Finance Act 1994

Miscellaneous provisions about companies

134 Controlled foreign companies

(1) In Schedule 25 to the Taxes Act 1988, Part I (acceptable distribution policy) shall be amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph 2 (acceptable distribution policies for both trading and non-trading companies)—

(a) in sub-paragraph (1)—

(i) for “sub-paragraph (2)” there is substituted “paragraph 2A”,

(ii) in paragraph (a), “or for some other period which, in whole or in part, falls within that accounting period” is omitted,

(iii) in paragraph (b), for “the period for which it is paid” there is substituted “that period”,

(iv) in paragraph (d) for “proportion” there is substituted “amount” and for “represents at least” there is substituted “is not less than”, and

(v) the words following paragraph (d) are omitted,

(b) sub-paragraph (2) is omitted, and

(c) for sub-paragraph (3) there is substituted—

“(3) For the purposes of this paragraph and paragraph 2A below, a dividend which is not paid for the period or periods the profits of which are, in relation to the dividend, the relevant profits for the purposes of section 799 shall be treated (subject to sub-paragraph (3A) below) as so paid.

(3A) For the purposes of this paragraph and paragraph 2A below—

(a) where a dividend is paid for a period which is not an accounting period but falls wholly within an accounting period, it shall be treated as paid for that accounting period, and

(b) where a dividend (“the actual dividend”) is paid for a period which falls within two or more accounting periods—

(i) it shall be treated as if it were a number of separate dividends each of which is paid for so much of the period as falls wholly within an accounting period, and

(ii) the nece contract as regardsssary apportionment of the amount of the actual dividend shall be made to determine the amount of the separate dividends.”

(3) After that paragraph there is inserted—

“2A(1) Paragraph 2 above shall have effect in accordance with this paragraph to determine whether a controlled foreign company which is not a trading company pursues an acceptable distribution policy in respect of a particular accounting period (“the relevant accounting period”).

(2) Subject to sub-paragraph (4) below, where the distribution condition is satisfied in relation to the relevant accounting period, then, in addition to any dividend which falls within paragraph 2(1)(a) above apart from this paragraph—

(a) any dividend which is paid for the accounting period (“the preceding period”) which immediately precedes the relevant accounting period and is not an excluded period shall be treated as falling within that paragraph, and

(b) if the distribution condition is satisfied in relation to the preceding period, any dividend which is paid for the accounting period which immediately precedes the preceding period and is not an excluded period shall be treated as falling within that paragraph,

and so on; and in this sub-paragraph “dividend” means a dividend not paid out of specified profits.

(3) For the purposes of this paragraph, the distribution condition is satisfied in relation to any accounting period if—

(a) a dividend or dividends are paid for the period to persons resident in the United Kingdom,

(b) the amount or, as the case may be, aggregate amount of any dividends falling within paragraph (a) above is not less than—

(i) the relevant profits for that period, or

(ii) where paragraph 2(4) or (5) above applies (with the modifications of paragraph 2 made by sub-paragraph (5) below), the appropriate portion of those profits, and

(c) any dividends falling within that paragraph are paid not later than the time by which any dividend paid for the relevant accounting period is required by paragraph 2(1)(b) above to be paid;

or if there are no relevant profits for the period.

(4) Where, by reason only of the fact that a company pursued an acceptable distribution policy in respect of any accounting period (“the earlier period”) earlier than the relevant accounting period, no direction could be given in respect of the earlier period under section 747(1), sub-paragraph (2) above shall apply to any dividend required to be taken into account for the purpose of showing that the company pursued an acceptable distribution policy in respect of the earlier period only to the extent (if any) to which that dividend was not required to be taken into account for that purpose.

(5) The modifications of paragraph 2 above referred to in sub-paragraph (3)(b) above are that—

(a) the references in sub-paragraphs (4) and (5) to the accounting period in question are to be read as references to the accounting period for which the dividend or dividends are paid,

(b) the references in those sub-paragraphs to sub-paragraph (1)(d) are to be read as references to sub-paragraph (3)(b) above, and

(c) the reference in the definition of “X” in sub-paragraph (6) to available profits is to be read as a reference to relevant profits.

(6) Paragraph 2(1)(d) above shall have effect as if for “50 per cent. of the company’s available profits” there were substituted “90 per cent. of the company’s net chargeable profits”.

(7) In paragraph 2(6) above, the definition of “X” shall have effect as if the reference to available profits were a reference to net chargeable profits.

