Finance Act 2001

Non-resident taxpayers

33 Appointment of tax representatives

(1) The Commissioners may by regulations make provision for securing that every non-resident taxpayer has a person resident in the United Kingdom to act as his tax representative for the purposes of aggregates levy.

(2) Regulations under this section may, in particular, contain any or all of the following—

(a) provision requiring notification to be given to the Commissioners where a person becomes a non-resident taxpayer;

(b) provision requiring the appointment of tax representatives by non-resident taxpayers;

(c) provision for the appointment of a person as a tax representative to take effect only where the person appointed is approved by the Commissioners;

(d) provision authorising the Commissioners to give a direction requiring the replacement of a tax representative;

(e) provision authorising the Commissioners to give a direction requiring a person specified in the direction to be treated as the appointed tax representative of a non-resident taxpayer so specified;

(f) provision about the circumstances in which a person ceases to be a tax representative and about the withdrawal by the Commissioners of their approval of a tax representative;

(g) provision enabling a tax representative to act on behalf of the person for whom he is the tax representative through an agent of the representative;

(h) provision for the purposes of any provision made by virtue of paragraphs (a) to (g) above regulating the procedure to be followed in any case and imposing requirements as to the information and other particulars to be provided to the Commissioners;

(i) provision as to the time at which things done under or for the purposes of the regulations are to take effect.

(3) Subject to subsection (4) below, a person who—

(a) becomes subject, in accordance with any regulations under this section, to an obligation to request the Commissioners' approval for any person’s appointment as his tax representative, but

(b) fails (with or without making the appointment) to make the request as required by the regulations,

shall be liable to a penalty of £10,000.

(4) A failure such as is mentioned in subsection (3) above shall not give rise to liability to a penalty under this section if the person concerned satisfies the Commissioners or, on appeal, an appeal tribunal that there is a reasonable excuse for the failure.

34 Effect of appointment of tax representatives

(1) The tax representative of a non-resident taxpayer shall be entitled to act on the non-resident taxpayer’s behalf for the purposes of any provision made by or under this Part.

(2) The tax representative of a non-resident taxpayer shall be under a duty, except to such extent as the Commissioners by regulations otherwise provide, to secure the non-resident taxpayer’s compliance with, and discharge of, the obligations and liabilities to which the non-resident taxpayer is subject by virtue of any provision made by or under this Part (including obligations and liabilities arising or incurred before he became the non-resident taxpayer’s tax representative).

(3) A person who is or has been the tax representative of a non-resident taxpayer shall be personally liable—

(a) in respect of any failure while he is or was the non-resident taxpayer’s tax representative to secure compliance with, or the discharge of, any obligation or liability to which subsection (2) above applies, and

(b) in respect of anything done in the course of, or for purposes connected with, acting on the non-resident taxpayer’s behalf,

as if the obligations and liabilities to which subsection (2) above applies were imposed jointly and severally on the tax representative and the non-resident taxpayer.

(4) A tax representative shall not be liable by virtue of this section to be registered for the purposes of aggregates levy; but the Commissioners may by regulations—

(a) require the registration of the names of tax representatives against the names of the non-resident taxpayers of whom they are the representatives;

(b) make provision for the deletion of the names of persons who cease to be tax representatives.

(5) A tax representative shall not by virtue of this section be guilty of any offence except in so far as—

(a) he has consented to, or connived in, the commission of the offence by the non-resident taxpayer;

(b) the commission of the offence by the non-resident taxpayer is attributable to any neglect on the part of the tax representative; or

(c) the offence consists in a contravention by the tax representative of an obligation which, by virtue of this section, is imposed both on the tax representative and on the non-resident taxpayer.