(1)This section applies where—
(a)a chargeable gain has accrued to a company not resident in the United Kingdom (the taxpayer company) on the disposal of an asset on or after 14th March 1989,
(b)the gain forms part of its chargeable profits for corporation tax purposes by virtue of section 11(2)(b) of the Taxes Act 1988, and
(c)any of the corporation tax assessed on the company for the accounting period in which the gain accrued is not paid within six months from the time when it becomes payable.
(2)The Board may, at any time before the end of the period of three years beginning with the time when the amount of corporation tax for the accounting period in which the chargeable gain accrued is finally determined, serve on any person to whom subsection (4) below applies a notice—
(a)stating the amount which remains unpaid of the corporation tax assessed on the taxpayer company for the accounting period in which the gain accrued and the date when the tax became payable, and
(b)requiring that person to pay the relevant amount within thirty days of the service of the notice.
(3)For the purposes of subsection (2) above the relevant amount is the lesser of—
(a)the amount which remains unpaid of the corporation tax assessed on the taxpayer company for the accounting period in which the gain accrued, and
(b)an amount equal to corporation tax on the amount of the chargeable gain at the rate in force when the gain accrued.
(4)This subsection applies to the following persons—
(a)any company which is, or within the relevant period was, a member of the same group as the taxpayer company, and
(b)any person who is, or within the relevant period was, a controlling director of the taxpayer company or of a company which has, or within that period had, control over the taxpayer company.
(5)Any amount which a person is required to pay by a notice under this section may be recovered from him as if it were tax due and duly demanded of him; and he may recover any such amount paid by him from the taxpayer company.
(6)A payment in pursuance of a notice under this section shall not be allowed as a deduction in computing any income, profits or losses for any tax purposes.
(7)In this section—
“director”, in relation to a company, has the meaning given by subsection (6) of section 168 of the Taxes Act 1988 (read with subsection (9) of that section) and includes any person falling within subsection (5) of section 417 of that Act (read with subsection (6) of that section);
“controlling director”, in relation to a company, means a director of the company who has control of it (construing control in accordance with section 416 of the Taxes Act 1988);
“group” has the meaning which would be given by section 272 of the Taxes Act 1970 if in that section references to residence in the United Kingdom were omitted and for references to 75 per cent. subsidiaries there were substituted references to 51 per cent. subsidiaries.
(8)In this section “the relevant period” means—
(a)where the time when the chargeable gain accrues is less than twelve months after 14th March 1989, the period beginning with that date and ending with that time;
(b)in any other case, the period of twelve months ending with that time.