(8) For the purposes of this paragraph—

(a) a period is an excluded period if it is an accounting period in respect of which a direction is given under section 747(1), and

(b) relevant profits for any accounting period are the profits which would be the relevant profits of that period for the purposes of section 799 if a dividend were actually paid for that period.”

(4) In paragraph 3 of that Schedule (available profits)—

(a) after sub-paragraph (4) there is inserted—

“(4A) Subject to sub-paragraph (5) below, for the purposes of this Part of this Schedule, the net chargeable profits of a controlled foreign company for any accounting period are—

(a) its chargeable profits for that period, less

(b) the amount (if any) which, if a direction were given under section 747(1) in respect of the period, would be the company’s unrestricted creditable tax for that period;

and for the purposes of this sub-paragraph “unrestricted creditable tax” in relation to a company’s accounting period means the amount which would be its creditable tax for that period if the reference in section 751(6)(a) to Part XVIII did not include section 797”, and

(b) in sub-paragraph (5), after “available profits” there is inserted “or, where the company is not a trading company, the chargeable profits”.

(5) This section shall apply to determine whether a controlled foreign company pursues an acceptable distribution policy in respect of accounting periods ending on or after 30th November 1993.

135 Prevention of avoidance of corporation tax

(1) In the Taxes Act 1988, immediately before section 768 there shall be inserted—

“767A Change in company ownership: corporation tax

(1) Where it appears to the Board that—

(a) there has been a change in the ownership of a company (“the tax-payer company”),

(b) any corporation tax assessed on the tax-payer company for an accounting period beginning before the change remains unpaid at any time after the relevant date, and

(c) any of the three conditions mentioned below is fulfilled,

any person mentioned in subsection (2) below may be assessed by the Board and charged (in the name of the tax-payer company) to an amount of corporation tax in accordance with this section.

(2) The persons are—

(a) any person who at any time during the relevant period before the change in the ownership of the tax-payer company had control of it;

(b) any company of which the person mentioned in paragraph (a) above has at any time had control within the period of three years before that change.

(3) In subsection (2) above, “the relevant period” means—

(a) the period of three years before the change in the ownership of the tax-payer company; or

(b) if during the period of three years before that change (“the later change”) there was a change in the ownership of the tax-payer company (“the earlier change”), the period elapsing between the earlier change and the later change.

(4) The first condition is that—

(a) at any time during the period of three years before the change in the ownership of the tax-payer company the activities of a trade or business of that company cease or the scale of those activities become small or negligible; and

(b) there is no significant revival of those activities before that change occurs.

(5) The second condition is that at any time after the change in the ownership of the tax-payer company, but under arrangements made before that change, the activities of a trade or business of that company cease or the scale of those activities become small or negligible.

(6) The third condition is that—

(a) at any time during the period of six years beginning three years before the change in the ownership of the tax-payer company there is a major change in the nature or conduct of a trade or business of that company;

(b) there is a transfer or there are transfers of assets of the tax-payer company to a person mentioned in subsection (7) below or to any person under arrangements which enable any of those assets or any assets representing those assets to be transferred to a person mentioned in subsection (7) below;

(c) that transfer occurs or those transfers occur during the period of three years before the change in the ownership of the tax-payer company or after that change but under arrangements made before that change; and

(d) the major change mentioned in paragraph (a) above is attributable to that transfer or those transfers.

(7) The persons are—

(a) any person mentioned in subsection (2)(a) above; and

(b) any person connected with him.

(8) The amount of tax charged in an assessment made under this section must not exceed the amount of the tax which, at the time of that assessment, remains unpaid by the tax-payer company.

(9) For the purposes of this section the relevant date is the date six months from the date on which the corporation tax is assessed as mentioned in subsection (1)(b) above.

(10) Any assessment made under this section shall not be out of time if made within three years from the date on which the liability of the tax-payer company to corporation tax for the accounting period mentioned in subsection (1)(b) above is finally determined.

767B Change of company ownership: supplementary

(1) In relation to corporation tax assessed under section 767A—

(a) section 86 of the Management Act (interest on overdue tax), in so far as it has effect in relation to accounting periods ending on or before 30th September 1993, and

(b) section 87A of that Act (corresponding provision for corporation tax due for accounting periods ending after that date),

shall have effect as if the references in section 86 to the reckonable date and in section 87A to the date when the tax becomes due and payable were, respectively, references to the date which is the reckonable date in relation to the tax-payer company and the date when the tax became due and payable by the tax-payer company.

(2) A payment in pursuance of an assessment under section 767A shall not be allowed as a deduction in computing any income, profits or losses for any tax purposes; but any person making such a payment shall be entitled to recover an amount equal to the payment from the tax-payer company.

