Prompt Payment of Accounts Act, 1997

Tax clearance certificates and withholding tax.

14.—(1) Nothing in this Act shall be construed as requiring the payment of an amount due to a supplier who has refused or failed to comply with a request from the purchaser to show a tax clearance certificate in accordance with the scheme referred to in section 177 of the Finance Act, 1995 .

(2) If a supplier does not, within seven days after being so requested by a purchaser, show a tax certificate as required, the time for calculating the prescribed payment date shall cease to run from the expiration of that seven day period until the tax clearance certificate is shown or, where the prescribed payment date is a date specified in a written contract, the date for payment shall be deemed to be deferred for an equivalent period.

(3) Nothing in this Act shall be construed as affecting the powers and duties of an accountable person as defined in section 14 of the Finance Act, 1987 , to deduct from any payment to a supplier the appropriate tax within the meaning and in accordance with section 15 of that Act.