Finance Act 2001

Set-off of or against other taxes and duties

10 (1) The Commissioners may by regulations make provision in relation to any case where—

(a) a person is under a duty to pay to the Commissioners at any time an amount or amounts in respect of any tax (or taxes) under their care and management other than aggregates levy; and

(b) the Commissioners are under a duty, at the same time, to make any repayment of aggregates levy to that person or to make any other payment to him of any amount or amounts in respect of aggregates levy.

(2) Regulations under this paragraph may provide that if the total of the amount or amounts mentioned in sub-paragraph (1)(a) above exceeds the total of the amount or amounts mentioned in sub-paragraph (1)(b) above, the latter shall be set off against the former.

(3) Regulations under this paragraph may provide that if the total of the amount or amounts mentioned in sub-paragraph (1)(b) above exceeds the total of the amount or amounts mentioned in sub-paragraph (1)(a) above, the Commissioners may set off the latter in paying the former.

(4) Regulations under this paragraph may provide that if the total of the amount or amounts mentioned in sub-paragraph (1)(a) above is the same as the total of the amount or amounts mentioned in sub-paragraph (1)(b) above no payment need be made in respect of the former or the latter.

(5) Regulations under this paragraph may provide for any limitation on the time within which the Commissioners are entitled to take steps for recovering any amount due to them in respect of any of the taxes under their care and management to be disregarded, in such cases as may be described in the regulations, in determining whether any person is under such a duty to pay as is mentioned in sub-paragraph (1)(a) above.

(6) Regulations under this paragraph may include provision treating any duty to pay mentioned in sub-paragraph (1) above as discharged accordingly.

(7) References in sub-paragraph (1) above to an amount in respect of a particular tax include references not only to an amount of tax itself but also to other amounts such as interest and penalties that are or may be recovered as if they were amounts of tax.

(8) In this paragraph “tax” includes levy or duty.