Section 20 Refund of tax in certain cases.

Subject to the following provisions of this section, where tax is chargeable on the supply of goods or services to, F1. . . a body to which this section applies and F2on the acquisition of any goods by such a body from another member State or on the importation of any goods by such a body from a place outside the member States and the supply, acquisition or importation is not for the purpose of any business carried on by the body, the Commissioners shall, on a claim made by the body at such time and in such form and manner as the Commissioners may determine, refund to it the amount of the tax so chargeable.

Where goods or services so supplied to or F3acquired or imported by the body cannot be conveniently distinguished from goods or services supplied to or acquired or imported by it for the purpose of a business carried on by it, the amount to be refunded under this section shall be such amount as remains after deducting from the whole of the tax chargeable on any supply to or acquisition or importation by the body such proportion thereof as appears to the Commissioners to be attributable to the carrying on of the business; but where the tax so attributable is or includes tax attributable, in accordance with regulations under section 15 above, to exempt supplies by the body and the tax attributable to the exempt supplies is in the opinion of the Commissioners an insignificant proportion of the tax so chargeable they may include it in the tax refunded under this section.

The bodies to which this section applies are—

No tax shall be refunded under this section to a general lighthouse authority which in the opinion of the Commissioners is attributable to activities other than those concerned with the provision, maintenance or management or lights or other navigational aids.

No tax shall be refunded under this section to a nominated news provider which in the opinion of the Commissioners is attributable to activities other than the provision of news programmes for broadcasting by holders of regional Channel 3 licences (within the meaning of Part I of the Broadcasting Act 1990).

References in this section to tax chargeable do not include any tax which, by virtue of any order under section 14(10) above, is excluded from credit under that section.

In this section “local authority” means the council of a county, district, London borough, parish or group of parishes (or, in Wales, community or group of communities), F8 the Common Council of the City of London, the Council of the Isles of Scilly, and any joint committee or joint board established by two or more of the foregoing and, in relation to Scotland, a regional, islands or district council within the meaning of the M12Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, any combination and any joint committee or joint board established by two or more of the foregoing and any joint board to which section 226 of that Act applies.