Limit on credit against corporation taxU.K.
42Amount of limitU.K.
(1)Subsection (2) is about the amount of credit allowed under section 18(2) against corporation tax to which a company is liable in respect of any income or chargeable gain.
(2)The credit must not exceed—
where—
R is the rate of corporation tax payable by the company, before any credit under this Part, on the company's income or chargeable gains for the accounting period in which the income arises or the gain accrues, and
IG is the amount of the income or gain (but see subsection (3)).
(3)For the purposes of applying subsection (2), IG is reduced (or extinguished) by any amount allocated to it under—
section 52(2) (general deductions),
section 53(2) (earlier years' deficits on loan relationships),
section 54(2) or (4) (debits on loan relationships),
section 55(5) (current year's deficits on loan relationships), or
section 56(2) (debits on intangible fixed assets).
(4)Subsection (2) is to be read with—
section 43, which, if the company has a permanent establishment outside the United Kingdom, is about attributing profits to the establishment for the purposes of applying subsection (2),
sections 44 to 49, which modify how subsection (2) applies in connection with allowing credit against tax on trade income (as defined in section 44), [F1section 49B, which requires subsection (2) to be applied separately to certain non-trading credits, and]
sections 50 and 51, which require subsection (2) to be applied as if corporation tax were charged in a modified way on profits of the company for the period from loan relationships and intangible fixed assets.
[F2(5)See also section 49A which contains an additional limit on credit allowed in certain cases involving CFCs.]
Textual Amendments
F1Words in s. 42(4) substituted (with effect in accordance with s. 292(9)(10) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2014 (c. 26), s. 292(6)
F2S. 42(5) inserted (retrospective to 1.1.2013) by Finance Act 2013 (c. 29), Sch. 47 paras. 12, 21
Modifications etc. (not altering text)
C2Pt. 2 applied by 2010 c. 4, s. 269DL(6) (as inserted (with effect in accordance with Sch. 3 Pt. 3 of the amending Act) by Finance (No. 2) Act 2015 (c. 33), Sch. 3 para. 1)
C3S. 42 excluded by 2010 c. 4, s. 269DL(8)(a) (as inserted (with effect in accordance with Sch. 3 Pt. 3 of the amending Act) by Finance (No. 2) Act 2015 (c. 33), Sch. 3 para. 1)
[F343Profits attributable to permanent establishments for purposes of section 42(2)U.K.
(1)This section applies in determining for the purposes of section 42(2) the amount of the profits of a UK resident company on which corporation tax is or would be chargeable that is attributable to a permanent establishment of the company in a territory outside the United Kingdom.
(2)The amount of the profits of the company that is attributable to the permanent establishment is the amount that the permanent establishment would have made if it were a distinct and separate enterprise which—
(a)engaged in the same or similar activities under the same or similar conditions, and
(b)dealt wholly independently with the company.
(3)In applying subsection (2) assume that—
(a)the permanent establishment has the same credit rating as the company, and
(b)(subject to subsection (5)) the permanent establishment has such equity and loan capital as it could reasonably be expected to have if the equity and loan capital of the company were allocated in accordance with subsection (4).
(4)The allocation is one made on a just and equitable basis between the permanent establishments in territories outside the United Kingdom through which the company carries on business and the entity that the company would consist of if each such permanent establishment were an entity distinct and separate from the company.
(5)If the permanent establishment is in a full treaty territory (within the meaning of Chapter 3A of Part 2 of CTA 2009) subsection (3)(b) has effect subject to the double taxation arrangements having effect in relation to the territory.
(6)Subsections (3)(b) to (5) prevail over any allotment of equity or loan capital to the permanent establishment made by the company.
(7)If the company is an insurance company F4... , in applying subsection (2) assume that the permanent establishment has such free assets as it would have in the circumstances described in that subsection.
(8)The Commissioners for Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs may by regulations make provision as to the meaning of “free assets” in subsection (7).]
