(1) In this section, "surplus advance corporation tax", in relation to an accounting period, means advance corporation tax which cannot be set against the company's liability to corporation tax for that period because of a want or deficiency of income charged to corporation tax for that period or because of any relief from or reduction in the amount of corporation tax charged on such income for that period.
(2) Advance corporation tax paid by a company (and not repaid) in respect of any distribution made by it in an accounting period shall be set, in so far as possible, against the company's liability to corporation tax on any income charged to corporation tax for that accounting period and shall accordingly discharge a corresponding amount of that liability.
(3) Where in the case of any accounting period of a company there is an amount of surplus advance corporation tax, the company may, within 2 years after the end of that period, claim to have the whole or any part of that amou