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31 1999

STAMP DUTIES CONSOLIDATION ACT, 1999

PART 4

Adjudication and Appeals

Assessment of duty by the Commissioners.

[SA1891 s12]

20. —(1) Subject to such regulations as the Commissioners may think fit to make, the Commissioners may be required by any person to express their opinion, or may express their opinion, with reference to any executed instrument on the following questions:

(a) whether it is chargeable with any duty;

(b) with what amount of duty it is chargeable.

(2) Where an instrument which is chargeable with stamp duty has not been delivered to the Commissioners for assessment of duty or impressing of stamps, the Commissioners shall make an assessment of such amount of stamp duty as, to the best of their knowledge, information (including information received from a member of the Garda Síochána) and belief, ought to be charged, levied and paid on the instrument; and the accountable person shall be liable for the payment of the stamp duty so assessed unless, on delivery of the instrument to them, the Commissioners make another assessment to be substituted for such assessment.

(3) The Commissioners may require to be furnished with a copy of the instrument, together with such evidence as they may deem necessary, in order to show to their satisfaction whether all the facts and circumstances affecting the liability of the instrument to duty, or the amount of the duty chargeable on the instrument, are fully and truly set forth in the instrument.

(4) If the Commissioners are of opinion that the instrument is not chargeable with any duty, it may be stamped with a particular stamp denoting that it is not chargeable with any duty.

(5) If the Commissioners are of opinion that the instrument is chargeable with duty, they shall assess the duty with which it is in their opinion chargeable, and when the instrument is stamped in accordance with the assessment it may be stamped with a particular stamp denoting that it is duly stamped.

(6) Every instrument stamped with the particular stamp denoting either that it is not chargeable with any duty, or is duly stamped, shall be admissible in evidence, and available for all purposes notwithstanding any objection relating to duty.

(7) An instrument on which the duty has been assessed by the Commissioners shall not, if it is unstamped or insufficiently stamped, be stamped otherwise than in accordance with the assessment.

(8) Nothing in this section shall—

(a) extend to any instrument chargeable with ad valorem duty, and made as a security for money or stock without limit, or

(b) authorise the stamping after its execution of any instrument which by law cannot be stamped after execution.

(9) A statutory declaration made for the purpose of this section shall not be used against any person making the same in any proceeding, except in an inquiry as to the duty with which the instrument to which it relates is chargeable.

(10) If at any time it appears that for any reason an assessment is incorrect the Commissioners shall make such other assessment as they consider appropriate, which assessment shall be substituted for the first-mentioned assessment.

(11) If at any time it appears, in respect of an instrument which has been stamped in accordance with an assessment, that for any reason the assessment was an underassessment the Commissioners shall make such additional assessment as they consider appropriate.

Right of appeal of persons dissatisfied with assessment.

[SA1891 s13]

21. —(1) In this section—

“Appeal Commissioners” has the meaning assigned to it by section 850 of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997 ;

“appellant” means a person who appeals to the Appeal Commissioners under subsection (2).

(2) Any person who is dissatisfied with the assessment of the Commissioners and who is an accountable person in relation to such assessment may, on payment of duty in conformity with the assessment, appeal to the Appeal Commissioners against the assessment and the appeal shall be heard and determined by the Appeal Commissioners whose determination shall be final and conclusive unless the appeal is required to be reheard by a judge of the Circuit Court or a case is required to be stated in relation to it for the opinion of the High Court on a point of law.

(3) A person who intends to appeal under this section against an assessment shall, within 30 days after the date of the assessment, give notice in writing to the Commissioners of such intention.

(4) Subject to this section, Chapter 1 of Part 40 (Appeals) of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997 , shall, with any necessary modifications, apply as they apply for the purpose of income tax.

(5) Notwithstanding subsection (2)

(a) any person dissatisfied with any decision of the Commissioners as to the value of any land for the purpose of an assessment under this Act may appeal against such decision in the manner prescribed by section 33 (as amended by the Property Values (Arbitrations and Appeals) Act, 1960 ) of the Finance (1909-10) Act, 1910, and so much of Part I of that Act as relates to appeals shall apply to an appeal under this subsection;

(b) an appeal shall not lie under subsection (2) on any question relating to the value of any land.

(6) The particulars of any transfer or lease which are presented to or obtained by the Commissioners under section 12 shall, in any appeal under this section, be received as prima facie evidence of all matters and things stated in such particulars.