Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Temporary Solidarity Contribution) Act 2023
In short
This law introduces a temporary solidarity contribution (a levy) on the windfall gains of certain energy companies in the fossil fuel sector. It aims to implement specific articles of a Council Regulation addressing high energy prices.
What it regulates
- The charging and payment of a temporary solidarity contribution.
- Obligations for energy companies regarding this contribution.
- The administration and collection of the contribution by the Revenue Commissioners.
- Enforcement measures for the temporary solidarity contribution.
Who it concerns
- Companies with activities in the fossil fuel sector.
- Specifically, "energy companies" that generate at least 75 per cent of their turnover in a chargeable period from relevant activities.
Key points
- The contribution is charged on taxable profits for the years 2022 and 2023.
- The amount is calculated as (Taxable Profits - (Average Taxable Profits in reference years x 1.2)) x 0.75.
- The contribution is due on or before September 23, 2023, for the 2022 period, and September 23, 2024, for the 2023 period.
- Anti-avoidance rules apply to arrangements designed to reduce the contribution.
Legal text
Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Temporary Solidarity Contribution) Act 2023 Skip to content Disclaimer Feedback Helpdesk Gaeilge Léim go dtí an t-ábhar Séanadh Aiseolas Deasc chabhrach English Gaeilge English Produced by the Office of the Attorney General Táirgthe ag Oifig an Ard-Aighne Home Legislation Acts of the Oireachtas Statutory Instruments Pre-1922 Legislation Constitution External Resources Bills (Houses of the Oireachtas) Iris Oifigiúil / Official Gazette Revised Acts (LRC) Classified List of Legislation (LRC) Translations (acts.
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- s)or rangeBliain nó blianta nó raon TypeCineál All Legislation Acts Statutory Instruments Advanced SearchCuardach Casta HomeBaile ActsAchtanna 2023 Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Temporary Solidarity Contribution) Act 2023 Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Temporary Solidarity Contribution) Act 2023 Permanent Page URL View by SectionAmharc de réir Ailt View Full ActAmharc ar an Acht Iomlán Bill History Stair Bille Commencement, Amendments, SIs made under the Act Tosach Feidhme, Leasuithe, IRí arna ndéanamh faoin Acht Open PDFOscail PDF Print Full ActPriontáil an tAcht Iomlán Number 23 of 2023 ENERGY (WINDFALL GAINS IN THE ENERGY SECTOR) (TEMPORARY SOLIDARITY CONTRIBUTION) ACT 2023 CONTENTS PART 1 Preliminary and General Section 1. Short title and commencement 2. Interpretation 3. Expenses PART 2 Provisions relating to temporary solidarity contribution 4. Temporary solidarity contribution 5. Anti-avoidance 6. Care and management of temporary solidarity contribution 7. Notice to Revenue Commissioners 8. Returns 9. Action by person acting under authority 10. Assessments and enquiries 11. Revenue assessment 12. Notice of Revenue assessment 13. Amended assessment 14. Application of expression of doubt 15. Appeal to Appeal Commissioners 16. Obligation to keep certain records PART 3 Enforcement 17. Surcharge for late return 18. Interest on overdue amounts 19. Penalties for failure to deliver a return etc. 20. Penalty for failure to keep records 21. Other penalties 22. Offences PART 4 Amendment of other acts 23. Insertion of new Part 24B in Act of 1997 24. Consequential amendments to Act of 1997 25. Amendment of Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2011 26. Amendment of Finance (Tax Appeals) Act 2015 SCHEDULE Consequential amendments to Act of 1997 Acts Referred to Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012 (No. 52) Finance (Tax Appeals) Act 2015 (No. 59) Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2021 (No. 28) Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2011 (No. 10) Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (No. 39) Value-Added Tax Consolidation Act 2010 (No. 31) Number 23 of 2023 ENERGY (WINDFALL GAINS IN THE ENERGY SECTOR) (TEMPORARY SOLIDARITY CONTRIBUTION) ACT 2023 An Act to give full effect to Articles 14, 15, 16 and 18 of Council Regulation (EU) 2022/1854 of 6 October 2022 1 on an emergency intervention to address high energy prices and for that purpose to make provision for a temporary solidarity contribution to be payable by companies with activities in the fossil fuel sector on taxable profits in the years 2022 and 2023; to provide for obligations on those companies relating to the temporary solidarity contribution; to provide for the administration and collection of the temporary solidarity contribution by the Revenue Commissioners; to provide for enforcement of the temporary solidarity contribution; to amend the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 to provide for the calculation of the temporary solidarity contribution, the deduction of that contribution for the purposes of corporation tax and certain other consequential amendments; to amend the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2011 and the Finance (Tax Appeals) Act 2015 ; and to provide for related matters. [17th July, 2023] Be it enacted by the Oireachtas as follows: PART 1 Preliminary and General Short title and commencement 1.
