STTG3300 - Place of residence: relevant non-Tax Case law

Outside the field of taxation there are many circumstances in which the identification of an individual’s residence is important. Whilst the meaning of a phrase must always be considered by reference to the particular legislative context in which it is used, the following cases illustrate important factors that should be considered when considering whether a location constitutes ‘a place of residence’ for the purposes of Scottish taxpayer status.

One such example is the identification of the constituency in which an individual is resident for the purpose of voting. Under the Representation of the People Act 1948, entitlement to vote was given to persons resident in a constituency on a qualifying date. In the case of Fox v Stirk, Ricketts v Registration Officer for the City of Cambridge [1970] 3 All ER 7 the Court of Appeal considered whether students should be resident in the constituency of the University that they attended. In his judgment, Lord Denning M.R. cited a passage from the speech of Viscount Cave L.C. in Levene v. Inland Revenue Commissioners [1928] AC 217 (a case which did relate to tax law)

‘… the word ‘reside’ is a familiar English word and is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as meaning ‘to dwell permanently or for a considerable time, to have one’s settled or usual abode, to live in or at a particular place’.’

Lord Denning went on to say

‘I derive three principles. The first is that a man can have two residences. He can have a flat in London and a house in the country. He is resident in both. The second principle is that temporary presence at an address does not make a man resident there. A guest who comes for the weekend is not resident. A short stay visitor is not resident. The third principle is that temporary absence does not deprive a person of his residence. If he happens to be away for a holiday or away for the weekend or in hospital, he does not lose his residence on that account.’

Further to this Lord Widgery commented,

‘This conception of residence is of a place where a man is based or where he continues to live, the place where he sleeps and shelters and has his home. It is imperative to remember in this context that ‘residence’ implies a degree of permanence. In the words of the Oxford English Dictionary, it is concerned with something which will go on for a considerable time. Consequently a person is not entitled to claim to be a resident at a given town merely because he pays a short, temporary visit. Some assumption of permanence, some degree of continuity, some expectation of continuity, is a vital factor which turns simple occupation into residence.’