Finance (No. 2) Act, 1915

Reference to the Board of Referces of questions as to increase of percentages, &c.

42. Where an application is made to the Commissioners of Inland Revenue—

(1) For an increase of the statutory percentage as respects any class of trade or business, or for a calculation of the percentage standard in the case of any class of trade or business in which the amount of capital actually employed in the trade or business is, owing to the nature of the trade or business, small compared with the capital necessarily at stake for that trade or business, by reference to some factor other than the capital of the trade or business or to some additional factor; or

(2) For an alteration of the pre-war standard of profits as respects capital employed for the purpose of the manufacture of war materials or for munitions work and which could not be expected to be remunerative or wholly remunerative, except in time of war, in a business which has been wholly or mainly carried on for those purposes;

the Commissioners, unless they are of opinion that the application is frivolous or vexatious or relates to matters already decided by a Board of Referees, shall refer the case to a Board of Referees to be appointed for the purpose of this Part of this Act by the Treasury, and that Board shall deal with the case, and may, by order, if they think fit, increase the statutory percentage or alter the percentage standard for the class of trade or business the subject of the order, or alter the pre-war standard of profits, as the case requires.

On any such order being made, this Part of this Act shall have effect as from the date named in the order as if the percentage or standard named in the order was substituted for the percentage or standard fixed by this Act; and where, in pursuance of any such order, the statutory percentage is increased or the percentage standard is altered as respects any class of trade or business, the statutory percentage shall be increased and the percentage standard shall be altered respectively for all purposes of this Part of this Act as respects any trade or business belonging to that class.

This section shall apply to any subdivision of a trade or business based either on any special feature of the trade or business or on locality as it applies to a class of trade or business, in any case where the Board of Referees are of opinion that the subdivision can properly be dealt with separately.