Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988

CHAPTER V PURCHASED LIFE ANNUITIES

656 Purchased life annuities other than retirement annuities

(1) Subject to section 657, a purchased life annuity shall, for the purposes of the provisions of the Tax Acts relating to tax on annuities and other annual payments, be treated as containing a capital element and, to the extent of the capital element, as not being an annual payment or in the nature of an annual payment; but the capital element in such an annuity shall be taken into account in computing profits or gains or losses for other purposes of the Tax Acts in any circumstances in which a lump sum payment would be taken into account.

(2) Where, in the case of any purchased life annuity to which this section applies, the amount of any annuity payment (but not the term of the annuity) depends on any contingency other than the duration of a human life or lives—

(a) the capital element shall be determined by reference—

(i) to the amount or value of the payments made or other consideration given for the grant of the annuity (“the purchase price”); and

(ii) to the expected term of the annuity, as at the date when the first annuity payment began to accrue, expressed in years (and any odd fraction of a year), and determined by reference to the prescribed tables of mortality;

and in head (ii) above “term” means the period from the date when the first annuity payment begins to accrue to the date when the last payment becomes payable;

(b) the capital element in any annuity payment made in respect of a period of 12 months shall be a fraction—

of the purchase price, where E is the expected term referred to in paragraph (a)(ii) above;

(c) the capital element in any annuity payment made in respect of a period of less than, or more than, 12 months shall be the amount at (b) above reduced or, as the case may be, increased, in the same proportion as the length of that period bears to a period of 12 months;

(d) subsection (3) below shall not apply but paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (4) below shall apply as they apply to that subsection.

(3) Subject to subsection (2) above, in the case of any purchased life annuity to which this section applies—

(a) the capital element shall be determined by reference to the amount or value of the payments made or other consideration given for the grant of the annuity; and

(b) the proportion which the capital element in any annuity payment bears to the total amount of that payment shall be constant for all payments on account of the annuity; and

(c) where neither the term of the annuity nor the amount of any annuity payment depends on any contingency other than the duration of a human life or lives, that proportion shall be the same proportion which the total amount or value of the consideration for the grant of the annuity bears to the actuarial value of the annuity payments as determined in accordance with subsection (4) below; and

(d) where either the term of the annuity or the amount of any annuity payment (but not both) depends on any contingency other than the duration of a human life or lives, that proportion shall be such as may be just, having regard to paragraph (c) above and to the contingencies affecting the annuity; and

(e) where both the term of the annuity and the amount of any annuity payment depend on any contingency other than the duration of a human life or lives, that proportion shall be such as may be just, having regard to subsection (2) above and to the contingencies affecting the annuity.

(4) For the purposes of subsection (3) above—

(a) any entire consideration given for the grant of an annuity and for some other matter shall be apportioned as appears just (but so that a right to a return of premiums or other consideration for an annuity shall not be treated for this purpose as a distinct matter from the annuity);

(b) where it appears that the amount or value of the consideration purporting to be given for the grant of an annuity has affected, or has been affected by, the consideration given for some other matter, the aggregate amount or value of those considerations shall be treated as one entire consideration given for both and shall be apportioned under paragraph (a) above accordingly; and

(c) the actuarial value of any annuity payments shall be taken to be their value as at the date when the first of those payments begins to accrue, that value being determined by reference to the prescribed tables of mortality and without discounting any payment for the time to elapse between that date and the date it is to be made.

(5) Where a person making a payment on account of any life annuity has been notified in the prescribed manner of any decision as to its being or not being a purchased life annuity to which this section applies or as to the amount of the capital element (if any), and has not been notified of any alteration of that decision, the notice shall be conclusive as to those matters for the purpose of determining the amount of income tax which he is entitled or required to deduct from the payment, or for which he is chargeable in respect of it.

(6) Where a person making a payment on account of a purchased life annuity to which this section applies has not been notified in the prescribed manner of the amount of the capital element, the amount of income tax which he is entitled or required to deduct from the payment, or for which he is chargeable in respect of it, shall be the same as if the annuity were not a purchased life annuity to which this section applies.

657 Purchased life annuities to which section 656 applies

(1) For the purposes of section 656—

• “life annuity” means an annuity payable for a term ending with (or at a time ascertainable only by reference to) the end of a human life, whether or not there is provision for the annuity to end during the life on the expiration of a fixed term or on the happening of any event or otherwise, or to continue after the end of the life in particular circumstances; and

• “purchased life annuity” means a life annuity granted for consideration in money or money’s worth in the ordinary course of a business of granting annuities on human life.

(2) Section 656 does not apply—

(a) to any annuity which would, apart from that section, be treated for the purposes of the provisions of the Tax Acts relating to tax on annuities and other annual payments as consisting to any extent in the payment or repayment of a capital sum;

(b) to any annuity where the whole or part of the consideration for the grant of the annuity consisted of sums satisfying the conditions for relief under section 266, 273 or 619 or to any annuity payable under a substituted contract within the meaning of section 622(3);

(c) to any annuity purchased in pursuance of any direction in a will, or to provide for an annuity payable by virtue of a will or settlement out of income of property disposed of by the will or settlement (whether with or without resort to capital);

(d) to any annuity purchased under or for the purposes of any sponsored superannuation scheme (as defined in section 624) or any scheme approved under section 620 or in pursuance of any obligation imposed, or offer or invitation made, under or in connection with any such scheme or to any other annuity purchased by any person in recognition of another’s services (or past services) in any office or employment; or

(e) to any annuity payable under approved personal pension arrangements within the meaning of Chapter IV of this Part.

658 Supplementary

(1) Any question whether an annuity is a purchased life annuity to which section 656 applies, or what is the capital element in such an annuity, shall be determined by the inspector; but a person aggrieved by the inspector’s decision on any such question may appeal within the prescribed time to the Special Commissioners.

(2) Save as otherwise provided in this Chapter, the procedure to be adopted in giving effect to this Chapter shall be such as may be prescribed.

(3) The Board may make regulations for prescribing anything which is to be prescribed under this Chapter, and the regulations may apply for the purposes of this Chapter or of the regulations any provision of the Income Tax Acts, with or without modifications.

(4) Regulations under subsection (3) above may in particular make provision as to the time limit for making any claim for relief from or repayment of tax under this Chapter and as to all or any of the following matters, that is to say—

(a) as to the information to be furnished in connection with the determination of any question whether an annuity is a purchased life annuity to which section 656 applies or what is the capital element in an annuity, and as to the persons who may be required to furnish any such information;

(b) as to the manner of giving effect to the decision on any such question, and (notwithstanding anything in section 348) as to the making of assessments for the purpose on the person entitled to the annuity; and

(c) as to the extent to which the decision on any such question is to be binding, and the circumstances in which it may be reviewed.

(5) If any person, for the purpose of obtaining for himself or for any other person any relief from or repayment of tax under this Chapter, knowingly makes any false statement or false representation, he shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding £500.