Finance Act, 1944
In short
This law, the Finance Act, 1944, primarily deals with charging and imposing certain inland revenue duties, amending existing inland revenue laws, and making further financial provisions. It sets out rules for income tax, sur-tax, and corporation profits tax for the year 1944-45 and beyond.
What it regulates
- Income tax and sur-tax rates and rules for the year beginning April 6, 1944.
- Amendments to rules concerning machinery or plant wear and tear deductions for income tax.
- Changes to enactments due to the replacement of poor rates with municipal rates in certain urban areas.
- Provisions for corporation profits tax, including definitions, deductions, and measures to prevent tax avoidance.
Who it concerns
- Individuals liable to income tax and sur-tax.
- Companies subject to corporation profits tax.
Key points
- Income tax for the year beginning April 6, 1944, is charged at seven shillings and sixpence in the pound.
- Sur-tax for the year beginning April 6, 1944, applies to individual incomes exceeding one thousand five hundred pounds.
- Children's allowances under the Children's Allowances Act, 1944, are exempt from income tax and sur-tax.
- The income tax deduction for dependent children (under section 21 of the Finance Act, 1920) is reduced for more than two children: to forty-eight pounds for the year beginning April 6, 1944, and to forty-three pounds for subsequent years.
Legal text
Finance Act, 1944 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 1944 Finance Act, 1944 Finance Act, 1944 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 Print Full ActPriontáil an tAcht Iomlán Number 18 of 1944. FINANCE ACT, 1944. ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS PART I. Income Tax. Section 1. Income tax and sur-tax for year 1944-45. 2. Amendment of Rule 6 of the Rules applicable to Cases I and II of Schedule D. 3. Amendments of enactments consequent upon the substitution in county boroughs and the borough of Dun Laoghaire of the municipal rate for the poor rate and certain other rates. 4. Exemption of children's allowance from income tax and reduction of deductions under section 21 of the Finance Act, 1920. 5. Amendment of section 22 of the Finance Act, 1920. 6. Amendment of section 3 of the Finance Act, 1925. 7. Exemption in respect of certain profits from sweepstakes organised by the Irish Red Cross Society. 8. Emergency allowances in respect of certain machinery or plant. 9. Schedule D and Schedule E Assessment Districts. 10. Publication of reports of case stated. PART II. Corporation Profits Tax. 11. Definition in this Part of this Act. 12. Meaning of word “remuneration” in relation to a director. 13. Provisions in respect of deductions for the remuneration of directors in relation to excess corporation profits tax. 14. Subsidiary companies. 15. Transactions designed to avoid liability to corporation profits tax. 16. Standard profits of certain new companies. 17. Continuance of certain exemptions. 18. Construction of this Part of this Act. PART III. Miscellaneous and General. 19. Amendment of section 34 of the Finance Act, 1931. 20. Transfer of money from the Road Fund to the Exchequer. 21. Power of Minister for Finance to direct transfer of assets of wound-up funds to the Savings Certificates Reserve Fund. 22. Care and management of taxes and duties. 23. Short title, construction and commencement. SCHEDULE. Amendments of enactments consequent upon the substitution in county boroughs and the borough of Dun Laoghaire of the municipal rate for the poor rate and certain other rates. Acts Referred to Finance Act, 1941 No. 14 of 1941 Local Government (Dublin) Act, 1930 No. 27 of 1930 Limerick City Management Act, 1934 No. 35 of 1934 Waterford City Management Act, 1939 No. 25 of 1939 Cork City Management (Amendment) Act, 1941 No. 5 of 1941 Children's Allowances Act, 1944 No. 2 of 1944 Finance Act, 1938 No. 25 of 1938 Public Hospitals Act, 1933 No. 18 of 1933 Public Hospitals (Amendment) (No. 2) Act, 1939 No. 29 of 1939 Finance Act, 1942 No. 14 of 1942 Emergency Powers Act, 1939 No. 28 of 1939 Finance Act, 1929 No. 32 of 1929 Finance Act, 1931 No. 31 of 1931 Finance Act, 1932 No. 20 of 1932 Finance Act, 1943 No. 16 of 1943 Finance Act, 1925 No, 28 of 1925 Number 18 of 1944. FINANCE ACT, 1944. AN ACT TO CHARGE AND IMPOSE CERTAIN DUTIES OF INLAND REVENUE, TO AMEND THE LAW RELATING TO INLAND REVENUE, AND TO MAKE FURTHER PROVISIONS IN CONNECTION WITH FINANCE. [11th July, 1944.] BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:— PART I. Income Tax. Income tax and sur-tax for year 1944-45. 1.—
- a)the rate leviable by the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of Dublin under section 63 of the Local Government (Dublin) Act, 1930 (No. 27 of 1930), or (
- b)the rate leviable by the Corporation of Dun Laoghaire under section 63 of the said Local Government (Dublin) Act, 1930 , or (
- c)the rate leviable under section 25 of the Limerick City Management Act, 1934 (No. 35 of 1934), or (
- d)the rate leviable under section 24 of the Waterford City Management Act, 1939 (No. 25 of 1939), or (
- e)the rate leviable under section 16 of the Cork City Management (Amendment) Act, 1941 (No. 5 of 1941).
