959AP Payment of preliminary tax by direct debit.

(1) This section applies to a chargeable person who—

(a) authorises the Collector-General to collect preliminary tax for income tax purposes by the debiting of a bank account of that person in accordance with subsection (2), and

(b) complies with such conditions as the Collector-General may reasonably impose to ensure that an amount of preliminary tax payable by a chargeable person for a tax year will be paid by the chargeable person in accordance with this section.

(2) Preliminary tax appropriate to a tax year for income tax purposes is due and payable in the case of a chargeable person to whom this subsection applies—

(a) as respects the first tax year for which the Collector-General is authorised in accordance with subsection (1) to debit that person’s bank account, by way of a minimum of 3 equal monthly instalments in that year, and

(b) as respects any subsequent tax year in which the Collector-General is so authorised, by way of a minimum of 8 equal monthly instalments in that year,

and the Collector-General shall debit the bank account of that person with such instalments on day 9 of each month for which the Collector-General is so authorised.

(3) The Collector-General may, in any particular case, in order to facilitate the payment of preliminary tax in accordance with this section, agree at the Collector-General’s discretion to vary the number of equal monthly instalments to be collected in a year or agree at the Collector-General’s discretion to an increase or decrease in the amount to be collected in any subsequent instalment to be made in that year.

(4) A chargeable person shall not be treated as having paid an amount of preliminary tax in accordance with this subsection unless that person pays in the tax year the monthly instalments due in accordance with subsection (2) or (3), as appropriate.

(5) For the purposes of section 959AO, a chargeable person who pays an amount of preliminary tax appropriate to a tax year in accordance with this section shall be deemed to have paid that amount of preliminary tax on 31 October in the tax year.