Taxation (International and Other Provisions) Act 2010

CHAPTER 6 Balancing payments

195 Qualifying conditions for purposes of section 196

(1) Conditions A to D are “the qualifying conditions” for the purposes of section 196.

(2) Condition A is that only one of the affected persons (“the advantaged person”) is a person on whom a potential advantage in relation to United Kingdom taxation is conferred by the actual provision.

(3) Condition B is that the other affected person (“the disadvantaged person”) is within the charge to income tax or corporation tax in respect of profits arising from the relevant activities (see section 216).

(4) Condition C is that—

(a) a payment (the “balancing payment”) is made, or

(b) two or more payments (the “balancing payments”) are made,

to the advantaged person by the disadvantaged person.

(5) Condition D is that the sole or main reason for making that payment or those payments is that section 147(3) or (5) applies.

196 Balancing payments between affected persons: no charge to, or relief from, tax

(1) If each of the qualifying conditions (see section 195) is met, subsection (2) applies—

(a) to the balancing payment if, or so far as, its amount does not exceed the available compensating adjustment, or

(b) to the balancing payments if, or so far as, their total amount does not exceed the available compensating adjustment.

(2) Any payment to which this subsection applies—

(a) is not to be taken into account in calculating profits or losses of either of the affected persons for the purposes of income tax or corporation tax, and

(b) is not for any purpose of the Corporation Tax Acts to be regarded as a distribution.

(3) In subsection (1) “the available compensating adjustment” means the difference between PL1 and PL2 where—

• PL1 is the profits and losses of the disadvantaged person calculated for tax purposes on the basis of the actual provision, and

• PL2 is the profits and losses of the disadvantaged person as (or as they would be) calculated for tax purposes on a claim under section 174.

(4) For the purposes of subsection (3), take PL1 or PL2—

(a) as a positive amount if it is an amount of profits, and

(b) as a negative amount if it is an amount of losses.

(5) In this section, the following expressions have the meaning given by section 195—

• “the balancing payment” and “the balancing payments”, and

• “the disadvantaged person”.

197 Qualifying conditions for purposes of section 198

(1) Conditions A to F are the qualifying conditions for the purposes of section 198.

(2) Condition A is that one of the affected persons (“the issuing company”) is a company that has liabilities under a security issued by it.

(3) Condition B is that those liabilities are to any extent the subject of a guarantee provided by a company (“the guarantor company”).

(4) Condition C is that, in calculating the profits and losses of the issuing company for tax purposes, the amounts to be deducted in respect of interest or other amounts payable under the security are required to be reduced (whether or not to nil) under section 147(3) or (5).

(5) Condition D is that that reduction is required because of section 153.

(6) Condition E is that—

(a) a payment (the “balancing payment”) is made, or

(b) two or more payments (the “balancing payments”) are made,

by the guarantor company to the issuing company.

(7) Condition F is that the sole or main reasons for making that payment or those payments are—

(a) that section 147(3) or (5) applies because of section 153, or

(b) that sections 192 to 194 apply.

(8) In subsections (2) and (9)(a) “security” includes securities not creating or evidencing a charge on assets.

(9) For the purposes of subsection (2), any—

(a) interest payable by a company on money advanced without the issue of a security for the advance, or

(b) other consideration given by a company for the use of money so advanced,

is to be treated as if payable or given in respect of a security issued for the advance by the company, and the reference in subsection (2) to a security is to be read accordingly.

(10) In subsection (3) the reference to a guarantee includes—

(a) a reference to a surety, and

(b) a reference to any other relationship, arrangements, connection or understanding (whether formal or informal) such that the person making the loan to the issuing company has a reasonable expectation that in the event of a default by the issuing company the person will be paid by, or out of the assets of, one or more companies.

198 Balancing payments by guarantor to issuer: no charge to, or relief from, tax

(1) If each of the qualifying conditions (see section 197) is met, subsection (2) applies to the balancing payments made by all of the guarantor companies if, or so far as, the total amount of those payments does not exceed the total amount of the reductions within section 197(4).

(2) Payments to which this subsection applies—

(a) are not to be taken into account in calculating for the purposes of corporation tax the profits or losses of the guarantor company or companies or the issuing company, and

(b) are not for any purpose of the Corporation Tax Acts to be regarded as distributions.

(3) In this section, the following expressions have the meaning given by section 197—

• “the balancing payments”,

• “the guarantor company”, and

• “the issuing company”.

199 Pre-conditions for making election under section 200

(1) Conditions A to E are the pre-conditions for the purposes of section 200.

(2) Condition A is that both of the affected persons are companies.

(3) Condition B is that only one of the affected persons (“the advantaged person”) is a person on whom a potential advantage in relation to United Kingdom taxation is conferred by the actual provision.

(4) Condition C is that the other affected person (“the disadvantaged person”) is within the charge to income tax or corporation tax in respect of profits arising from the relevant activities (see section 216).

(5) Condition D is that the actual provision is provision in relation to a security (the “relevant security”).

(6) Condition E is that the capital market condition is met (see section 204).

(7) In subsections (5) and (8)(a) “security” includes securities not creating or evidencing a charge on assets.

(8) For the purposes of subsection (5), any—

(a) interest payable by a company on money advanced without the issue of a security for the advance, or

(b) other consideration given by a company for the use of money so advanced,

is to be treated as if payable or given in respect of a security issued for the advance by the company, and the reference in subsection (5) to a security is to be read accordingly.

200 Election to pay tax rather than make balancing payments

(1) If each of the pre-conditions (see section 199) is met, the disadvantaged person may make an election—

(a) to make no balancing payment within section 196 to the advantaged person in connection with section 147(3) or (5) applying because of section 152 in relation to the relevant security in a chargeable period, but

(b) instead, to undertake sole responsibility for discharging the advantaged person’s liability to tax for that period so far as resulting from section 147(3) or (5) applying because of section 152 in relation to the relevant security.