- a)23 September 2023, in respect of the chargeable period commencing on 1 January 2022, or (
- b)23 September 2024, in respect of the chargeable period commencing on 1 January 2023; “taxable profits” has the same meaning as it has in Part 24B of the Act of 1997; “temporary solidarity contribution” has the meaning assigned to it by section 4
- a)the arrangement was not made for bona fide commercial reasons, and (
- b)the main purpose, or one of the main purposes, of the arrangement is to avoid or reduce the amount of temporary solidarity contribution paid or to be paid under this Act, then the effect of the arrangement shall not be taken into account for the purposes of calculating taxable profits.
- a)shall be construed as if “has the same meaning as it has in the Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Temporary Solidarity Contribution) Act 2023” were substituted for “has the meaning assigned to it by section 321”; (
- b)a reference to a chargeable person or a chargeable person (within the meaning of Part 41A) in section 865 shall be construed as a reference to an energy company; (
- c)a reference to corporation tax in sections 849, 861, 863, 864, 865, 865B, 872 and 874 shall be construed as including a reference to temporary solidarity contribution; (
- d)a reference to the Tax Acts in sections 851, 851A, 852, 856, 858, 859, 860, 861, 864, 865, 865A, 865B, 868, 869, 873, 874 and 874A shall be construed as including a reference to this Act; (
- e)a reference to accounting period in section 863 shall be construed as a reference to chargeable period; (
- f)the definition of relevant period in section 865B shall be construed as including the following paragraph after paragraph (e): “(
- ea)in the case of temporary solidarity contribution (within the meaning of the Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Temporary Solidarity Contribution) Act 2023), the chargeable period (within the meaning of that Act) in respect of which the repayment arises,”; (
- g)in section 870— (
- i)a reference to the Capital Gains Tax Acts shall be construed as including a reference to this Act, (
- ii)a reference to tax shall be construed as including a reference to temporary solidarity contribution, and (iii) a reference to assessment shall be construed as a reference to an assessment within the meaning of this Act.
- a)the name of the energy company, (
- b)the registered address of the company, (
- c)the corporation tax number of the company, and (
- d)such other information as the Revenue Commissioners may reasonably require.
- a)30 August 2023, or (
- b)30 August 2024, where the company first becomes an energy company in the chargeable period commencing on 1 January 2023.
- a)the amount of taxable profits for the chargeable period; (
- b)the amount of average taxable profits in respect of the reference years; (
- c)the amount of temporary solidarity contribution payable for the chargeable period; (
- d)such further particulars as may be required by the prescribed form.
- a)be signed by the person who prepares the return, (
- b)include a declaration by the person signing it that the return is, to the best of that person’s knowledge and belief, correct and complete, and (
- c)be made by electronic means and through such electronic systems as the Revenue Commissioners may make available for the time being for any such purpose, and the relevant provisions of Chapter 6 of Part 38 of the Act of 1997 shall apply.
- a)a reference to a chargeable person shall be construed as a reference to an energy company; (
- b)a reference to a chargeable period shall be construed as a reference to a chargeable period within the meaning of this Act; (
- c)a reference to income, profits or gains or, as the case may be, chargeable gains shall be construed as a reference to taxable profits; (
- d)a reference to a return shall be construed as a reference to a return within the meaning of this Act; (
- e)a reference to the specified return date for the chargeable period shall be construed as a reference to the specified date; (
- f)a reference to tax shall be construed as including a reference to temporary solidarity contribution; (
- g)a reference to assessment, Revenue assessment or self assessment, as the case may be, shall be construed as a reference to an assessment, Revenue assessment or self assessment within the meaning of this Act, as the case may be; (
- h)a reference to the Acts shall be construed as including a reference to this Act; (
- i)the reference in section 959V
- a)Nothing in this section shall be construed as preventing the making of enquiries or taking of actions regarding the composition or calculation of the average taxable profits in respect of the reference years, included in a return for the chargeable period, within the period of 4 years commencing at the end of the year in which the energy company has delivered that return. (
- b)In this subsection, ‘average taxable profits in respect of the reference years’ and ‘energy company’ have the same meaning, respectively, as in the Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Temporary Solidarity Contribution) Act 2023.”. Revenue assessment 11.
