Finance Act 1944

31 Supplementary provisions.

(1) In this Part of this Act, the following expressions have the meanings hereby respectively assigned to them, that is to say—

• " the appointed day " means such day as Parliament may hereafter determine ;

• " scientific research " means any activities in the fields of natural or applied science for the extension of knowledge ;

• " scientific research expenditure " means expenditure incurred on scientific research ;

  references to expenditure incurred on scientific research do not include any expenditure incurred in the acquisition of rights in, or arising out of, scientific research, but, save as aforesaid, include all expenditure incurred for the prosecution of, or the provision of facilities for the prosecution of, scientific research ;

  references to scientific research related to a trade or a class of trades include—

  (a)

  any scientific research which may lead to or facilitate an extension of that trade or, as the case may be, of trades of that class ;

  (b)

  any scientific research of a medical nature which has a special relation to the welfare of workers employed in that trade or, as the case may be, trades of that class ;

• " the appropriate Research Council or Committee " means the Committee of the Privy Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the Medical Research Council established under the Committee of the Privy Council for Medical Research, or the Agricultural Research Council established under the Committee of the Privy Council for Agricultural Research, according as may be appropriate in relation to the activities in question;

• " asset " includes a part of an asset ;

  references to the setting up and commencement of a trade and to the permanent discontinuance of a trade include references to the occurring of any event which, under any of the provisions of the Income Tax Acts, is to be treated as equivalent to the setting up and commencement of a trade or, as the case may be, to the permanent discontinuance thereof.

(2) For the purposes of this Part of this Act, expenditure shall not be regarded as incurred by a person in so far as it is, or is to be, met directly or indirectly by the Crown or by any Government or public or local authority, whether in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, or by any person other than the first-mentioned person.

(3) The same expenditure shall not be taken into account for any of the purposes of this Part of this Act in relation to more than one trade.

(4) If any question arises under this Part of this Act as to whether, and if so to what extent, any activities constitute or constituted, or any asset is or was being used for, scientific research, the Commissioners of Inland Revenue shall refer the question to the appropriate Research Council or Committee for decision, and the decision of the Council or Committee shall be final.