Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988

703 Cancellation of tax advantage

(1) Where—

(a) in any such circumstances as are mentioned in section 704, and

(b) in consequence of a transaction in securities or of the combined effect of two or more such transactions,

a person is in a position to obtain, or has obtained, a tax advantage, then unless he shows that the transaction or transactions were carried out either for bona fide commercial reasons or in the ordinary course of making or managing investments, and that none of them had as their main object, or one of their main objects, to enable tax advantages to be obtained, this section shall apply to him in respect of that transaction or those transactions.

(2) For the purposes of this Chapter a tax advantage obtained or obtainable by a person shall be deemed to be obtained or obtainable by him in consequence of a transaction in securities or of the combined effect of two or more such transactions, if it is obtained or obtainable in consequence of the combined effect of the transaction or transactions and the liquidation of a company.

(3) Where this section applies to a person in respect of any transaction or transactions, the tax advantage obtained or obtainable by him in consequence thereof shall be counteracted by such of the following adjustments, that is to say an assessment, the nullifying of a right to repayment or the requiring of the return of a repayment already made (the amount to be returned being chargeable under Case VI of Schedule D and recoverable accordingly), or the computation or recomputation of profits or gains, or liability to tax, on such basis as the Board may specify by notice served on him as being requisite for counteracting the tax advantage so obtained or obtainable.

(4) Where, by virtue of an assessment under subsection (3) above to counteract a tax advantage obtained in circumstances falling within paragraph D or paragraph E of section 704 and consisting of the avoidance of a charge to income tax, income tax has been paid by any person on an amount specified in the assessment and it appears to the Board that, as a result of that payment, it is just and reasonable in the circumstances that an amount should be treated as having been paid by way of advance corporation tax, the Board shall serve a notice under subsection (5) below on every company which appears to them to be concerned in the transaction or transactions in consequence of which the tax advantage was obtained.

(5) A notice under this subsection—

(a) shall provide that, for the purposes of section 239 (but not for the purposes of entitling any person to a tax credit under section 231), such company or each of such companies as may be specified in the notice is to be treated as having paid, on such date as may be so specified, such amount of advance corporation tax as may be so specified in relation to that company;

(b) shall specify the amount which is equal to income tax at the basic rate on the amount on which income tax has been paid as mentioned in subsection (4) above; and

(c) may contain such supplementary or incidental directions as appear to the Board to be appropriate;

but the total amount of advance corporation tax which, by virtue of paragraph (a) above, a notice under this subsection may treat as having been paid shall not exceed the amount specified in accordance with paragraph (b) above.

(6) If, in a case falling within subsection (4) above, it does not appear to the Board that any amount should be treated as having been paid by way of advance corporation tax, the Board shall serve on every company which appears to them to be concerned in the transaction or transactions in consequence of which the tax advantage was obtained in a notice informing the company of the Board’s decision that no amount is to be treated as having been paid by way of advance corporation tax.

(7) In the case of a man and his wife living with him (whether or not she is separately assessed to tax), this Chapter shall, subject to subsection (8) below, be treated as applying to him in respect of any transaction or transactions as it would apply if any property, rights or liabilities of the wife were his property, rights or liabilities in relation to which she had acted only as nominee for him, and shall be treated as applying to the wife in respect of any transaction or transactions as it would apply if any property, rights or liabilities of the man were her property, rights or liabilities in relation to which he had acted only as nominee for her.

(8) No adjustment made under subsection (3) above by reference to any transaction or transactions to counteract any tax advantage shall by virtue of subsection (7) above be so made that a person bears more tax than if the transaction or transactions had not had as a consequence that any relief or increased relief from, or repayment or increased repayment of, income tax, or any deduction in computing profits or gains, was obtained or obtainable, or that the way in which receipts accrued was such that the recipient did not pay or bear tax on them.

(9) The Board shall not give a notice under subsection (3) above until they have notified the person in question that they have reason to believe that this section may apply to him in respect of a transaction or transactions specified in the notification; and if within 30 days of the issue of the notification that person, being of opinion that this section does not so apply to him, makes a statutory declaration to that effect stating the facts and circumstances upon which his opinion is based, and sends it to the Board, then subject to subsection (10) below, this section shall not apply to him in respect of the transaction or transactions.

(10) If, when a statutory declaration has been sent to the Board under subsection (9) above, they see reason to take further action in the matter—

(a) the Board shall send to the tribunal a certificate to that effect, together with the statutory declaration, and may also send therewith a counter-statement with reference to the matter;

(b) the tribunal shall take into consideration the declaration and the certificate, and the counter-statement, if any, and shall determine whether there is or is not a prima facie case for proceeding in the matter, and if they determine that there is no such case this section shall not apply to the person in question in respect of the transaction or transactions;

but any such determination shall not affect the operation of this section in respect of transactions which include that transaction or some or all of those transactions and also include another transaction or other transactions.

(11) Any notice or notification under subsection (3) or subsection (9) above, or under section 708, concerning the application of this section to a person who has died may be given or issued to his personal representatives, and the provisions of this Chapter relating to the making of a statutory declaration, to rights of appeal and to the giving of information shall be construed accordingly.

(12) This section applies whether the tax advantage in question relates to a chargeable period ending before or after the commencement of this Act, but nothing in this section shall authorise the making of an assessment later than six years after the chargeable period to which the tax advantage relates; and no other provision contained in the Tax Acts shall be construed as limiting the powers conferred by this section.