- a)a person shows to the satisfaction of the Revenue Commissioners— (
- i)that machinery or plant has been acquired by him during the appointed period for the sole purpose of overcoming difficulties in the carrying on by him of a trade chargeable to tax under Schedule D of the Income Tax Act, 1918, and (
- ii)that those difficulties are due exclusively to circumstances created by or arising from the present national emergency (including circumstances continuing after the termination of that emergency), and (iii) that it is likely that the said machinery or plant will, before the expiration of the appointed period, cease to be employed by that person for the purpose of carrying on the said trade, and (
- b)that person applies, in accordance with this section, to the Revenue Commissioners for an allowance under this section in respect of the said machinery or plant in respect of any year of assessment falling wholly or partly within the appointed period, and (
- c)that person shows to the satisfaction of the Revenue Commissioners that, during the year of assessment to which the application relates, he was possessed of the said machinery or plant, the Revenue Commissioners may cause such allowance (in this section referred to as an emergency allowance) as they consider just to be made, by repayment or otherwise, in respect of the said machinery or plant from the assessment made on him for the year of assessment to which the application relates in respect of the profits of the said trade.
- a)for the purpose of such review the Revenue Commissioners may compare the following amounts, that is to say:— (
- i)the net cost (as hereinafter defined in this sub-section) to the said person of the machinery or plant in respect of which the said emergency allowances were made, and (
- ii)the total allowances (as hereinafter defined in this sub-section) made to the said person; (
- b)for the purposes of the said comparison, the said net cost shall be taken to be the amount by which the actual cost to the said person of the installation of the said machinery or plant exceeds the aggregate of— (
- i)the sum or sums (if any) provided by way of subsidy or grant out of public funds towards the said installation, and (
- ii)if the said machinery or plant is sold before the expiration of the appointed period, the amount for which the said plant or machinery was sold, or, if the said machinery or plant is not sold before the expiration of the appointed period but ceases before the expiration of the appointed period to be employed for the purposes of carrying on the trade for which it was acquired, the amount for which, in the opinion of the Revenue Commissioners, the said plant or machinery is worth to be sold at the expiration of the appointed period; (
- c)for the purposes of the said comparison, the said total allowances shall be taken to be the aggregate of— (
- i)all emergency allowances made to the said person in respect of the said machinery or plant, and (
- ii)all allowances made to the said person, in respect of the said machinery or plant, under or by reason of Eule 6 or Rule 7 of the Rules applicable to Cases I and II of Schedule D of the Income Tax Act, 1918, or section 3 of the Finance Act, 1942 (No. 14 of 1942), for the year of assessment during which the appointed period expires and for any previous year of assessment during which the said machinery or plant was possessed by him or, if the said machinery or plant is sold before the expiration of the appointed period, for the year of assessment in which it was sold and for any previous year during which the said machinery or plant was possessed by him; (
- d)if the said net cost exceeds the said total allowances, the Revenue Commissioners may, by repayment or otherwise, make such further emergency allowance as is in their opinion just; (
- e)if the said total allowances exceed the said net cost, the emergency allowances made to the said person may be revised and such additional assessments as the Revenue Commissioners consider to be necessary may be made on the said person for any year of assessment in respect of which any emergency allowance was granted to him.
