Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1970

131 Income tax: deduction of interest paid to non-residents

(1) In computing the profits or gains arising from a trade, profession or vocation, no sum shall be deducted in respect of any annual interest paid to a person not resident in the United Kingdom unless—

(a) the person making the payment has deducted income tax from the payment in accordance with section 54 of this Act, and accounts for the tax so deducted, or

(b) the conditions set out in subsection (2) below are satisfied.

(2) The conditions referred to in subsection (1)(b) above are as follows—

(a) that the trade, profession or vocation is carried on by a person residing in the United Kingdom, and

(b) that the liability to pay the interest was incurred exclusively for the purposes of the trade, profession or vocation, and

(c) that either—

(i) the liability to pay the interest was incurred wholly or mainly for the purposes of activities of the trade, profession or vocation carried on outside the United Kingdom, or

(ii) the interest is payable in the currency of a territory outside the scheduled territories, and

(d) that, under the terms of the contract under which the interest is payable, the interest is to be paid, or may be required to be paid, outside the United Kingdom, and

(e) that the interest is in fact paid outside the United Kingdom.

(3) Where the trade, profession or vocation is carried on by a partnership, subsection (1)(b) above shall not apply to any interest which is payable to any of the partners, or is payable in respect of the share of any partner in the partnership capital.

(4) Subsection (1)(b) above shall not apply where—

(a) the trade, profession or vocation is carried on by a body of persons over whom the person entitled to the interest has control, or

(b) the person entitled to the interest is a body of persons over whom the person carrying on the trade, profession or vocation has control, or

(c) the person carrying on the trade, profession or vocation, and the person entitled to the interest are both bodies of persons, and some other person has control over both of them.

In this subsection, the references to a body of persons include references to a partnership, and " control" has the meaning given by section 534 of this Act.

(5) If interest paid under deduction of tax in accordance with section 54 of this Act is deductible in computing the profits or gains of a trade, profession or vocation, the amount so deductible shall be the gross amount.

(6) In subsection (2)(c)(ii) above " the scheduled territories " means the territories specified in Schedule 1 to the [1947 c. 14.] Exchange Control Act 1947 as for the time being in force.

(7) This section does not apply for the purposes of corporation tax.