Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 (c. 12)

(The document as of February, 2008)

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(a) the "amount distributed" means the amount or value of the capital distribution,

(b) "capital distribution" means any distribution from a company, including a distribution in the course of dissolving or winding up the company, in money or money's worth except a distribution which in the hands of the recipient constitutes income for the purposes of income tax.

123 Disposal of right to acquire shares or debentures

(1) Where a person receives or becomes entitled to receive in respect of any shares in a company a provisional allotment of shares in or debentures of the company and he disposes of his rights, section 122 shall apply as if the amount of the consideration for the disposal were a capital distribution received by him from the company in respect of the first-mentioned shares, and as if that person had, instead of disposing of the rights, disposed of an interest in those shares.

(2) This section shall apply in relation to rights obtained in respect of debentures of a company as it applies in relation to rights obtained in respect of shares in a company.

Close companies

124 Disposal of shares: relief in respect of income tax consequent on shortfall in distributions

(1) If in pursuance of section 426 of the Taxes Act (consequences for income tax of apportionment of income etc. of close company) a person is assessed to income tax, then, in the computation of the gain accruing on a disposal by him of any shares forming part of his interest in the company to which the relevant apportionment relates, the amount of the income tax paid by him, so far as attributable to those shares, shall be allowable as a deduction.

(2) Subsection (1) above shall not apply in relation to tax charged in respect of undistributed income which has, before the disposal, been subsequently distributed and is then exempt from tax by virtue of section 427(4) of the Taxes Act or in relation to tax treated as having been paid by virtue of section 426(2)(b) of that Act.

(3) For the purposes of this section the income assessed to tax shall be the highest part of the individual's income for the year of assessment in question, but so that if the highest part of the said income is taken into account under this section in relation to an assessment to tax the next highest part shall be taken into account in relation to any other relevant assessment, and so on.

(4) For the purpose of identifying shares forming part of an interest in a company with shares subsequently disposed of which are of the same class, shares bought at an earlier time shall be deemed to have been disposed of before shares bought at a later time.

125 Shares in close company transferring assets at an undervalue

(1) If a company which is a close company transfers, or has after 31st March 1982 transferred, an asset to any person otherwise than by way of a bargain made at arm's length and for a consideration of an amount or value less than the market value of the asset, an amount equal to the difference shall be apportioned among the issued shares of the company, and the holders of those shares shall be treated in accordance with the following provisions of this section.

(2) For the purposes of the computation of the gain accruing on the disposal of any of those shares by the person owning them on the date of transfer, an amount equal to the amount so apportioned to that share shall be excluded from the expenditure allowable as a deduction under section 38(1)(a) from the consideration for the disposal.

(3) If the person owning any of the shares at the date of transfer is itself a close company an amount equal to the amount apportioned to the shares so owned under subsection (1) above to that close company shall be apportioned among the issued shares of that close company, and the holders of those shares shall be treated in accordance with subsection (2) above, and so on through any number of close companies.

(4) This section shall not apply where the transfer of the asset is a disposal to which section 171(1) applies.

(5) In relation to a disposal to which section 35(2) does not apply, subsection (1) above shall have effect with the substitution of "6th April 1965" for "31st March 1982".

II Reorganisation of share capital, conversion of securities etc.

Reorganisation or reduction of share capital

126 Application of sections 127 to 131

(1) For the purposes of this section and sections 127 to 131 "reorganisation" means a reorganisation or reduction of a company's share capital, and in relation to the reorganisation--

(a) "original shares" means shares held before and concerned in the reorganisation,

(b) "new holding" means, in relation to any original shares, the shares in and debentures of the company which as a result of the reorganisation represent the original shares (including such, if any, of the original shares as remain).

(2) The reference in subsection (1) above to the reorganisation of a company's share capital includes--

(a) any case where persons are, whether for payment or not, allotted shares in or debentures of the company in respect of and in proportion to (or as nearly as may be in proportion to) their holdings of shares in the company or of any class of shares in the company, and

(b) any case where there are more than one class of share and the rights attached to shares of any class are altered.

