Section 188: Application of Chapter
762.This section defines the basic concepts. It is based on ESC B38.
763.The relief applies both to amounts owed to the trader and to amounts that have been paid to the trader. Relief is allowed if some, or all, of those amounts cannot be remitted to the United Kingdom because of foreign exchange restrictions. The different definitions of “unremittable” in subsections (2) and (3) reflect the differences between an amount that has been paid and an amount owed.
764.The relief is available to any trader, including a financial trader.
765.Subsection (4) provides a definition of “foreign exchange restrictions”. Local foreign exchange restrictions are not defined in the extra-statutory concession but are clearly a key concept in the operation of the concession. This subsection introduces a definition based on section 584(1)(a) of ICTA, which is rewritten as section 841(3) of this Act. By basing the definition on section 584 of ICTA this Act brings the two reliefs into line.
766.Section 584(1)(a) of ICTA is almost identical to section 585(1)(b) of ICTA. Section 584(1)(a) of ICTA is rewritten as section 841(3) and section 585(1)(b) of ICTA as section 835(3) of this Act. This section and sections 841(3) and 835(3) clarify the scope of sections 584(1)(a) and 585(1)(b) of ICTA in two ways.
767.First, both sections 584(1)(a) and 585(1)(b) of ICTA refer to “the impossibility of obtaining foreign currency in that territory”. It could be argued that this condition is not met if it is possible to obtain foreign currency in the overseas territory regardless of whether that currency may be transferred to the United Kingdom. The sections in this Act makes clear that it must not be possible to obtain foreign currency that could be transferred to the United Kingdom.
768.Second, the sections in this Act make clear that the reference to foreign currency in sections 584(1)(a) and 585(1)(b) of ICTA does not include currency of the overseas country or territory. In relation to sterling the currency of the overseas country or territory clearly is foreign but in this context “foreign” means foreign to the local territory.
769.Sections 584 and 585 of ICTA include a requirement that the inability to transfer the funds is not due to any lack of reasonable endeavours on the part of the taxpayer. That condition has not been repeated in this Act. See Change 135 in Annex 1.