- a)in the case of a company, the standard profits of which are the profits of a trade year, the amount of the deduction in respect of the total remuneration of all directors (in this sub-section referred to as the total deduction) to be allowed shall not exceed the total deduction which was allowed in computing, under the enactments for the time being in force in relation to corporation profits tax, the profits of the company for that trade year; (
- b)in the case of a company, the standard profits of which are the substituted standard or the sum of two thousand five hundred pounds, and which had one and only one trade year (being a trade year ended in the year ended on the 31st day of August, 1939) or which had two and only two consecutive trade years the later of which ended in the year ended on the 31st day of August, 1939, or which had three or more consecutive trade years the last of which ended in the year ended on the 31st day of August, 1939, the total deduction to be allowed shall not exceed the total deduction which was allowed in computing, under the said enactments, the profits of the company for— (
- i)if there was one and only one such trade year, that trade year, or (
- ii)if there were two and only two such consecutive trade years, whichever of those trade years there was so allowed the greater total deduction, or (iii) if there were three and only three such consecutive trade years, whichever of those trade years there was so allowed the greatest total deduction, or (
- iv)if there were four or more such consecutive trade years, whichever of the last three of those trade years there was so allowed the greatest total deduction; (
- c)in the case of a company the standard profits of which are the substituted standard or the sum of two thousand five hundred pounds and which had no trade year ended in the year ended on the 31st day of August, 1939, the total deduction to be allowed shall not exceed a sum representing three per cent. of the paid up issued capital of the company, unless, where the paid up issued capital is not less than fifteen thousand pounds, the Revenue Commissioners otherwise direct, in which case the total deduction to be allowed shall be the amount specified in the direction; (
- d)the references in paragraph (
- b)of this sub-section to the profits of a company for a trade year shall, where the company has incurred a loss for that trade year, be construed as references to the loss of the company for that trade year, and such loss shall be computed in like manner as profits are required by law to be computed for the purposes of a charge to corporation profits tax; (
- e)in the application of the provisions of the foregoing paragraphs of this sub-section to the assessment of excess corporation profits tax in respect of an accounting period or part of an accounting period which is less than twelve months, the maximum amount which may be allowed to be deducted under those provisions in respect of the total deduction shall be reduced to a sum which bears to the maximum amount specified in whichever of those provisions is applicable the same proportion as the said accounting period or part of an accounting period bears to twelve months; (
- f)where, in the case of a company which had one or more trade years, a person, who is a director required to devote substantially the whole of his time to the service of the company in a managerial or technical capacity, was not a director during the trade year, by reference to which the total deduction under paragraph (
- a)or paragraph (
- b)of this sub-section is computed, but was during that trade year employed by the company, then, notwithstanding anything contained in this sub-section, the Revenue Commissioners, if they so think fit, may increase the total deduction by such amount (not exceeding the remuneration paid to that person for the said trade year) as they think proper; (
- g)in this sub-section— the word “capital” has the same meaning as it has in sub-paragraph (
- i)of paragraph (
- c)of sub-section
- a)a post-appointed day company (in this sub-section referred to as the second company) is an auxiliary of another post-appointed day company (in this sub-section referred to as the first company), and (
- b)the first company is deemed by sub-section
- a)the post-appointed day company shall be deemed not to be a company; (
- b)the trade or business or undertaking of a similar character, including the holding of investments, carried on by the post-appointed day company shall be deemed to be carried on by the pre-appointed day company; (
- c)the assets of the post-appointed day company shall be deemed to be the assets of the pre-appointed day company.
- a)Where the Revenue Commissioners are satisfied that part of the issued capital of a post-appointed day company, which is deemed by this section to be a subsidiary of a pre-appointed day company, would, if the said capital had been issued by the pre-appointed day company as its own capital, have entitled the pre-appointed day company either to a deduction from profits under section 41 of the Act of 1941 or to any increase in its substituted standard under section 39 of the Act of 1941, they may, for the purposes of the said sections, deem the said part of the issued capital of the post-appointed day company to be capital issued by the pre-appointed day company. (
- b)In this sub-section the word “capital” has the same meaning as in sub-paragraph (
- i)of paragraph (
- c)of sub-section
- a)the said companies shall be liable jointly and severally to pay the excess; (
- b)if the said excess is paid by the pre-appointed day company, the pre-appointed day company may recover from the post-appointed day company an amount equal to the said excess.
- a)the pre-appointed day company and each of the post-appointed day companies shall be liable jointly and severally to pay the excess; (
- b)if the said excess is paid by the pre-appointed day company, the Special Commissioners may, on the application of the pre-appointed day company, apportion (which apportionment shall be final) the said excess between the post-appointed day companies in such proportions as the Special Commissioners think proper, and in that case the amount so apportioned to any post-appointed day company shall be recoverable from that post-appointed day company by the pre-appointed day company.
- a)A company (in this paragraph referred to as the second company) shall, for the purposes of this section, be deemed to be an auxiliary of another company (in this paragraph referred to as the first company) if— (
- i)the second company is incorporated after the first company, and (
- ii)the first company holds more than fifty per cent. of the paid up ordinary issued capital of the second company. (
- b)For the purposes of this sub-section— (
- i)any shares of a company held by the nominees or the shareholders of another company shall be deemed to be held by that other company, (
- ii)preference stock (other than preference stock carrying voting rights only when dividends are in arrear) which carry voting rights or preference shares (other than preference shares carrying voting rights only when dividends are in arrear) which carry voting rights shall be deemed to be ordinary stock or ordinary shares.
