UK Offence Report

Changes in particulars

regulation 5(5) of The Landfill Tax Regulations 1996

This offence was read from the text as made, and no revised version was available, so a later revocation could not be ruled out. Check the current text at legislation.gov.uk.

What the provision says

5 Any person failing to comply with

a requirement imposed in any of paragraphs (1) to (3) above shall be liable to

a penalty of £250.

Text as made, from legislation.gov.uk. © Crown copyright, reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. This is the text as originally made; later amendments are not shown here.

Who it binds, and what has to be proved

Binds
a person
Conduct
failing to comply with a notice or direction
Fault element
Strict liability
Burden of proof
No statutory defence — prosecution proves everything

The prosecution must prove that the conduct happened. This is a strict liability offence as drafted: the provision uses no word of intention, knowledge, recklessness or negligence, so there is no need to show that a person meant to do it, knew about it, or was careless.

Intention, knowledge and carelessness are irrelevant to guilt. They may still matter a great deal to sentence.

The provision states no defence, so the prosecution bears the burden on every element of the offence.

Classifier’s reasoning: no word of intention, knowledge, recklessness or negligence in the offence or its provision.

What would breach regulation 5(5)?

These are illustrations, not law. They are generated from the provision’s own words to show the shape of the offence. Whether any particular conduct is caught depends on the full text, on any amendment since, and on the facts.

  1. Being served with a notice under the Landfill Tax Regulations 1996 and doing nothing by the date it specifies.
  2. Doing part of what the notice requires, where it required all of it.
  3. Disagreeing with the notice and ignoring it, rather than using whatever appeal the instrument provides.

Penalty

Mode of trial
Not determined
Maximum fine
£250
Maximum prison (summary)
Not determined

Sentencing

Offences of this kind are usually sentenced under the guidelines below. This is a mapping by subject, not a finding about this provision, and the links go to a search of the Sentencing Council’s own site.

Prosecution figures

No published per-offence figure was found for this provision, and it could not be matched to a Ministry of Justice offence code. Offences created by statutory instrument very largely do not have one. Absence of a figure is not evidence that the offence is unused.

Status and lifecycle

Current status
Status not determined
Made
12 June 1996
In force from
1 August 1996
Extent
Not stated

How this was established: read from the text as made; no revised version available, so later revocation could not be ruled out.

What the instrument is for

(This note is not part of the Regulations) — the explanatory note published with the instrument, © Crown copyright.

These Regulations make provision for the administration and assurance of landfill tax. In particular: Part I provides for the Regulations to come into force on 1st August 1996, defines expressions used in them and provides for certain decisions of the Commissioners to be made in writing. Part II regulates the registration of persons who intend to make taxable disposals. It provides for changes to the register and the removal from the register of persons who cease to intend to make taxable disposals. It also makes special provision for transfers of a going concern, partnerships and other unincorporated bodies and relating to the bankruptcy or incapacity of registered persons. Part III deals with accounting for tax by making returns, the keeping of a landfill tax account, the correction of errors, payment of the tax and retention of records. Part IV deals with claims and payments in respect of credits of tax arising under Parts V, VI and VII. Part V provides for an entitlement to credit in circumstances relating to the recycling, incineration and permanent removal of waste. Part VI provides for an entitlement to credit in respect of bad debts, and regulates the evidence required and records to be kept. It also provides for the attribution of payments to debts and the repayment of credit. Part VII provides for an entitlement to credit for contributions made to bodies for expenditure on approved environmental objects. It also defines the roles and responsibilities of a special regulatory body and Customs and Excise. Part VIII specifies what information a landfill invoice must contain. Part IX deals with temporary disposals, and makes special provision for the disposal to be exempt or for the tax to be deferred. Part X sets out the basic method of determining the weight of material disposed of, and provides for specified and agreed methods to be used instead. Part XI provides for the set-off of landfill tax credits and debits against credits and debits arising from other taxes and duties administered by Customs and Excise, and prevents the set-off of credits in cases of insolvency. Part XII provides for distress to be levied in respect of landfill tax debts and for certain things relating to diligence in Scotland to be done by officers of Customs and Excise of a minimum grade.

Read the full note and every offence in this instrument

What Parliament said

Mentions of this instrument in Hansard. Parliamentary material is reused under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.

How this was identified as an offence

Everything above rests on the judgement that this provision creates a criminal offence, rather than mentioning one. That judgement is made by rule, from the words of the provision, and this is the rule that made it — with a confidence of 0.68.

Basis
the provision states a penalty in older drafting
Confidence
0.68 of 1.00

A provision that states a penalty for an offence created elsewhere can read very like one that creates an offence, and the rules can mistake the one for the other. If the text quoted above sets a penalty for something made an offence by another provision, treat the classification on this page with that in mind, and read the instrument.

Check the source