Dormant company exempt from audit requirements
205B.—(1)  A company shall be exempt from audit requirements if —
(a)it has been dormant from the time of its formation; or
(b)it has been dormant since the end of the previous financial year.
[8/2003]
(2)  A company is dormant during a period in which no accounting transaction occurs; and the company ceases to be dormant on the occurrence of such a transaction.
[8/2003]
(3)  For the purpose of subsection (2), there shall be disregarded transactions of a company arising from any of the following:
(a)the taking of shares in the company by a subscriber to the memorandum in pursuance of an undertaking of his in the memorandum;
(b)the appointment of a secretary of the company under section 171;
(c)the appointment of an auditor under section 205;
(d)the maintenance of a registered office under sections 142, 143 and 144;
(e)the keeping of registers and books under sections 88, 131, 173, 189 and 191;
(f)the payment of any fee specified in the Second Schedule or an amount of any fine or default penalty paid to the Registrar under section 409(4);
(g)such other matter as may be prescribed.
[8/2003]
(4)  Where a company is, at the end of a financial year, exempt from audit requirements under subsection (1) —
(a)the copies of the profit and loss accounts and balance-sheet, or consolidated accounts and balance-sheet of the company to be sent under section 203 need not be audited;
(b)section 203 has effect with the omission of any reference to the auditor’s report or a copy of the report;
(c)copies of an auditor’s report need not be laid before the company in a general meeting; and
(d)the annual return of the company to be lodged with the Registrar shall be accompanied by a statement by the directors —
(i)that the company is a company referred to in subsection (1)(a) or (b) as at the end of the financial year;
(ii)that no notice has been received under subsection (6) in relation to that financial year; and
(iii)as to whether the accounting and other records required by this Act to be kept by the company have been kept in accordance with section 199.
[8/2003]
(5)  Where a company which is exempt from audit requirements under subsection (1) ceases to be dormant, it shall thereupon cease to be so exempt; but it shall remain so exempt in relation to accounts for the financial year in which it was dormant throughout.
[8/2003]
(6)  Any member or members holding not less than 5% of the total number of issued shares of the company (excluding treasury shares) or any class of those shares (excluding treasury shares), or not less than 5% of the total number of members of the company (excluding the company itself if it is registered as a member) may, by notice in writing to the company during a financial year but not later than one month before the end of that year, require the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for that year.
[21/2005]
(7)  Where a notice is given under subsection (6), the company is not entitled to the exemption under subsection (1) in respect of the financial year to which the notice relates.
[8/2003]
(8)  In this section, “accounting transaction” means a transaction the accounting or other record of which is required to be kept under section 199(1).
[8/2003]
[UK, 1985, ss. 249B, 250]