Finance Act, 1988

Obligation to make a return.

10.—(1) Every chargeable person shall, as respects a relevant chargeable period, prepare and deliver to the appropriate inspector on or before the specified return date for the chargeable period, a return in the prescribed form of—

(a) in the case of a chargeable person, who is chargeable to income tax for a chargeable period which is a year of assessment, all such matters and particulars as would be required to be contained in a statement delivered pursuant to a notice given to the chargeable person by the appropriate inspector under section 169 of the Income Tax Act, 1967 , if the period specified in such notice were the year of assessment immediately preceding the relevant chargeable period, and where the chargeable person is an individual who is chargeable to income tax for a relevant chargeable period, in addition to such matters and particulars as aforesaid, all such matters and particulars as would be required to be contained in a return for the period delivered to the appropriate inspector pursuant to a notice given to the chargeable person by the appropriate inspector under section 172 of the said Act, or

(b) in the case of a chargeable person who is chargeable to corporation tax for a relevant chargeable period which is an accounting period, all such matters and particulars in relation to the chargeable period as would be required to be contained in a return delivered pursuant to a notice given by the appropriate inspector to the chargeable person under section 143 of the Corporation Tax Act, 1976 ,

and such further particulars as may be required by the prescribed form.

(2) The precedent partner of any partnership shall be deemed to be a chargeable person for the purposes of this section and shall, as respects any relevant chargeable period, deliver to the appropriate inspector on or before the specified return date for that chargeable period the return which he would be required to deliver for that period under the provisions of section 70 of the Income Tax Act, 1967 , if the inspector had given notice under that section before the said specified date.

(3) If, by reason of subsection (1) or (2), a person delivers a return to an inspector, he shall be deemed to have been required by a notice under section 169 of the Income Tax Act, 1967 , to deliver a statement containing the matters and particulars contained in the return or to have been required by a notice under section 70 or 172 of the said Act or under section 143 of the Corporation Tax Act, 1976 , to deliver the return, as the case may be. Any provision of the Tax Acts relating to the taking of any action on the failure of a person to deliver a statement or return pursuant to a notice given under any of the aforementioned sections shall apply to a chargeable person, in a case where such a notice has not been given, as if he had been given a notice, on the specified return date for the relevant chargeable period, under such one or more of those sections as is appropriate to the provision in question.

(4) A chargeable person shall prepare and deliver to the appropriate inspector a return for a relevant chargeable period as required by this section notwithstanding that he has not received a notice from an inspector to prepare and deliver a statement or return for that period under any of the sections referred to in subsection (3).

(5) A return required by this section may be prepared and delivered by the chargeable person or by another person acting under the chargeable person's authority in that regard. Where a return is prepared and delivered by such other person, the provisions of the Tax Acts shall apply as if it had been prepared and delivered by the chargeable person. A return purporting to be prepared and delivered by or on behalf of any chargeable person shall, for all the purposes of the Tax Acts, be deemed to have been prepared and delivered by that person or by his authority, as the case may be, unless the contrary is proved.

(6) An inspector may exclude a person from the provisions of this section by giving him a notice in writing stating that he is excluded from those provisions and the notice shall have effect for such chargeable period or periods or until such chargeable period or until the happening of such event as shall be specified in the notice:

Provided that, where, before the passing of this Act, a person has been given notice by the inspector that he need not prepare and deliver a return for or until a specified chargeable period or until the happening of any event, he shall be deemed to have been given notice to that effect under this subsection.

(7) This section shall not affect the giving of a notice by an inspector under any of the specified sections and shall not remove from any person any obligation or requirement imposed on the person by such a notice. The giving of a notice under any of the specified sections to a person shall not remove from that person any obligation to prepare and deliver a return under the provisions of this section.

(8) In a case to which section 197 (4) of the Income Tax Act, 1967 , applies, a return containing for both the husband and the wife the matters and particulars required by subsection (1) shall, if delivered by one spouse, satisfy the obligation of the other spouse under this section.

(9) Nothing in the specified sections or in a notice given under any of those sections shall operate so as to require a chargeable person to deliver a return for a relevant chargeable period on a date earlier than the specified return date for the chargeable period.

(10) A certificate signed by an inspector which certifies that he has examined the relevant records and that it appears from them that, during a stated period, a stated return was not received from a chargeable person shall be evidence until the contrary is proved that the chargeable person did not, during that period, deliver that return and a certificate certifying as provided by this subsection and purporting to be signed by an inspector may be tendered in evidence without proof and shall be deemed until the contrary is proved to have been signed by such inspector.

(11) (a) The Revenue Commissioners may nominate an inspector to be the inspector of returns for the purposes of this Chapter.

(b) The inspector of returns shall take delivery of returns under this section directed by him to be delivered to him and returns from persons in relation to whom he is the appropriate inspector in the circumstances specified in paragraph (c) of the definition of “appropriate inspector” in section 9 (1).

(c) The name of an inspector nominated as aforesaid and the address to which returns being delivered to him shall be directed shall be published annually in the Iris Oifigiúil.

(12) Sections 500 and 503 of the Income Tax Act, 1967 , shall apply to a failure by a chargeable person to deliver a return in accordance with subsection (1) or (2) as they apply to a failure to deliver a return referred to in the said section 500 and Schedule 15 to that Act is hereby amended by the insertion in Column 1 of “Finance Act, 1988, section 10 (1) and (2)”.