Capital Allowances Act 2001

Capital Allowances Act 2001

2001 CHAPTER 2

Commentary on Sections

Glossary

Part 1: Introduction

Section 3: Claims for capital allowances

47. This section is based mainly on section 140(3) and parts of section 141 of CAA 1990 together with paragraph 79(1) of Schedule 18 to FA 1998. It deals with claims for capital allowances.

48. Before this Act, there was no statutory provision which said that capital allowances must be claimed before they are made. That point was, however, established in a tax case in 1987. See Note 1 in Annex 2. Subsection (1) incorporates the point.

49. In CAA 1990, there are numerous references to claims before readers reach section 140(3). That requires any claim for allowances for income tax in taxing a trade to be claimed in a return. For corporation tax the corresponding provision is in Schedule 18 to FA 1998. Subsections (2) and (3) make this key point at the start of this Act.

50. Subsections (4) and (5) give the exceptions in which claims for allowances are not made in a tax return. These are subject instead to the general provisions for claims for income tax or corporation tax. In CAA 1990 section 140(3) (together with section 141(1) and (5)) provides for allowances given “by way of discharge or repayment of tax” to be subject to a claim to which section 42 of TMA 1970 applies in contrast to claims in a tax return where it does not. Section 17(3) of CAA 1990 makes additional provision for claims to carry back balancing allowances in connection with certain mines, oil wells, and so on. Section 528(2) of ICTA provides that a claim is required for patent allowances by someone not carrying on a trade. This Act cuts out the potentially misleading term “discharge or repayment” and refers direct to the provisions under which a claim is made other than in a return.

51. Subsection (5) refers to paragraphs 54 to 60 of Schedule 18 to FA 1998. Those deal with how such allowances must fall to be claimed for corporation tax purposes. This is despite the apparent rule in paragraph 79(1) of that Schedule that claims for capital allowances are made in a company’s tax return. See Note 2 in Annex 2.

52. Subsection (6) points readers to the provisions in section 42(6) and (7) of TMA 1970. These require claims for capital allowances for a trade, profession or business carried on by a partnership to be claimed in the “partnership return”.