Corporation Tax Act, 1976

Building societies.

31.—(1) The Revenue Commissioners and any building society may, as respects 1976-77 and any later year of assessment, enter into arrangements whereby—

(a) on such sums as may be determined in accordance with the arrangements the society is liable to account for and pay an amount representing income tax calculated in part at the standard rate and in part at a reduced rate which takes into account the operation of the subsequent provisions of this section; and

(b) provision is made for any incidental or consequential matters,

and any such arrangements shall have effect notwithstanding anything in this Act:

Provided that in exercising their powers of entering into arrangements under this section, the Revenue Commissioners shall, subject to subsection (3) (c) and paragraph (i) of the proviso to the said subsection, at all times aim at securing that (if the amount so payable by the society under the arrangements is regarded as income tax for the year of assessment) the total income tax becoming payable to, and not becoming repayable by, the State is, when regard is had to the operation of the subsequent provisions of this section, as nearly as may be the same in the aggregate as it would have been if those powers had never been exercised.

(2) Where for any year of assessment a building society enters into arrangements under this section, dividends or interest payable in respect of shares in, or deposits with or loans to, the society shall be dealt with for the purposes of corporation tax as follows—

(a) in computing for any accounting period ending in the year of assessment the total profits of the society there shall be allowed as a deduction the actual amount paid or credited in the accounting period of any such dividends or interest, together with the amount accounted for and paid by the society in respect thereof as representing income tax,

(b) in computing the income of a company which is paid or credited in the year of assessment with any such dividends or interest, the company shall be treated as having received an amount which, after deduction of income tax at the standard rate for the year of assessment, is equal to the amount paid or credited, and shall be entitled to a set-off or repayment of income tax accordingly,

(c) no part of any such dividends or interest paid or credited in the year of assessment shall be treated as a distribution of the society or as franked investment income of any company resident in the State.

(3) Notwithstanding anything in the Tax Acts, where any arrangements under this section are in force in the case of any society as respects any year of assessment—

(a) income tax shall not be deducted from any dividends or interest payable in that year in respect of shares in or deposits with or loans to that society,

(b) subject to subsection (2) (b), no repayment of income tax and, subject to paragraph (i) of the proviso to this subsection, no assessment to income tax shall be made in respect of any such dividends or interest to or on the person receiving or entitled to the dividends or interest,

(c) any amounts paid or credited in respect of any such dividends or interest, and no more, shall be treated as income in computing the total income of an individual entitled to those amounts, and

(d) subject to section 3 (1) (income tax on payments made or received by a company resident in the State), the amounts so paid or credited (and no more) shall, in applying section 433 (yearly interest, etc., payable wholly out of taxed profits) of the Income Tax Act, 1967 , to other payments, be treated as profits or gains which have been brought into charge to income tax:

Provided that—

(i) paragraph (b) shall not prevent an assessment in respect of income tax at the higher rates and for the purpose of charging to tax at the higher rates any amounts treated as income in accordance with paragraph (c), credit under section 4 (e) of the Finance Act, 1974 (charge to tax of income from which tax has been deducted), shall be given as if, by virtue of the provisions of Schedule D, tax had been deducted (at the standard rate for the year of assessment in which those amounts were paid or credited) from the amounts charged to tax at the higher rates:

(ii) the provisions of this subsection shall not apply in relation to interest on any bank loan; and

(iii) the provisions of this subsection shall not apply in relation to any interest which is payable in respect of a loan to the society under a contract made before the beginning of the first year of assessment as respects which the society enters into arrangements under subsection (1), if and to the extent that, both at the time of the making of the contract and at the time when the interest becomes payable, it is contemplated by the parties that tax shall be deducted on payment of the interest.

(4) Where any arrangements made under this section are in force in the case of any society as respects any year of assessment then, notwithstanding anything in the Tax Acts, income tax shall not be deducted upon payment to the society of any interest on advances, being interest payable in that year.

(5) If in the course of, or as part of, a union or amalgamation of two or more building societies, or a transfer of engagements from one building society to another, there is a disposal of an asset by one society to another, both shall be treated for purposes of corporation tax in respect of chargeable gains as if the asset were acquired from the one making the disposal for a consideration of such amount as would secure that on the disposal neither a gain nor a loss would accrue to the one making the disposal.

(6) Any arrangements made under this section as respects any year of assessment shall, if made after the beginning of that year, be deemed to have come into force at the beginning thereof, and any necessary adjustments shall be made in relation to any sums paid or credited before the date of the making of the arrangements.

(7) In this section “dividend” includes any distribution as defined for the purposes of this Act whether described as a dividend or otherwise.

(8) In this section “building society” means a building society within the meaning of the Building Societies Acts, 1874 to 1974.

(9) Notwithstanding anything in this Act, where for any year of assessment a building society enters into any arrangement under this section, the profits of the society in so far as they consist of income, shall, for any accounting period ending in the year of assessment be charged to corporation tax at the reduced rate provided for by section 79 (reduced rate of corporation tax for certain income), and, for the purposes of this subsection, the income of a society for an accounting period is its income for that period as defined in section 28 (8) for the purposes of that section.

(10) Where, under this section, a building society enters into arrangements for the year of assessment 1976-77 and is within the charge to corporation tax in respect of an accounting period which ends before the 6th day of April, 1976, subsection (2) (a) shall have effect in relation to such accounting period with the substitution for the reference to the amount accounted for and paid by the society in respect of the dividends and interest as representing income tax of a reference to the amount computed by reference to the dividends or interest in accordance with the provision made by any arrangements subsisting between such society and the Revenue Commissioners for the year 1975-76 with reference to dividends and interest for charging the society to income tax for that year.