- a)the amount of taxable profits for the chargeable period, (
- b)the average taxable profits in respect of the reference years, (
- c)the amount of temporary solidarity contribution payable by the energy company for the chargeable period, and (
- d)the balance of temporary solidarity contribution, taking account of any amount of temporary solidarity contribution paid directly by the energy company to the Collector-General for the chargeable period which under this Act— (
- i)is due and payable by the energy company to the Revenue Commissioners for the chargeable period, or (
- ii)is overpaid by the energy company for the chargeable period and which, subject to this Act, is available for offset or repayment by the Revenue Commissioners.
- a)each matter referred to in paragraphs (
- a)to (
- d)of section 11
- c)the name of the Revenue officer who is giving notice of the Revenue assessment and the address of the Revenue office at which that officer is based, and (
- d)the period allowed under section 15 for giving notice of appeal against the assessment to which the notice relates. Amended assessment 13. Sections 10 , 11 and 12 shall apply to an amended assessment as they apply to a Revenue assessment, subject to any necessary modifications. Application of expression of doubt 14. Where— (
- a)an energy company includes a letter of expression of doubt with a return for corporation tax purposes in accordance with section 959P of the Act of 1997, and (
- b)by reason of the amendment of an assessment referred to in subsection
- i)an increase in the taxable profits in a chargeable period, or (
- ii)a decrease in the average taxable profits in respect of the reference years, then any additional temporary solidarity contribution that is due under an amended assessment, following the amendment referred to in paragraph (b), shall be due and payable in accordance with section 959AU
- v)section 114 of the Value-Added Tax Consolidation Act 2010 , (
- vi)section 149 of the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012 , or (vii) section 18 of the Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Temporary Solidarity Contribution) Act 2023,”.
- b)a self assessment, or (
- c)the amount of any taxable profits specified in a self assessment. Obligation to keep certain records 16.
- a)a notice under section 7 , (
- b)a return, and (
- c)the calculation of the temporary solidarity contribution.
- a)in written form, or (
- b)by means of electronic, photographic or other process in accordance with paragraphs (
- a)to (
- d)of section 887
- a)where enquiries into a return are made by a Revenue officer, the period ending on the day on which those enquiries are treated as completed by the officer; (
- b)the period of 6 years commencing from the end of the chargeable period to which they relate or, in a case where they relate to more than one chargeable period, the period of 6 years commencing from the end of the later chargeable period.
- a)is wound up, the liquidator, or (
- b)is dissolved without the appointment of a liquidator, the last directors, including any person occupying the position of director by whatever name called, of the company, shall retain the records required to be retained under this section for a period of 5 years from the date from which the company is wound up or dissolved. PART 3 Enforcement Surcharge for late return 17.
- a)€12,695, where the surcharge applicable is 5 per cent, or (
- b)€63,485, where the surcharge applicable is 10 per cent.
- a)where an energy company deliberately or carelessly delivers an incorrect return on or before the specified date, that company shall be deemed to have failed to have delivered the return on or before that date unless the error in the return is remedied by the delivery of a correct return on or before that date, (
- b)where an energy company delivers an incorrect return on or before the specified date, but does so neither deliberately nor carelessly and it comes to the company’s notice that it is incorrect, the energy company shall be deemed to have failed to have delivered the return on or before the specified date unless the error in the return is remedied by the delivery of a correct return without unreasonable delay, and (
- c)where an energy company delivers a return on or before the specified date, but the Revenue Commissioners, by reason of being dissatisfied with any information contained in the return, require that company, by notice in writing, to deliver evidence, or a further return or evidence, as may be required by them, the energy company shall be deemed to have failed to have delivered the return on or before the specified date unless the company delivers the evidence, or further return or evidence, within the period specified in the notice.
- a)fails to deliver a return on or before the specified date, or (
- b)has been required, by notice given under or for the purposes of this Act, to furnish any particulars, to produce any document, or to make anything available for inspection and the energy company fails to comply with that notice, the energy company shall be liable to a penalty of €3,000.
- a)a return was not received, or (
- b)a stated notice was duly given to the energy company on a stated day and that notice has not been complied with by the energy company, shall be evidence, unless the contrary is proved, of the matters referred to in paragraph (
- a)or (b), as the case may be. Penalty for failure to keep records 20. An energy company which fails to comply with section 16 in respect of the retention of any records relating to the temporary solidarity contribution is liable to a penalty of €3,000. Other penalties 21.