Textual Amendments
F3S. 43 substituted (19.7.2011) by Finance Act 2011 (c. 11), Sch. 13 paras. 27, 31, 37
F4Words in s. 43(7) omitted (17.7.2012) by virtue of Finance Act 2012 (c. 14), Sch. 16 para. 233
44Credit against tax on trade incomeU.K.
(1)Apply section 42(2) in accordance with subsections (2) and (3) if the tax against which the credit is to be allowed is corporation tax on income that is trade income.
(2)The amount of the credit must not exceed the corporation tax attributable to the income arising out of the transaction, arrangement or asset in connection with which the credit arises.
(3)In calculating the amount of corporation tax attributable to any income, take into account—
(a)deductions which would be allowed in calculating the company's liability, and
(b)expenses of a company connected with the company, so far as reasonably attributable to the income,
but see section 49 (restriction if company is a bank or is connected with a bank).
(4)In subsection (3)(a) “deductions” includes a just and reasonable apportionment of deductions that relate—
(a)partly to the transaction, arrangement or asset from which the income arises, and
(b)partly to other matters.
(5)Section 1122 of CTA 2010 (meaning of “connected”) applies for the purposes of subsection (3)(b).
(6)In this section “trade income” means—
(a)income chargeable to tax under Chapter 2 or 15 of Part 3 of CTA 2009 (trade profits and post-cessation receipts),
(b)income chargeable to tax under Chapter 3 or 9 of Part 4 of CTA 2009 (profits of property businesses and post-cessation receipts),
(c)income which arises from a source outside the United Kingdom and is chargeable to tax under section 979 of CTA 2009 (charge to tax on income not otherwise charged), and
(d)any other income or profits which by a provision of ICTA is or are—
(i)chargeable to tax under Chapter 2 of Part 3 of CTA 2009, or
(ii)calculated in the same way as the profits of a trade,
but does not include income to which section 99 of this Act (insurance companies) applies.
(7)In subsection (6) the references—
(a)to income chargeable under Chapter 15 of Part 3 of CTA 2009, and
(b)to income chargeable under Chapter 9 of Part 4 of CTA 2009,
do not include income that would, but for the repeal by CTA 2009 of section 103 of ICTA (post-cessation receipts where pre-cessation profits calculated on an earnings basis and other post-cessation receipts that become due or are ascertained after cessation), have been chargeable to corporation tax under that section.
45Credit against tax on trade income: anti-avoidance rulesU.K.
(1)If a company (“A”) carrying on a trade giving rise to trade income enters into a scheme or arrangement with another person (“B”) a main purpose of which is to alter the effect of section 44(2) and (3) in relation to A, income received in pursuance of the scheme or arrangement is to be treated for the purposes of section 44(2) and (3) as trade income of B (and not as income of A).
(2)Income of a person (“D”) is to be treated for the purposes of section 44 as trade income (if it is not otherwise trade income) of D if—
(a)the income is received by D as part of a scheme or arrangement entered into by D and a connected person (“C”),
(b)had C received the income, it would be reasonable to assume that it would be trade income of C, and
(c)a main purpose of the scheme or arrangement is to produce the result that section 44(2) and (3) will not have effect in relation to the income because it is received by D.
(3)For the purposes of subsection (2)(b) it is to be assumed that, in the case of any relevant transaction to which a relevant person is a party, C were that party to the transaction.
(4)In subsection (3)—
“relevant person” means—
(a)D, or
(b)any other connected person who is a party to the scheme or arrangement mentioned in subsection (2), and
“relevant transaction” means any of the transactions giving rise to the income mentioned in subsection (2)(b).
(5)In subsections (2) to (4) “connected person” means a person with whom D is connected.
(6)Section 1122 of CTA 2010 (meaning of “connected”) applies for the purposes of subsection (5).
(7)In this section “trade income” has the same meaning as in section 44.
46Applying section 44(2): asset in hedging relationship with derivative contractU.K.
(1)If an asset is in a hedging relationship with a derivative contract, section 44(2) applies in relation to the asset as if the income arising from the asset is the income arising from the asset and the contract taken together, subject to subsection (2).