(3) The reference in subsection (1) above to a reduction of share capital does not include the paying off of redeemable share capital, and where shares in a company are redeemed by the company otherwise than by the issue of shares or debentures (with or without other consideration) and otherwise than in a liquidation, the shareholder shall be treated as disposing of the shares at the time of the redemption.

127 Equation of original shares and new holding

Subject to sections 128 to 130, a reorganisation shall not be treated as involving any disposal of the original shares or any acquisition of the new holding or any part of it, but the original shares (taken as a single asset) and the new holding (taken as a single asset) shall be treated as the same asset acquired as the original shares were acquired.

128 Consideration given or received by holder

(1) Subject to subsection (2) below, where, on a reorganisation, a person gives or becomes liable to give any consideration for his new holding or any part of it, that consideration shall in relation to any disposal of the new holding or any part of it be treated as having been given for the original shares, and if the new holding or part of it is disposed of with a liability attaching to it in respect of that consideration, the consideration given for the disposal shall be adjusted accordingly.

(2) There shall not be treated as consideration given for the new holding or any part of it--

(a) any surrender, cancellation or other alteration of the original shares or of the rights attached thereto, or

(b) any consideration consisting of any application, in paying up the new holding or any part of it, of assets of the company or of any dividend or other distribution declared out of those assets but not made,

and, in the case of a reorganisation on or after 10th March 1981, any consideration given for the new holding or any part of it otherwise than by way of a bargain made at arm's length shall be disregarded to the extent that its amount or value exceeds the relevant increase in value; and for this purpose "the relevant increase in value" means the amount by which the market value of the new holding immediately after the reorganisation exceeds the market value of the original shares immediately before the reorganisation.

(3) Where on a reorganisation a person receives (or is deemed to receive), or becomes entitled to receive, any consideration, other than the new holding, for the disposal of an interest in the original shares, and in particular--

(a) where under section 122 he is to be treated as if he had in consideration of a capital distribution disposed of an interest in the original shares, or

(b) where he receives (or is deemed to receive) consideration from other shareholders in respect of a surrender of rights derived from the original shares,

he shall be treated as if the new holding resulted from his having for that consideration disposed of an interest in the original shares (but without prejudice to the original shares and the new holding being treated in accordance with section 127 as the same asset).

(4) Where for the purpose of subsection (3) above it is necessary in computing the gain or loss accruing on the disposal of the interest in the original shares mentioned in that subsection to apportion the cost of acquisition of the original shares between what is disposed of and what is retained, the apportionment shall be made in the like manner as under section 129.

129 Part disposal of new holding

Subject to section 130(2), where for the purpose of computing the gain or loss accruing to a person from the acquisition and disposal of any part of the new holding it is necessary to apportion the cost of acquisition of any of the original shares between what is disposed of and what is retained, the apportionment shall be made by reference to market value at the date of the disposal (with such adjustment of the market value of any part of the new holding as may be required to offset any liability attaching thereto but forming part of the cost to be apportioned).

130 Composite new holdings

(1) This section shall apply to a new holding--

(a) if it consists of more than one class of shares in or debentures of the company and one or more of those classes is of shares or debentures which, at any time not later than the end of the period of 3 months beginning with the date on which the reorganisation took effect, or of such longer period as the Board may by notice allow, had quoted market values on a recognised stock exchange in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, or

(b) if it consists of more than one class of rights of unit holders and one or more of those classes is of rights the prices of which were published daily by the managers of the scheme at any time not later than the end of that period of 3 months (or longer if so allowed).

(2) Where for the purpose of computing the gain or loss accruing to a person from the acquisition and disposal of the whole or any part of any class of shares or debentures or rights of unit holders forming part of a new holding to which this section applies it is necessary to apportion costs of acquisition between what is disposed of and what is retained, the cost of acquisition of the new holding shall first be apportioned between the entire classes of shares or debentures or rights of which it consists by reference to market value on the first day (whether that day fell before the reorganisation took effect or later) on which market values or prices were quoted or published for the shares, debentures or rights as mentioned in subsection (1)(a) or (1)(b) above (with such adjustment of the market value of any class as may be required to offset any liability attaching thereto but forming part of the cost to be apportioned).

(3) For the purposes of this section the day on which a reorganisation involving the allotment of shares or debentures or unit holders' rights takes effect is the day following the day on which the right to renounce any allotment expires.