(3) In subsection (2) above the reference to a payment in pursuance of an assessment includes a reference to a payment of interest under section 86 or 87A of the Management Act (as they have effect by virtue of subsection (1) above).

(4) For the purposes of section 767A, “control”, in relation to a company, shall be construed in accordance with section 416 as modified by subsections (5) and (6) below.

(5) In subsection (2)(a) for “the greater part of” there shall be substituted “50 per cent. of”.

(6) For subsection (3) there shall be substituted—

“(3) Where two or more persons together satisfy any of the conditions in subsection (2) above and do so by reason of having acted together to put themselves in a position where they will in fact satisfy the condition in question, each of those persons shall be treated as having control of the company.”

(7) In section 767A(6) “a major change in the nature or conduct of a trade or business” includes any change mentioned in any of paragraphs (a) to (d) of section 245(4); and also includes a change falling within any of those paragraphs which is achieved gradually as the result of a series of transfers.

(8) In section 767A(6) “transfer”, in relation to an asset, includes any disposal, letting or hiring of it, and any grant or transfer of any right, interest or licence in or over it, or the giving of any business facilities with respect to it.

(9) Section 839 shall apply for the purposes of section 767A(7).

(10) Subsection (9) of section 768 shall apply for the purposes of section 767A as it applies for the purposes of section 768.”

(2) Section 769 (rules for ascertaining change of ownership of company) shall be amended as follows.

(3) In subsections (1), (2) and (5) for the words “sections 768”, in each place where they occur, there shall be substituted “sections 767A, 768”.

(4) After subsection (2) there shall be inserted—

“(2A) Where—

(a) persons, whether company members or not, possess extraordinary rights or powers under the articles of association or under any other document regulating the company, and

(b) because of that fact ownership of the ordinary share capital may not be an appropriate test of whether there has been a change in the ownership of the company,

then, in considering whether there has been a change in the ownership of the company for the purposes of section 767A, holdings of all kinds of share capital, including preference shares, or of any particular category of share capital, or voting power or any other kind of special power may be taken into account instead of ordinary share capital.”

(5) After subsection (8) there shall be inserted—

“(9) Subsection (8) above shall not apply in relation to section 767A.”

(6) The amendments made by this section shall have effect in relation to any change in ownership occurring on or after 30th November 1993 other than a change occurring in pursuance of a contract entered into before that day.

136 Parts of trades: computations in different currencies

(1) The following section shall be inserted after section 94 of the [1993 c. 34.] Finance Act 1993 (computations in different currencies for different parts of trades)—

“94A Parts of trades: petroleum extraction companies

(1) If a trade carried on by a petroleum extraction company is a ring fence trade—

(a) subsection (1) of section 94 above shall not apply as regards the trade, but

(b) regulations may make provision under that section as regards a case where in an accounting period the company carries on the trade and the condition mentioned in subsection (2) below is fulfilled.

(2) The condition is that—

(a) part of the trade consists of activities which relate to oil and are carried on under the authority of a petroleum licence in the United Kingdom or a designated area, and

(b) part of the trade consists of activities which relate to gas and are carried on under the authority of a petroleum licence in the United Kingdom or a designated area.

(3) For the purposes of this section—

(a) a petroleum licence is a licence granted under the [1934 c. 36.] Petroleum (Production) Act 1934 or the [1964 c. 28(N.I.).] Petroleum (Production) Act (Northern Ireland) 1964;

(b) a petroleum extraction company is a company which carries on activities under the authority of such a licence;

(c) a designated area is an area designated by Order in Council under section 1(7) of the [1964 c. 29.] Continental Shelf Act 1964.

(4) For the purposes of this section “ring fence trade” means activities which—

(a) fall within any of paragraphs (a) to (c) of subsection (1) of section 492 of the Taxes Act 1988 (oil extraction etc.), and

(b) constitute a separate trade (whether by virtue of that subsection or otherwise).

(5) For the purposes of this section—

(a) “oil” means such substance as falls within the meaning of oil contained in section 502(1) of the Taxes Act 1988 and is not gas;

(b) “gas” means such substance as falls within the meaning of oil contained in section 502(1) of the Taxes Act 1988 and is gas of which the largest component by volume, measured at a temperature of 15 degrees centigrade and a pressure of one atmosphere, is methane or ethane or a combination of those gases.”

(2) In section 95(6) of the [1993 c. 34.] Finance Act 1993 (commencement of provisions about currency to be used for computations) for “94” there shall be substituted “94A”.