TTM02120 | Tonnage tax elections: Action by HMRC

Action by HMRC on receipt of election

Examination of election

• Under the self-assessment system (SA) no formal acceptance of an election is required. All clearance correspondence is handled by the Tonnage Tax Technical Adviser. Elections are dealt with by operational units and may be sent to the HMRC tonnage tax mailbox (at some risk of insecure communication) or to the Technical Adviser to forward. See TTM01120 for contact details.

Acknowledgement of election

An officer will issue to the company or, where a group, the representative company, an acknowledgement of receipt of the election.

The acknowledgement will normally include a statement of the date on which the period covered by the election will start and end, effectively confirming agreement to any backdating or deferment of the starting date, subject to any necessary enquiry into the date of entry.

This acknowledgement does not of itself mean that HMRC accepts that the companies, their activities, or their vessels qualify for tonnage tax. A group may, however, take advantage of the non statutory business clearance procedure. See TTM02010 onwards.