Finance Act 2004

De-registration

157 De-registration

(1) The Inland Revenue may withdraw the registration of a pension scheme.

(2) If the Inland Revenue withdraws the registration of a pension scheme the Inland Revenue must notify the scheme administrator.

(3) If there is no-one who is the scheme administrator, the Inland Revenue must instead notify any person or persons—

(a) who has or have responsibility for the discharge of any obligation relating to the pension scheme under section 271(4) (continuation of liability where no scheme administrator), section 272 (trustees etc.) or section 273 (members), and

(b) whom it is reasonably practicable for the Inland Revenue to identify.

(4) The notification must state the date on and after which the pension scheme will not be a registered pension scheme.

158 Grounds for de-registration

(1) The registration of a pension scheme may be withdrawn under section 157 only if it appears to the Inland Revenue—

(a) that the amount of the scheme chargeable payments (see section 241) made by the pension scheme during any period of 12 months exceeds the de-registration threshold,

(b) that the scheme administrator fails to pay a substantial amount of tax (or interest on tax) due from the scheme administrator by virtue of this Part,

(c) that the scheme administrator fails to provide information required to be provided to the Inland Revenue by virtue of this Part and the failure is significant,

(d) that any information contained in the application to register the pension scheme or otherwise provided to the Inland Revenue is incorrect in a material particular,

(e) that any declaration accompanying that application or the provision of other information to the Inland Revenue is false in a material particular, or

(f) that there is no scheme administrator.

(2) The amount of the scheme chargeable payments made by a pension scheme during any period of 12 months exceeds the de-registration threshold if the scheme chargeable payments percentage is 25% or more.

(3) The scheme chargeable payments percentage is—

(a) if only one scheme chargeable payment is made during the period of 12 months, the percentage of the pension fund used up on the occasion of that scheme chargeable payment, and

(b) if two or more scheme chargeable payments are made during the period of 12 months, the aggregate of the percentages of the pension fund used up on the occasion of each of those scheme chargeable payments.

(4) The percentage of the pension fund used up on the occasion of a scheme chargeable payment is—

where—

• SCP is the amount of the scheme chargeable payment, and

• AA is an amount equal to the aggregate of the amount of the sums and the market value of the assets held for the purposes of the pension scheme at the time when the scheme chargeable payment is made.

(5) A failure by a scheme administrator to provide information required to be provided to the Inland Revenue by or under this Part is significant if—

(a) the amount of information which the scheme administrator fails to provide is substantial, or

(b) the failure to provide the information is likely to result in serious prejudice to the assessment or collection of tax.

159 Appeal against decision to de-register

(1) This section applies where the Inland Revenue decides to withdraw the registration of a pension scheme under section 157.

(2) The scheme administrator, or any person notified under that section of the withdrawal of registration, may appeal against the decision.

(3) The appeal is to the General Commissioners, except that the appellant may elect (in accordance with section 46(1) of TMA 1970) to bring the appeal before the Special Commissioners instead of the General Commissioners.

(4) Paragraphs 1, 2, 8 and 9 of Schedule 3 to TMA 1970 (rules for assigning proceedings to General Commissioners) have effect to identify the General Commissioners before whom an appeal under this section is to be brought, but subject to modifications specified in an order made by the Board of Inland Revenue.

(5) An appeal under this section against a decision must be brought within the period of 30 days beginning with the day on which the appellant was notified of the decision.

(6) The Commissioners before whom an appeal under this section is brought must consider whether the registration of the pension scheme ought to have been withdrawn.

(7) If they decide that the registration of the pension scheme ought to have been withdrawn, they must dismiss the appeal.

(8) If they decide that the registration of the pension scheme ought not to have been withdrawn, the pension scheme is to be treated as having remained a registered pension scheme (but subject to any further appeal or any determination on, or in consequence of, a case stated).