(2)Take account of the income or loss from the derivative contract only so far as reasonably attributable to the hedging relationship.
(3)For the purposes of subsection (1), an asset is in a hedging relationship with a derivative contract if—
(a)the asset is acquired as a hedge of risk in connection with the contract, or
(b)the contract is entered into as a hedge of risk in connection with the asset.
(4)If an asset or a contract is wholly or partly designated as a hedge for the purposes of a person's accounts, that is conclusive for the purposes of subsection (3).
47Applying section 44(2): royalty incomeU.K.
(1)Subsection (2) applies if—
(a)the arrangements are double taxation arrangements, and
(b)royalties, as defined in the arrangements, are paid in respect of an asset in more than one foreign jurisdiction.
(2)For the purposes of section 44(2)—
(a)royalty income arising in more than one foreign jurisdiction in an accounting period in respect of the asset is to be treated as income arising from a single asset, and
(b)credits available for foreign tax in respect of the royalty income are to be aggregated accordingly.
(3)In this section “foreign jurisdiction” means a jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom.
48Applying section 44(2): “portfolio” of transactions, arrangements or assetsU.K.
(1)Subsection (5) applies if each of conditions A to C is met.
(2)Condition A is that transactions, arrangements or assets are treated by a taxpayer as a series or group (“the portfolio”).
(3)Condition B is that credits for foreign tax arise in respect of the portfolio.
(4)Condition C is that—
(a)it is not reasonably practicable to prepare a separate calculation of income for the purposes of section 44(2) in respect of each transaction, arrangement or asset, or
(b)a separate calculation of income in respect of each transaction, arrangement or asset for the purposes of section 44(2) would not, compared with an aggregated calculation, make a material difference to the amount of credit for foreign tax which is allowable.
(5)The income arising from the portfolio, or part of the portfolio, may be aggregated and apportioned for the purposes of section 44(2) in a just and reasonable manner.
49Restricting section 44(3) if company is a bank or connected with a bankU.K.
(1)Section 44(3) is subject to subsection (2) of this section if—
(a)the company is a bank or is connected with a bank, and
(b)the amount of the included funding costs is significantly less than the amount of the notional funding costs.
(2)The amount of the notional funding costs is to be included in the amount to be taken into account under section 44(3), but only so far as it exceeds the amount of the included funding costs.
(3)In this section—
“the company” means the company mentioned in section 44(3)(a),
“included funding costs” means the total of the funding costs that are—
(a)incurred by the company, or any company connected with the company, in respect of capital used to fund the relevant transaction, and
(b)included in the amount to be taken into account under section 44(3) before the application of subsection (2) of this section,
“notional funding costs” means the funding costs that the relevant bank would incur (on the basis of its average funding costs) in respect of the capital that would be needed to wholly fund the relevant transaction if that transaction were funded in that way,
“the relevant bank” means the bank that is the company, or with which the company is connected, and
“the relevant transaction” means the transaction, arrangement or asset from which the income mentioned in section 44(1) arises.
(4)The following provisions apply for the purposes of this section—
section 1120 of CTA 2010 (meaning of “bank”), and
section 1122 of CTA 2010 (meaning of “connected”).
[F549ALimit on credit in cases involving qualifying loan relationships of CFCsU.K.
(1)This section applies if—
(a)a claim is made under Chapter 9 of Part 9A (controlled foreign companies: exemptions for profits from qualifying loan relationships) in relation to an accounting period (“the relevant period”) of a CFC (“the creditor CFC”),
(b)in the relevant period, the creditor CFC has a qualifying loan relationship in relation to which another CFC is the ultimate debtor by virtue of section 371IG(4) or (5), and
(c)a UK resident company (“the relevant UK company”) has loan relationship credits which arise in the relevant period from—
(i)loan B (see section 371IG(3)(b)), or
(ii)loans out of which loan B is wholly or partly funded (directly or indirectly).
