Capital Allowances Act 1990

160 Meaning of “basis period”

(1) Except as otherwise expressly provided, in this Act as it applies for income tax purposes, “basis period” has the meaning given by the following provisions of this section.

(2) In the case of a person to or on whom an allowance or charge falls to be made in taxing his trade, his basis period for any year of assessment is the period on the profits or gains of which income tax for that year falls to be finally computed under Case I of Schedule D in respect of the trade in question or, where, by virtue of any provision of section 60 of the principal Act, the profits or gains of any other period are to be taken to be the profits or gains of that period, that other period.

(3) For the purposes of subsection (2) above, in the case of any trade—

(a) where two basis periods overlap, the period common to both shall be deemed to fall in the first basis period only;

(b) where there is an interval between the end of the basis period for one year of assessment and the basis period for the next year of assessment, then, unless the second-mentioned year of assessment is the year of the permanent discontinuance of the trade, the interval shall be deemed to be part of the second basis period; and

(c) where there is an interval between the end of the basis period for the year of assessment preceding that in which the trade is permanently discontinued and the basis period for the year in which it is permanently discontinued, the interval shall be deemed to form part of the first basis period.

(4) Where an allowance falls to be made under Part II to a person carrying on a profession or vocation, subsections (2) and (3) above shall apply as if the references to a trade included references to a profession or vocation and as if the reference to Case I of Schedule D included a reference to Case II of Schedule D.

(5) In the case of any other person to or on whom an allowance or charge falls to be made under Parts I to VI or this Part, his basis period for any year of assessment is the year of assessment itself.

(6) Any reference in this section to the overlapping of two periods shall be construed as including a reference to the coincidence of two periods or to the inclusion of one period in another, and references to the period common to both of two periods shall be construed accordingly.