Finance Act 1995

2 After section 431A of the Taxes Act 1988 insert—

“Classes of life assurance business

431B Meaning of “pension business”.

(1) In this Chapter “pension business” means so much of a company’s life assurance business as is referable to contracts of the following descriptions or to the reinsurance of liabilities under such contracts.

(2) The descriptions of contracts are—

(a) any contract with an individual who is, or would but for an insufficiency of profits or gains be, chargeable to income tax in respect of relevant earnings (as defined in section 623(1) and (2)) from a trade, profession, vocation, office or employment carried on or held by him, being a contract approved by the Board under section 620 or a substituted contract within the meaning of section 622(3);

(b) any contract (including a contract of insurance) entered into for the purposes of, and made with the persons having the management of, an exempt approved scheme as defined in Chapter I of Part XIV, being a contract so framed that the liabilities undertaken by the insurance company under the contract correspond with liabilities against which the contract is intended to secure the scheme;

(c) any contract made under approved personal pension arrangements within the meaning of Chapter IV of Part XIV;

(d) any annuity contract entered into for the purposes of—

(i) a scheme which is approved or is being considered for approval under Chapter I of Part XIV;

(ii) a scheme which is a relevant statutory scheme for the purposes of Chapter I of Part XIV; or

(iii) a fund to which section 608 applies,

being a contract which is made with the persons having the management of the scheme or fund, or those persons and a member of or contributor to the scheme or fund, and by means of which relevant benefits (see subsections (3) and (4) below), and no other benefits, are secured;

(e) any annuity contract which is entered into in substitution for a contract within paragraph (d) above and by means of which relevant benefits (see subsections (3) and (4) below), and no other benefits, are secured;

(f) any contract with the trustees or other persons having the management of a scheme approved under section 620 or, subject to subsection (5) below, of a superannuation fund which was approved under section 208 of the 1970 Act, being a contract which—

(i) was entered into for the purposes only of that scheme or fund or, in the case of a fund part only of which was approved under section 208, for the purposes only of that part of that fund, and

(ii) (in the case of a contract entered into or varied after 1st August 1956) is so framed that the liabilities undertaken by the insurance company under the contract correspond with liabilities against which the contract is intended to secure the scheme or fund (or the relevant part of the fund).

(3) For the purposes of subsection (2)(d) and (e) above “relevant benefits” means relevant benefits as defined by section 612(1) which correspond—

(a) where subsection (2)(d)(i) above applies, or subsection (2)(e) above applies and the contract within subsection (2)(d) was entered into for the purposes of a scheme falling within subsection (2)(d)(i), with benefits that could be provided by a scheme approved under Chapter I of Part XIV;

(b) where subsection (2)(d)(ii) above applies, or subsection (2)(e) above applies and the contract within subsection (2)(d) was entered into for the purposes of a scheme falling within subsection (2)(d)(ii), with benefits that could be provided by a scheme which is a relevant statutory scheme for the purposes of Chapter I of Part XIV;

(c) where subsection (2)(d)(iii) above applies, or subsection (2)(e) above applies and the contract within subsection (2)(d) was entered into for the purposes of a fund falling within subsection (2)(d)(iii), with benefits that could be provided by a fund to which section 608 applies.

(4) For the purposes of subsection (3)(a), (b) or (c) above a hypothetical scheme or fund (rather than any particular scheme or fund), and benefits provided by a scheme or fund directly (rather than by means of an annuity contract), shall be taken.

(5) Subsection (2)(f) above shall not apply to a contract where the fund in question was approved under section 208 of the 1970 Act unless—

(a) immediately before 6th April 1980 premiums paid under the contract with the trustees or other persons having the management of the fund fell within section 323(4) of that Act (premiums referable to pension business); and

(b) the terms on which benefits are payable from the fund have not been altered since that time; and

(c) section 608 applies to the fund.

(6) In subsection (5) above “premium” includes any consideration for an annuity.

431C Meaning of “life reinsurance business”.

(1) In this Chapter “life reinsurance business” means reinsurance of life assurance business other than pension business or business of any description excluded from this section by regulations made by the Board.

(2) Regulations under subsection (1) above may describe the excluded business by reference to any circumstances appearing to the Board to be relevant.