(2)So far as any credit allowed under section 18(2) to the relevant UK company is referable to loan relationship credits falling within subsection (1)(c) which arise in an accounting period of the relevant UK company, the credit must not exceed—
where—
R has the same meaning as in section 42(2), and
S is—
the relevant UK company's share of the relevant profit amount (see subsection (4)), or
if only X% of the total amount of the loan relationship credits falling within subsection (1)(c) arises in the accounting period, X% of the relevant UK company's share of the relevant profit amount.
(If the amount given by the formula above is nil, no credit is allowed.)
(3)The limit on credit contained in subsection (2) is in addition to the limit given by section 42(2).
(4)Take the following steps to determine the relevant profit amount and the relevant UK company's share of that amount.
Step 1 Determine the total amount of the loan relationship credits which arise in the relevant period from loan B to the person who made loan B.
Step 2 Deduct from the amount determined at step 1 above the credits from the creditor CFC's qualifying loan relationship determined at step 1 in section 371IF for the relevant period. The result is the relevant profit amount.
Step 3 On a just and reasonable basis, apportion the relevant profit amount amongst all the persons falling within subsection (5) (although the amount apportioned to a person may be nil). The relevant UK company's share of the relevant profit amount is the amount apportioned to it (and is nil if no amount is apportioned to it).
(5)The following persons (apart from the creditor CFC) fall within this subsection—
(a)the person who made loan B, and
(b)any person who has made or received a loan out of which loan B is wholly or partly funded (directly or indirectly).
(6)In this section—
(a)references to loan B do not include any part of loan B—
(i)which loan A (see section 371IG(3)(a)) is not made and used to fund, or
(ii)in relation to which the requirement of section 371IG(3)(c) is not met,
(b)“loan relationship credit” means, in relation to a person, a credit which the person has under Part 5 of CTA 2009 or would have were the person a UK resident company within the charge to corporation tax, and
(c)“loan” has the same meaning as it has in Chapter 9 of Part 9A.]
Textual Amendments
F5S. 49A inserted (retrospective to 1.1.2013) by Finance Act 2013 (c. 29), Sch. 47 paras. 13, 21
[F649BApplying section 42(2) to non-trading credits from loan relationships etcU.K.
(1)Subsection (2) applies for the purposes of section 42(2) if—
(a)the company has a non-trading credit relating to an item, and
(b)there is in respect of that item an amount of foreign tax for which, under the arrangements, credit is allowable against United Kingdom tax.
(2)Credit for the foreign tax in respect of that item must not exceed—
where—
R has the same meaning as in section 42(2),
NTC is the amount of the non-trading credit, and
D is the amount given by subsection (3).
(3)D in the formula in subsection (2) is calculated as follows—
Step 1 Calculate the total amount (“TNTD”) of the non-trading debits which are to be brought into account by the company—
(a)in the same accounting period, and
(b)in respect of the same loan relationship, derivative contract or intangible fixed asset,
as the non-trading credit.
Step 2 Calculate the total (“A”) of the amounts which, as amount D, have already been deducted under subsection (2) from other non-trading credits which are to be brought into account in the same period and in respect of the same relationship, contract or asset.
Step 3 Calculate the amount given by—
Step 4 If the amount calculated at step 3 is greater than or equal to NTC, then D equals NTC. Otherwise, D is the amount calculated at step 3.
(4)In this section—
“intangible fixed asset” has the same meaning as in Part 8 of CTA 2009,
“non-trading credit” means—
(a)a non-trading credit for the purposes of Part 5 of CTA 2009 (which is about loan relationships but also has application in relation to deemed loan relationships and derivative contracts), or
(b)a non-trading credit for the purposes of Part 8 of CTA 2009 (intangible fixed assets), and
“non-trading debit” means—
(a)a non-trading debit for the purposes of Part 5 of CTA 2009, or
(b)a non-trading debit for the purposes of Part 8 of CTA 2009.]
Textual Amendments
F6S. 49B inserted (with effect in accordance with s. 292(9)(10) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2014 (c. 26), s. 292(7)