(2) Section 203 contains provision about the making and effect of elections under this section.

(3) In this section, the following expressions have the meaning given by section 199—

• “the advantaged person”,

• “the disadvantaged person”, and

• “the relevant security”.

201 Pre-conditions for making election under section 202

(1) Conditions A to E are the pre-conditions for the purposes of section 202.

(2) Condition A is that both of the affected persons are companies.

(3) Condition B is that only one of the affected persons (“the advantaged person”) is a person on whom a potential advantage in relation to United Kingdom taxation is conferred by the actual provision.

(4) Condition C is that the other affected person (“the disadvantaged person”) is within the charge to income tax or corporation tax in respect of profits arising from the relevant activities (see section 216).

(5) Condition D is that the actual provision is made or imposed by means of a series of transactions which include—

(a) the issuing of a security (“the relevant security”) by one of the affected persons (“the issuing company”), and

(b) the provision of a guarantee by the other affected person.

(6) Condition E is that the capital market condition is met (see section 204).

(7) In subsections (5) and (8)(a) “security” includes securities not creating or evidencing a charge on assets.

(8) For the purposes of subsection (5), any—

(a) interest payable by a company on money advanced without the issue of a security for the advance, or

(b) other consideration given by a company for the use of money so advanced,

is to be treated as if payable or given in respect of a security issued for the advance by the company, and the reference in subsection (5) to a security is to be read accordingly.

(9) In subsection (5) the reference to a guarantee includes—

(a) a reference to a surety, and

(b) a reference to any other relationship, arrangements, connection or understanding (whether formal or informal) such that the person making the loan to the issuing company has a reasonable expectation that in the event of a default by the issuing company the person will be paid by, or out of the assets of, one or more companies.

202 Election, in guarantee case, to pay tax rather than make balancing payments

(1) If each of the pre-conditions (see section 201) is met, the disadvantaged person may make an election—

(a) to make no balancing payment within section 198 to the advantaged person in connection with section 147(3) or (5) applying because of section 153 in relation to the relevant security in a chargeable period, but

(b) instead, to undertake sole responsibility for discharging the advantaged person’s liability to tax for that period so far as resulting from section 147(3) or (5) applying because of section 153 in relation to the relevant security.

(2) Section 203 contains provision about the making and effect of elections under this section.

(3) In this section, the following expressions have the meaning given by section 201—

• “the advantaged person”,

• “the disadvantaged person”, and

• “the relevant security”.

203 Elections under section 200 or 202

(1) In this section “election” means election under section 200 or 202.

(2) An election must be made by being included (whether by amendment or otherwise) in the disadvantaged person’s company tax return for the chargeable period in which the relevant security is issued.

(3) An election is irrevocable.

(4) An election has effect in relation to each of the affected persons for the chargeable period in which the relevant security is issued and all subsequent chargeable periods.

(5) An election is of no effect if the Commissioners for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs give the disadvantaged person a notice refusing to accept the election.

(6) A notice under subsection (5) may be given only after a notice of enquiry in respect of the company tax return containing the election has been given to the disadvantaged person.

(Paragraph 24 of Schedule 18 to FA 1998 makes provision about notices of enquiry in respect of company tax returns.)

(7) If an election has effect in relation to an accounting period of the advantaged person, the tax mentioned in subsection (1)(b) of the section under which the election is made—

(a) is recoverable from the disadvantaged person as if it were an amount of corporation tax due and owing from that person, and

(b) is not recoverable from the advantaged person.

(8) In this section—

• “the advantaged person”, “the disadvantaged person” and “the relevant security”—

  (a)

  in relation to an election under section 200, have the meaning given by section 199, and

  (b)

  in relation to an election under section 202, have the meaning given by section 201, and

• “company tax return” means the return required to be delivered pursuant to a notice under paragraph 3 of Schedule 18 to FA 1998, as read with paragraph 4 of that Schedule.

(9) For the purposes of subsections (2) and (4), if the relevant security was issued in a chargeable period beginning before 1st April 2004 it is to be treated as if it had been issued in the chargeable period beginning on that date.

204 Meaning of “capital market condition” in sections 199 and 201

(1) For the purposes of section 199(6) or 201(6), the capital market condition is met if—

(a) the actual provision forms part of a capital market arrangement,

(b) the capital market arrangement involves the issue of a capital market investment,

(c) the securities that represent the capital market investment are issued wholly or mainly to independent persons, and

(d) the total value of the capital market investments made under the capital market arrangement is at least £50 million.

(2) In this section—

• “capital market arrangement” has the same meaning as in section 72B(1) of the Insolvency Act 1986 (see paragraph 1 of Schedule 2A to that Act),

• “capital market investment” has the same meaning as in section 72B(1) of the Insolvency Act 1986 (see paragraphs 2 and 3 of Schedule 2A to that Act), and

• “independent person” means a person—

  (a)

  who is not the disadvantaged person, and

  (b)

  who does not have a participatory relationship with either of the affected persons.

(3) In subsection (2) “the disadvantaged person”—

(a) for the purposes of the application of this section in relation to section 199(6) has the meaning given by section 199(4), and

(b) for the purposes of the application of this section in relation to section 201(6) has the meaning given by section 201(4).

(4) For the purposes of subsection (2), a person (“A”) who is a company has a “participatory relationship” with one of the affected persons (“B”) if—

(a) one of A and B is directly or indirectly participating in the management, control or capital of the other, or

(b) the same person or persons is or are directly or indirectly participating in the management, control or capital of each of A and B.