the whole or any part of it is, or represents, an amount which, for the purposes of foreign tax under the law of the territory where that branch or agency is situated, is (in any period) deductible from or otherwise allowable against non-UK profits of a person other than the resident company.
3
A loss or other amount does not fall within subsection (2) above if it is referable to life assurance business (within the meaning of Chapter I of Part XII) carried on by the resident company.
4
The reference in subsections (1) and (2) above to a loss or other amount attributable to an overseas branch or agency of a company is a reference to the loss or other amount (if any) that would be surrenderable by that company by way of group relief if the amount surrenderable by that company were computed—
a
by reference only to that branch or agency, and
b
by the application in relation to that branch or agency of principles corresponding in all material respects to those applicable for the purposes of corporation tax to the computation of the equivalent losses or other amounts in the case of the UK branch or agency of a non-resident company.
5
In subsection (4)(b) above the reference to the UK branch or agency of a non-resident company is a reference to any branch or agency through which a company which is not resident in the United Kingdom carries on a trade in the United Kingdom.
6
References in this section to an overseas branch or agency of a company are references to any branch or agency through which that company carries on a trade in a territory outside the United Kingdom.
7
In this section “foreign tax” and “non-UK profits” have the same meaning as in section 403D.
8
Where the deductibility of any amount for the purposes of any foreign tax is dependent on whether or not that amount, or a corresponding amount, is deductible for tax purposes in the United Kingdom, this section shall have effect as if that amount were deductible for the purposes of that foreign tax if, and only if, the resident company is treated for the purposes of that tax as resident in the territory where that tax is charged.