Inheritance Tax Act 1984 section 259

Inspection of records

Section 259 extends certain stamp duty record inspection powers so that they also apply for inheritance tax purposes.

• HMRC may inspect public records and records of unit trusts for inheritance tax purposes, using the same powers that exist for stamp duties.
• The powers derive from three older statutes: section 16 of the Stamp Act 1891, section 56 of the Finance Act 1946, and section 27 of the Finance (No. 2) Act (Northern Ireland) 1946.
• These provisions allow HMRC officers to examine relevant documents held in public offices or by unit trust managers to verify tax liabilities.
• The effect is that HMRC does not need separate inspection powers for inheritance tax — the existing stamp duty framework is simply extended to cover it.