Part 4Employment income: exemptions

Chapter 8Exemptions: special kinds of employees

Ministers of religion

290Accommodation benefits of ministers of religion

1

No liability to income tax in respect of a person employed as a full-time minister arises by virtue of—

a

the payment or reimbursement of a statutory amount payable in connection with qualifying premises, or

b

the reimbursement of a statutory deduction made in connection with qualifying premises.

2

No liability to income tax in respect of a person employed as a full-time minister arises by virtue of the payment or reimbursement of expenses incurred in connection with providing living accommodation in qualifying premises if the employment is excluded employment.

3

Subsection (1) does not apply if or to the extent that the amount or deduction is properly attributable to a part of the premises for which the minister receives rent.

4

Premises are qualifying premises in relation to a person employed as a minister if—

a

an interest in them belongs to a charity or an ecclesiastical corporation, and

b

because of that interest and by reason of holding the employment, the minister has a residence in them from which to perform the duties of the employment.

5

In this section—

  • charity” means a body of persons or trust established for charitable purposes only,

  • full-time minister” means a person in full-time employment as a minister of a religious denomination,

  • statutory amount” means an amount paid in pursuance of a provision in, or having the force of, an Act, and

  • statutory deduction” means a deduction made in pursuance of such a provision.