Finance (No. 2) Act 2008

Amendment of section 768 (allowance for know-how) of Principal Act.

30.— (1) Section 768 of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by substituting the following for subsection (3):

“(3) (a) Where a person acquires a trade or part of a trade and, together with the trade or the part of the trade, know-how used in the trade or part of the trade, then no amount shall be allowed to be deducted under this section in respect of expenditure incurred on the acquisition of the know-how.

(b) Subject to paragraph (c), where—

(i) a person acquires a trade or part of a trade, and

(ii) a person connected (within the meaning of section 10) with the person acquires know-how used in the trade or the part of the trade,

then—

(I) the amount of expenditure incurred on the know-how by the person referred to in subparagraph (ii) shall be allowed as a deduction against profits of the trade, carried on by that person, in which the know-how is used (in this subsection referred to as a ‘relevant trade’) but not against any other income or profits of whatever description,

(II) no amount of any royalty or other sum paid by the person referred to in subparagraph (i), or by any person connected (within the meaning of section 10) with that person, for the know-how acquired by the person referred to in subparagraph (ii) shall be allowed to be deducted in computing the profits of any description, or to be treated as a charge on income, of the person making such payment, and

(III) no amount shall be allowed to be deducted under this section where, at any time, the trade or part of the trade referred to in subparagraph (i) is transferred to the person referred to in subparagraph (ii).

(c) Where as respects any chargeable period of a person carrying on a relevant trade, the amount by which a deduction available to be made under paragraph (b)(I) exceeds the profits of the relevant trade but for that deduction, the excess shall be carried forward and treated as an amount deductible under paragraph (b)(I) for succeeding chargeable periods and (so long as the person continues to carry on the trade) its profits from the trade in any succeeding chargeable period shall then be treated as reduced by the amount of the excess, or by so much of that excess as cannot be relieved against profits of the trade of an earlier chargeable period.”,

and

(b) by inserting the following after subsection (5):

“(6) Where any relief has been claimed under this section which is subsequently found not to have been due, that relief shall be withdrawn by making an assessment to tax, under Case IV of Schedule D, for the chargeable period or chargeable periods in which relief was claimed and, notwithstanding anything in the Tax Acts, such an assessment may be made at any time.”.

(2) This section applies as respects any chargeable period (within the meaning of section 321(2) of the Principal Act) ending on or after 31 December 2008.