- a)a reference to the Acts shall be construed as including a reference to this Act; (
- b)a reference to tax shall be construed as including a reference to temporary solidarity contribution; (
- c)a reference to income, profits or gains shall be construed as a reference to taxable profits; (
- d)a reference to a period shall be construed as a reference to a chargeable period; (
- e)a reference to a return shall be construed as a reference to a return within the meaning of this Act.
- a)a reference to the Acts shall be construed as including a reference to this Act; (
- b)in section 1094— (
- i)the reference to taxes in subparagraph (
- i)of subsection
- Chapter 4 of Part 47 of the Act of 1997 shall apply to the temporary solidarity contribution, subject to the modification that a reference to the Acts in sections 1078 and 1079 shall be construed as including a reference to this Act. PART 4 Amendment of other acts Insertion of new Part 24B in Act of 1997
- The Act of 1997 is amended by the insertion of the following Part after Part 24A: “PART 24B Council Regulation (EU) 2022/1854 of 6 October 20224 as regards temporary solidarity contribution Interpretation 697R.
- b)the amount of capital expenditure incurred on the construction or acquisition of a tangible asset— (
- i)that is brought into use in the accounting period, where— (I) the tangible asset is brought into use in any of the years 2018 to 2023, and (II) the tangible asset is used in the course of carrying on relevant activities, and (
- ii)in respect of which allowances are made under Part 9 or Chapter 2 of Part 24.
- a)applies, in a deemed accounting period that ends on 31 December 2017, (
- b)relief under section 396
- b)applies, in a new accounting period that commences on 1 January 2024, (
- c)amounts set off or surrendered under section 420 or 420A in an accounting period that falls wholly or partly within the period commencing on 1 January 2018 and ending on 31 December 2023, or (
- d)temporary solidarity contribution incurred under the Act of 2023.
- i)the accounting period of the company shall commence on the day on which the original accounting period began and shall be deemed to end on 31 December 2017 (in this section referred to as the ‘deemed accounting period’), and (
- ii)the amount of the loss that shall be regarded as incurred in the carrying on of a trade consisting of relevant activities in the deemed accounting period shall be the amount determined by the following formula— A x B C where— A is the amount of the loss incurred in the original accounting period, B is the length of the deemed accounting period, and C is the length of the original accounting period. (
- b)Where an energy company incurs a loss in the carrying on of a trade consisting of relevant activities in an accounting period that commences on or before 31 December 2023 and ends on or after 1 January 2024 (in this paragraph referred to as the ‘original accounting period’), then for the purposes of subsection
- i)the accounting period of the company shall commence on the day on which the original accounting period began and shall be deemed to end on 31 December 2023, (
- ii)a new accounting period shall be deemed to commence on 1 January 2024 and shall be deemed to end on the day on which the original accounting period ends (in this section referred to as the ‘new accounting period’), and (iii) the amount of the loss that shall be regarded as incurred in the carrying on of a trade consisting of relevant activities in the new accounting period shall be an amount determined by the following formula— A x B C where— A is the amount of the loss incurred in the original accounting period, B is the length of the new accounting period, and C is the length of the original accounting period.
- a)For the purposes of calculating the temporary solidarity contribution, the taxable profits shall be calculated in respect of the calendar year and where an accounting period of an energy company falls wholly or partly within that calendar year, the amount to be included in the taxable profits for the calendar year with reference to that accounting period shall be determined by the following formula— A x B C where— A is the taxable profits in respect of the accounting period, B is the length of the period common to the calendar year and the accounting period, and C is the length of the accounting period. (
- b)The formula in paragraph (
- a)shall be applied to each accounting period that falls wholly or partly within the calendar year and the apportioned amounts shall be aggregated to determine the taxable profits in respect of the calendar year. Average taxable profits for purposes of temporary solidarity contribution 697T.
- a)where the energy company commenced the relevant activities on or before 31 December 2018, the average annual taxable profits in respect of the years commencing on 1 January 2018 and ending on 31 December 2021, (
- b)where the energy company commenced the relevant activities on or after 1 January 2019 but before 1 January 2020, the average annual taxable profits in respect of the years commencing on 1 January 2019 and ending on 31 December 2021, (
- c)where the energy company commenced the relevant activities on or after 1 January 2020 but before 1 January 2021, the average annual taxable profits in respect of the years commencing on 1 January 2020 and ending on 31 December 2021, or (
- d)where the energy company commenced the relevant activities on or after 1 January 2021 but before 1 January 2022, the taxable profits in respect of the year commencing on 1 January 2021 and ending on 31 December 2021, and where the average taxable profits in respect of the reference years in accordance with paragraph (a), (b), (
- c)or (d), as the case may be, is less than zero, the average taxable profits in respect of the reference years shall be deemed to be zero.
