TTM17126 - Schedule 22 Finance Act 2000: Part III qualifying companies and groups - Para 22A flagging - rule for ships other than dredgers and tugs

These EU/EEA ‘flagging’ rules were repealed by FA22/S25 (6) and (7) with effect from 1 April 2022

FA00/SCH22/PARA22A

(1) This paragraph applies if the following conditions are satisfied in the case of a ship which-

(a) is neither a qualifying dredger nor a tug, and

(b) would, apart from this paragraph, be a qualifying ship.

(2) Condition 1 is that, at a time after the later of the reference date (see paragraph 22B(1)) and 30th June 2005,-

(a) in the case of a tonnage tax company which is a single company, the company begins, in a financial year which is not excepted (see paragraph 22B(2)), to operate the ship for the first time, or

(b) in the case of a tonnage tax company which is a member of a tonnage tax group, the company begins, in a financial year which is not excepted, to operate the ship for the first time, the ship not having previously been operated by any other member of the group.

(3) Condition 2 is that less than 60% of the company’s total tonnage is Community-flagged (see paragraph 22B(3)) on average over the period-

(a) beginning with the first day of the financial year mentioned in condition 1, and

(b) ending with the day on which the company so begins to operate the ship.

(4) Condition 3 is that-

(a) the percentage of the company’s total tonnage which is Community-flagged on average over the period mentioned in condition 2,

is less than

(b) the percentage of the company’s total tonnage which was Community-flagged on the reference date.

(5) Condition 4 is that, on the date on which the company so begins to operate the ship, the ship is not registered in one of the Member States’ registers (see paragraph 22B(7)).

(6) Where this paragraph applies in relation to the ship, the ship shall not, at any time on or after that date, be regarded as-

(a) a qualifying ship operated by the company, or

(b) if immediately before that date the company is a member of a tonnage tax group, a qualifying ship operated by any company that is or becomes a member of the group.

(7) But sub-paragraph (6) does not apply if-

(a) the ship has become registered in one of the Member States’ registers by the end of the period of three months beginning with that date, or

(b) the conditions in sub-paragraph (8) are satisfied.

(8) Those conditions are that-

(a) a substitute ship which was not registered in one of the Member States’ registers has, during the period mentioned in sub-paragraph (7)(a), become so registered, and

(b) no later than the end of that period-

(i) if the company is a single company, the company makes an election under this sub-paragraph in relation to the substitute ship, or

(ii) if the company is a member of a tonnage tax group, all the qualifying companies in the group jointly make such an election.

(9) In sub-paragraph (8) a “substitute ship” means a qualifying ship-

(a) the tonnage of which is no less than that of the ship mentioned in sub-paragraph (1), and

(b) which was first operated by the company or, if the company is a member of a tonnage tax group, by any other member of the group more than three months before that date;

and for this purpose the tonnage of a ship is to be determined on the same basis as it is under paragraph 22B(3).

(10) An election under sub-paragraph (8) is made by notice to the Inland Revenue.