431D Meaning of “overseas life assurance business”.

(1) In this Chapter “overseas life assurance business” means life assurance business, other than pension business or life reinsurance business, which—

(a) in the case of life assurance business other than reinsurance business, is business with a policy holder or annuitant not residing in the United Kingdom, and

(b) in the case of reinsurance business, is—

(i) reinsurance of life assurance business with a policy holder or annuitant not residing in the United Kingdom, or

(ii) reinsurance of business within sub-paragraph (i) above or this sub-paragraph.

(2) Subject to subsections (5) and (7) below, in subsection (1) above the references to life assurance business with a policy holder or annuitant do not include life assurance business with a person who is an individual if—

(a) the policy holder or annuitant is not beneficially entitled to the rights conferred by the policy or contract for the business, or

(b) any benefits under the policy or contract for the business are or will be payable to a person other than the policy holder or annuitant (or his personal representatives) or to a number of persons not including him (or them).

(3) For the purposes of subsection (2) above any nomination by a policy holder or annuitant of an individual or individuals as the recipient or recipients of benefits payable on death shall be disregarded.

(4) Subject to subsections (5) and (7) below, in subsection (1) above the references to life assurance business with a policy holder or annuitant do not include life assurance business with a person who is not an individual.

(5) Subsections (2) and (4) above do not apply if—

(a) the rights conferred by the policy or contract for the business are held subject to a trust,

(b) the settlor does not reside in the United Kingdom, and

(c) each beneficiary is either an individual not residing in the United Kingdom or a charity.

(6) In subsection (5) above—

(a) “settlor” means the person, or (where more than one) each of the persons, by whom the trust was directly or indirectly created (and for this purpose a person shall, in particular, be regarded as having created the trust if he provided or undertook to provide funds directly or indirectly for the purposes of the trust or made with any other person a reciprocal arrangement for that other person to create the trust),

(b) “beneficiary” means any person who is, or will or may become, entitled to any benefit under the trust (including any person who may become so entitled on the exercise of a discretion by the trustees of the trust), and

(c) “charity” means a person or body of persons established for charitable purposes only;

and for the purpose of that subsection an individual who is a trustee (of any trust) shall not be regarded as an individual.

(7) Subsections (2) and (4) above do not apply if the policy or contract for the business was effected solely to provide benefits for or in respect of—

(a) persons all, or all but an insignificant number, of whom are relevant overseas employees, or

(b) spouses, widows, widowers, children or dependants of such persons.

(8) In subsection (7) above “relevant overseas employees” means persons who are not residing in the United Kingdom and are—

(a) employees of the policy holder or annuitant,

(b) employees of a person connected with the policy holder or annuitant, or

(c) employees in respect of whose employment there is established a superannuation fund to which section 615(3) applies;

and section 839 applies for the purposes of this subsection.

431E Overseas life assurance business: regulations.

(1) The Board may by regulations make provision for giving effect to section 431D.

(2) Such regulations may, in particular—

(a) provide that, in such circumstances as may be prescribed, any prescribed issue as to whether business is or is not overseas life assurance business (or overseas life assurance business of a particular kind) shall be determined by reference to such matters (including the giving of certificates or undertakings, the giving or possession of information or the making of declarations) as may be prescribed,

(b) require companies to obtain certificates, undertakings, information or declarations from policy holders or annuitants, or from trustees or other companies, for the purposes of the regulations,

(c) make provision for dealing with cases where any issue such as is mentioned in paragraph (a) above is (for any reason) wrongly determined, including provision allowing for the imposition of charges to tax (with or without limits on time) on the insurance company concerned or on the policy holders or annuitants concerned,

(d) require companies to supply information and make available books, documents and other records for inspection on behalf of the Board, and

(e) make provision (including provision imposing penalties) for contravention of, or non-compliance with, the regulations.

(3) The regulations may—

(a) make different provision for different cases, and

(b) contain such supplementary, incidental, consequential or transitional provision as appears to the Board to be appropriate.

431F Meaning of “basic life assurance and general annuity business”.

In this Chapter “basic life assurance and general annuity business” means life assurance business (including reinsurance business) other than pension business, life reinsurance business or overseas life assurance business.”.