- a)Where a company ceases to carry on relevant activities (in this subsection referred to as the ‘predecessor’) in the year commencing on 1 January 2022 or the year commencing on 1 January 2023, as the case may be, and another company begins to carry on those relevant activities (in this subsection referred to as the ‘successor’), for the purpose of determining the temporary solidarity contribution chargeable on the predecessor in the year in which the predecessor ceases to carry on the relevant activities, the average taxable profits in respect of the reference years for the predecessor shall be determined by the following formula— A x B C where— A is the average taxable profits in respect of the reference years of the predecessor in relation to those relevant activities, B is the length of the period from the beginning of the year in which the predecessor ceases to carry on those relevant activities to the date the predecessor ceases to carry on those relevant activities, and C is the length of the year. (
- b)Subject to paragraph (c), where the predecessor ceases to carry on relevant activities in the year commencing on 1 January 2022 or the year commencing on 1 January 2023, as the case may be, and the successor begins to carry on those relevant activities, for the purpose of determining the temporary solidarity contribution chargeable on the successor in respect of the year in which the successor commences to carry on the relevant activities, the average taxable profits in respect of the reference years for the successor shall be determined by the following formula— A x B C where— A is the average taxable profits in respect of the reference years of the predecessor in relation to those relevant activities, B is the length of the period from the date the successor begins to carry on those relevant activities to the end of the year in which the successor begins to carry on those relevant activities, and C is the length of the year. (
- c)Where the predecessor ceases to carry on relevant activities in the year commencing on 1 January 2022 and the successor begins to carry on those relevant activities in that year, for the purpose of determining the temporary solidarity contribution chargeable on the successor for the year 2023, the average taxable profits in respect of the reference years shall be the average taxable profits in respect of the reference years of the predecessor in relation to those relevant activities determined in accordance with this section and no apportionment shall be required under paragraph (b). Deductibility of temporary solidarity contribution for corporation tax 697U.
- hb)the Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Temporary Solidarity Contribution) Act 2023,”. Amendment of Finance (Tax Appeals) Act 2015 26. Section 2 of the Finance (Tax Appeals) Act 2015 is amended, in the definition of “Taxation Acts”, by the insertion of the following paragraph after paragraph (i): “(
- j)the Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Temporary Solidarity Contribution) Act 2023,”. SCHEDULE Consequential amendments to Act of 1997 Section 24 Reference
- a)in the definition of the Acts— (
- i)in paragraph (f), by the substitution of “extending that Act,” for “extending that Act, and”, (
- ii)by the insertion of the following paragraph after paragraph (g): “(
- h)the Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Temporary Solidarity Contribution) Act 2023,” and (iii) by the substitution of “referred to in paragraphs (
- a)to (
- h)” for “referred to in paragraphs (
- a)to (
- g)”, and (
- b)in the definition of tax, by the substitution of “excise duty, stamp duty or temporary solidarity contribution (within the meaning of the Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Temporary Solidarity Contribution) Act 2023).” for “excise duty or stamp duty.”. 2 Section 949A (
- a)In the definition of Acts, by the insertion of the following paragraph after paragraph (j): “(
- k)the Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Temporary Solidarity Contribution) Act 2023,”. (
- b)In the definition of tax, by the substitution of “vacant homes tax, temporary solidarity contribution (within the meaning of the Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Temporary Solidarity Contribution) Act 2023) or” for “vacant homes tax or”. 3 Section 960A (
- a)In the definition of Acts, by the insertion of the following paragraph after paragraph (i): “(
- j)the Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Temporary Solidarity Contribution) Act 2023,”. (
- b)In the definition of tax, by the substitution of “vacant homes tax, temporary solidarity contribution (within the meaning of the Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Temporary Solidarity Contribution) Act 2023) or” for “vacant homes tax or”. 4 Section 1002 In subsection
- a)in subparagraph (vi), by the substitution of “extending that Act,” for “extending that Act, and”, and (
- b)by the insertion of the following subparagraph after subparagraph (viii): “(
- ix)the Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Temporary Solidarity Contribution) Act 2023,”. 5 Section 1006 In subsection
- a)by the substitution, in paragraph (d), of “that Act,” for “that Act, and”, and (
- b)by the insertion of the following paragraph after paragraph (f): “(
- g)the Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Temporary Solidarity Contribution) Act 2023,”. 6 Section 1077A In the definition of the Acts, by the insertion of the following paragraph after paragraph (i): “(
- j)the Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Temporary Solidarity Contribution) Act 2023,”. 7 Section 1086A In subsection