(1)The [1983 c. 55] Value Added Tax Act 1983 shall be amended as follows.
(2)For paragraph 1(1) to (3) of Schedule 1 (registration) there shall be substituted—
“(1)Subject to sub-paragraphs (3) to (5) below, a person who makes taxable supplies but is not registered becomes liable to be registered—
(a)at the end of any month, if the value of his taxable supplies in the period of one year then ending has exceeded £25,400; or
(b)at any time, if there are reasonable grounds for believing that the value of his taxable supplies in the period of thirty days then beginning will exceed £25,400.
(2)Where a business carried on by a taxable person is transferred to another person as a going concern and the transferee is not registered at the time of the transfer, then, subject to sub-paragraphs (3) to (5) below, the transferee becomes liable to be registered at that time if—
(a)the value of his taxable supplies in the period of one year ending at the time of the transfer has exceeded £25,400; or
(b)there are reasonable grounds for believing that the value of his taxable supplies in the period of thirty days beginning at the time of the transfer will exceed £25,400.
(3)A person does not become liable to be registered by virtue of sub-paragraph (1)(a) or (2)(a) above if the Commissioners are satisfied that the value of his taxable supplies in the period of one year beginning at the time at which, apart from this sub-paragraph, he would become liable to be registered will not exceed £24,400.”
(3)In paragraph 1(4) of Schedule 1 after “(1)(a)” there shall be inserted “or (2)(a)”.
(4)In paragraph 1(5) of Schedule 1 after “sub-paragraph (1)” there shall be inserted “or (2)”.
(5)In paragraph 1(6) of Schedule 1 after “sub-paragraph (1)” there shall be inserted “or (2)”.
(6)For paragraphs 3 and 4 of Schedule 1 there shall be substituted—
“3(1)A person who becomes liable to be registered by virtue of paragraph 1(1)(a) above shall notify the Commissioners of the liability within thirty days of the end of the relevant month.
(2)The Commissioners shall register any such person (whether or not he so notifies them) with effect from the end of the month following the relevant month or from such earlier date as may be agreed between them and him.
(3)In this paragraph “the relevant month”, in relation to a person who becomes liable to be registered, means the month at the end of which he becomes liable to be registered.
4(1)A person who becomes liable to be registered by virtue of paragraph 1(1)(b) above shall notify the Commissioners of the liability before the end of the period by reference to which the liability arises.
(2)The Commissioners shall register any such person (whether or not he so notifies them) with effect from the beginning of the period by reference to which the liability arises.
4A(1) A person who becomes liable to be registered by virtue of paragraph 1(2) above shall notify the Commissioners of the liability within thirty days of the time when the business is transferred.
(2)The Commissioners shall register any such person (whether or not he so notifies them) with effect from the time when the business is transferred.
4B. Where a person becomes liable to be registered by virtue of paragraph 1(1)(a) above and by virtue of paragraph 1(1)(b) or 1(2) above at the same time, the Commissioners shall register him in accordance with paragraph 4(2) or 4A(2) above, as the case may be, rather than paragraph 3(2) above.”
(7)Section 33(1A) (registration of transferee of business) shall cease to have effect.
(8)In consequence of the amendment of paragraph 1 of Schedule 1, in section 28(1) (registration of local authorities) for “1(a)(ii)” there shall be substituted “1(1)(a)”.
(9)Subsections (2) to (5) and (8) above shall be deemed to have come into force on 21st March 1990.
(10)Subsections (6) and (7) above apply in relation to persons who become liable to be registered after 20th March 1990.