View the related Tax Guidance about Withholding Tax (WHT)
Withholding tax
Withholding taxIntroductionUK tax must be withheld on UK payments including:•interest•royalties•rental incomeUK withholding tax may be reduced under the provisions of a double tax treaty (DTT). Prior to 1 June 2021, payments of interest and royalties made to EU resident associated companies were also exempt from UK withholding tax, under the UK domestic legislation which gave effect to the EU Interest and Royalties Directive. This legislation was repealed from 1 June 2021, with no exemption from UK withholding taxes on payments to EU associated companies permitted from that date, even in cases where HMRC has previously provided clearance (known as an exemption notice) which extends beyond 1 June 2021. While the changes affect payments made on or after 1 June 2021, anti-forestalling provisions also apply from 3 March 2021 to counteract attempts to put arrangements in place between these dates. A formal claim may be required in order to obtain the reduced rate or exemption from withholding tax, details of which are provided below. Therefore, it is important that all relevant documentation is completed in advance of making any such payment.This guidance note outlines the rules for UK withholding tax, and how relief may be claimed under a DTT. It should be noted that UK companies may also suffer overseas withholding tax where they receive income from outside the UK. In addition to interest, royalties and rental income, withholding tax may also arise on dividends or technical fees. Overseas withholding taxes on dividends are briefly covered below.InterestTax
Double taxation treaty passport scheme
Double taxation treaty passport schemeIntroductionWhere a corporate borrower other than a financial institution pays interest with a UK source to an overseas lender, then the general rule is that income tax must be withheld at 20%. This is subject to a significant number of exceptions such as the one related to interest on quoted Eurobonds in ITA 2007, s 882. Where a double taxation treaty exists between the jurisdictions of the borrower and the lender then WHT may be reduced partially or wholly on the making of a formal claim. For payments made before 1 June 2021, UK withholding tax on interest may also have been eliminated under the UK legislation which gave effect to the EU Interest and Royalties directive on a loan where an EEA company beneficially owns at least 25% of a UK company, or vice versa. Relief was not automatic and an application to HMRC by the overseas recipient was required in order to receive gross interest from a UK company. The UK legislation enacting the provisions of the Directive is repealed for payments made on or after 1 June 2021, by FA 2021, s 34. For additional information, see the Withholding tax on payments of interest guidance note. For general details on withholding tax (WHT) on interest, royalties and rental income, see the Withholding tax guidance note. Prior to the introduction of the double taxation treaty passport (DTTP) scheme, a time-consuming and onerous process was required for each and every loan issued. The overseas
Corporation tax return ― compliance toolkit
Corporation tax return ― compliance toolkitApproach when preparing a corporation tax returnTax law has become increasingly complex in recent years and there is often a myriad of issues to keep in mind when preparing the corporation tax return. Coupled with this, the tax compliance process is typically highly pressured because of the somewhat competing priorities of having to finalise the tax return quickly but at the same time accurately and to a high standard. This toolkit is aimed at supporting tax advisers that prepare or review corporation tax returns in delivering high-quality and accurate returns by providing guidance on the most common areas in a set of financial statements that give rise to tax adjustments. The toolkit focuses on the issues typically encountered by a UK trading company, but many of the issues will also be relevant to non-trading companies such as property investment companies or holding companies. The accounting areas discussed below follow the typical order of a standard set of financial statements. The list is not exhaustive, but covers the more frequently encountered tax issues in reviewing a set of financial statements and preparing the tax return. An explanation of the relevant issue for each area is provided, together with practical points to be aware of and links to additional information so that more detailed research can be carried out. Initial considerations when starting the corporation tax compliance reviewThere are several sources of information which can prove extremely useful when starting the compliance review process. These can
Non-trading deficits on loan relationships
Non-trading deficits on loan relationshipsOverview of non-trading deficits (NTDs)When a company’s debits on its non-trading loan relationships and derivative contracts in an accounting period exceed the credits on its non-trading loan relationships and derivative contracts in the same period (the deficit period), the surplus is a special category of loss which is known as an NTD.This guidance note considers how companies can utilise their NTDs. For guidance on determining a company’s debits and credits from loan relationships and whether these are trading or non-trading, see the Taxation of loan relationships guidance note.Relief for NTDs against current year profitsCompanies can claim for NTDs to be offset against other profits of the same period. Relief is given after the automatic set off of any trading losses brought forward but only where those trading losses arose prior to 1 April 2017. Trading losses brought forward that arose on or after 1 April 2017 do not have to be automatically offset against future trading profits (see the Trading losses carried forward guidance note). Relief for the NTD is given in priority to current year trading losses, property losses, trading losses carried back from a later period and loan relationship deficits carried back from a later period. The claim can specify all or part of the NTD to be offset.See Example 1, which is taken from CFM32060.NTDs of the current period can be offset against profits of any description (except ring fence profits) but the claim must identify which profits are being offset. Usually
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