Finance Act, 1983

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Returns and collection of advance corporation tax.

50.—(1) This section shall have effect for the purpose of regulating the time and manner in which advance corporation tax is to be accounted for and paid.

(2) A company shall, for each of its accounting periods make, in accordance with this section, a return to the Collector-General of the distributions made and distributions received by it in that period and of the advance corporation tax (if any) payable by it in respect of the distributions made by it.

(3) A return for any period for which a return is required to be made under this section shall be made within six months from the end of that period.

(4) A return under this section need not be made by a company for an accounting period in which it has not made a distribution.

(5) (a) The return made by a company for an accounting period shall show—

(i) the amount of the distributions made by the company in the period and the amount of the tax credits in respect of those distributions,

(ii) the amount (if any) of the distributions received by the company in the period and the amount of the tax credits in respect of those distributions,

(iii) the amount of any tax credit which is carried forward to the accounting period and treated under section 41 (3) as a tax credit in respect of a distribution received by the company in that period, and

(iv) the amount (if any) of advance corporation tax which is payable by the company in respect of the distributions made by it in the period.

(b) The return shall specify whether any amount of tax credits is included pursuant to paragraph (a) (i) in respect of distributions which are treated as not being distributions for the purposes of section 38 under any provision of this Chapter and, if so, the amount so included.

(c) The return shall specify whether any amount of tax credits is included pursuant to paragraph (a) (ii) in respect of distributions which are treated as not being distributions for the purposes of section 41 under any provision of this Chapter and, if so, the amount so included.

(d) Where any amount is included in the return pursuant to subparagraph (ii) or (iii) of paragraph (a), the inclusion shall be treated as a claim by the company to have it taken into account in determining the amount of advance corporation tax which is payable, and any such claim shall be supported by such evidence as the inspector may reasonably require.

(6) Advance corporation tax in respect of any distribution required to be included in a return under this section shall be due at the time by which the return is to be made and shall be paid to the Collector-General, and advance corporation tax so due shall be payable by the company without the making of any assessment; but advance corporation tax which has become due as aforesaid may be assessed on the company (whether or not it has been paid when the assessment is made) if that tax, or any part of it, is not paid on or before the due date.

(7) If it appears to the inspector that there is a distribution which ought to have been and has not been included in a return, or if the inspector is dissatisfied with any return, he may make an assessment on the company to the best of his judgment; and any advance corporation tax due under an assessment made by virtue of this subsection shall be treated for the purposes of interest on unpaid tax as having been payable at the time when it would have been payable if a correct return had been made.

(8) Where a company makes a distribution on a date which does not fall within an accounting period of the company, an accounting period of the company shall be deemed to end on that date and the company shall make a return of that distribution within six months from that date; and the advance corporation tax for which the company is accountable in respect of that distribution shall be due at the time by which the return is to be made.

(9) Where any item has been incorrectly included in a return under this section as a distribution made or a distribution received by a company, the inspector may make any such assessments, adjustments or set-offs as may in his judgment be required for securing that the resulting liabilities to tax (including interest on unpaid tax) whether of the company or of any other person are, so far as possible, the same as they would have been if the item had not been so included.

(10) (a) Advance corporation tax assessed on a company under this section shall be due within one month after the issue of the notice of assessment (unless due earlier under subsection (6) or (8)) subject to any appeal against the assessment, but no such appeal shall affect the date when tax is due under subsection (6) or (8).

(b) On the determination of an appeal against an assessment under this section any tax overpaid shall be repaid.

(11) (a) All the provisions of the Corporation Tax Acts relating to—

(i) assessments to corporation tax,

(ii) appeals against such assessments (including the rehearing of appeals and the statement of a case for the opinion of the High Court), and

(iii) the collection and recovery of corporation tax,

shall, so far as they are applicable, apply to the assessment, collection and recovery of advance corporation tax under this section.

(b) Any tax payable in accordance with this section without the making of an assessment shall carry interest at the rate of 1.25 per cent. for each month or part of a month from the date when the tax becomes due and payable until payment.

(c) The provisions of subsections (3), (4) and (5) of section 550 of the Income Tax Act, 1967 , shall apply in relation to interest payable under paragraph (b) as they apply in relation to interest payable under the said section 550.

(d) In its application to any tax charged by any assessment to advance corporation tax in accordance with this section, section 550 of the Income Tax Act, 1967 , shall have effect with the omission of the proviso to subsection (1) and subsections (2) and (2A).

(e) Notwithstanding anything in the Corporation Tax Acts, the provisions of section 419 of the Income Tax Act, 1967 , and section 30 of the Finance Act, 1976 , shall not apply in relation to any tax which is charged by any assessment to advance corporation tax in accordance with this section.

(12) The provisions of subsections (3), (8), (9), (10), (11) and (12) (b) of section 143 of the Corporation Tax Act, 1976 , shall, with any necessary modifications, apply in relation to a return under the provisions of this section as they apply in relation to a return under the provisions of the said section 143.

(13) In the foregoing provisions of this section references to a distribution or distributions do not include references to a distribution or distributions made by a company which is not resident in the State.