- a)Subject to paragraph (
- b)of this sub-section, the provisions of this section shall apply and have effect in relation to any accounting period ending after the 31st day of December, 1943. (
- b)Where the provisions set out in sub-section
- a)the charging with corporation profits tax of companies which, but for the adjustments, would not be chargeable with any corporation profits tax or would not be chargeable to the same extent, (
- b)the charging of a greater amount of corporation profits tax than would be chargeable but for the adjustments.
- a)a company (in this section referred to as the new company) applies in writing to the Revenue Commissioners to make an apportionment under this section, and (
- b)the new company satisfies the Revenue Commissioners— (
- i)that it was incorporated after the 31st day of August, 1939, to carry on a trade or business similar in character to, but smaller in scale than, the trade or business of a company (in this section referred to as the old company) which has been dissolved and which had one or more trade years, and (
- ii)that it does so carry on such trade or business, and (iii) that more than fifty per cent. of the ordinary issued capital of the new company is held by persons who held in the aggregate more than fifty per cent. of the ordinary issued capital of the old company, and (
- iv)that a substantial part of the organisation of the old company has been taken over by the new company, and (
- v)that the new company was incorporated not later than one month after the dissolution of the old company, and (
- c)the new company furnishes to the Revenue Commissioners such accounts, particulars and information as the Revenue Commissioners require for the purposes of the application, the following provisions shall have effect—
- Construction of this Part of this Act. 18.—This part of this Act shall be read and construed together with Part V of the Finance Act, 1920 , as amended or extended by subsequent enactments, and, in particular, shall be read and construed together with Part V of the Act of 1941, Part IV of the Finance Act, 1942 (No, 14 of 1942), and Part III of the Finance Act, 1943 (No. 16 of 1943). PART III. Miscellaneous and General. Amendment of section 34 of the Finance Act,
- 19.—Sub-section
- b)of the said sub-section, of the following paragraph, that is to say:— “(
- b)in respect of the financial year commencing on the 1st day of April, 1945, and of each subsequent financial year, such sum, not exceeding forty thousand pounds, as the Minister for Finance may from time to time determine.” Transfer of money from the Road Fund to the Exchequer. 20.—With a view to providing moneys to meet general charges which will fall upon the Central Fund, the sum of one hundred thousand pounds shall be transferred and paid from the Road Fund to the Exchequer at such time or times in the financial year ending on the 31st day of March, 1945, and in such manner as the Minister for Finance shall direct. Power of Minister for Finance to direct transfer of assets of wound-up funds to the Savings Certificates Reserve Fund. 21.—On the winding up of any fund or account the assets of which fall to be paid into or disposed of for the benefit of the Exchequer, the Minister for Finance may direct that such assets shall, to such extent as he may think proper, be paid and transferred to the Savings Certificates Reserve Fund and placed to the credit of the Principal Reserve Account. Care and management of taxes and duties. 22.—All taxes and duties imposed by this Act are hereby placed under the care and management of the Revenue Commissioners. Short title, construction and commencement. 23.—
- SCHEDULE. Amendments of enactments consequent upon the substitution in county boroughs and the borough of Dun Laoghaire of the municipal rate for the poor rate and certain other rates. Enactments to be amended Nature of amendment The Income Tax Act, 1918: section
- In sub-section
- a)the words “or which is assessable to the municipal rate on a proportion only of the valuation under the Valuation Acts” shall be inserted after the words “poor rates”, and (
- b)the words “or is liable to be assessed in respect of that rent to the municipal rate on a proportion only of the valuation under the Valuation Acts” shall be inserted after the words “any poor rate”. The Income Tax Act, 1918: section 191. In sub-section
- In paragraph (a), the words “or of the proportion applicable to the relief of the poor of the municipal rate” shall be inserted after the words “poor rates”. In paragraph (b), the words “or of the proportion applicable to the relief of the poor of the municipal rate” shall be inserted after the words “poor rate”. The Income Tax Act, 1918: section
- The words “or of the proportion applicable to the relief of the poor of the municipal rate” shall be inserted after the words “poor rates” wherever the latter words occur. The Income Tax Act, 1918: section
- The words “or of the proportion applicable to the relief of the poor of the municipal rate” shall be inserted after the words “poor rates”. The Finance Act, 1923 : section
- In sub-section