131 Indexation allowance

(1) This section applies where--

(a) by virtue of section 127, on a reorganisation the original shares (taken as a single asset) and the new holding (taken as a single asset) fall to be treated as the same asset acquired as the original shares were acquired; and

(b) on the reorganisation, a person gives or becomes liable to give any consideration for his new holding or any part of it.

(2) Where this section applies, so much of the consideration referred to in subsection (1)(b) above as, on a disposal to which section 53 applies of the new holding, will, by virtue of section 128(1), be treated as having been given for the original shares, shall be treated for the purposes of section 54 as an item of relevant allowable expenditure incurred not at the time the original shares were acquired but at the time the person concerned gave or became liable to give the consideration (and, accordingly, section 54(4) shall not apply in relation to that item of expenditure).

Conversion of securities

132 Equation of converted securities and new holding

(1) Sections 127 to 131 shall apply with any necessary adaptations in relation to the conversion of securities as they apply in relation to a reorganisation (that is to say, a reorganisation or reduction of a company's share capital).

(2) This section has effect subject to sections 133 and 134.

(3) For the purposes of this section and section 133--

(a) "conversion of securities" includes--

(i) a conversion of securities of a company into shares in the company, and

(ii) a conversion at the option of the holder of the securities converted as an alternative to the redemption of those securities for cash, and

(iii) any exchange of securities effected in pursuance of any enactment (including an enactment passed after this Act) which provides for the compulsory acquisition of any shares or securities and the issue of securities or other securities instead,

(b) "security" includes any loan stock or similar security whether of the Government of the United Kingdom or of any other government, or of any public or local authority in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, or of any company, and whether secured or unsecured.

133 Premiums on conversion of securities

(1) This section applies where, on a conversion of securities, a person receives, or becomes entitled to receive, any sum of money ("the premium") which is by way of consideration (in addition to his new holding) for the disposal of the converted securities.

(2) If the inspector is satisfied that the premium is small, as compared with the value of the converted securities, and so directs--

(a) receipt of the premium shall not be treated for the purposes of this Act as a disposal of part of the converted securities, and

(b) the premium shall be deducted from any expenditure allowable under this Act as a deduction in computing a gain or loss on the disposal of the new holding by the person receiving or becoming entitled to receive the premium.

(3) A person who is dissatisfied with the refusal of the inspector to give a direction under subsection (2) above may appeal to the Commissioners having jurisdiction on an appeal against an assessment to tax in respect of a gain accruing to him on a disposal of the securities.

(4) Where the allowable expenditure is less than the premium (or is nil)--

(a) subsections (2) and (3) above shall not apply, and

(b) if the recipient so elects (and there is any allowable expenditure)--

(i) the amount of the premium shall be reduced by the amount of the allowable expenditure, and

(ii) none of that expenditure shall be allowable as a deduction in computing a gain accruing on the occasion of the conversion, or on any subsequent occasion.

(5) In subsection (4) above "allowable expenditure" means expenditure which immediately before the conversion was attributable to the converted securities under paragraphs (a) and (b) of section 38(1).

134 Compensation stock

(1) This section has effect where gilt-edged securities are exchanged for shares in pursuance of any enactment (including an enactment passed after this Act) which provides for the compulsory acquisition of any shares and the issue of gilt-edged securities instead.

(2) The exchange shall not constitute a conversion of securities within section 132 and shall be treated as not involving any disposal of the shares by the person from whom they were compulsorily acquired but--

(a) there shall be calculated the gain or loss that would have accrued to him if he had then disposed of the shares for a consideration equal to the value of the shares as determined for the purpose of the exchange, and

(b) on a subsequent disposal of the whole or part of the gilt-edged securities by the person to whom they were issued--

(i) there shall be deemed to accrue to him the whole or a corresponding part of the gain or loss mentioned in paragraph (a) above, and

(ii) section 115(1) shall not have effect in relation to any gain or loss that is deemed to accrue as aforesaid.

(3) Where a person to whom gilt-edged securities of any kind were issued as mentioned in subsection (1) above disposes of securities of that kind, the securities of which he disposes--

(a) shall, so far as possible, be identified with securities which were issued to him as mentioned in subsection (1) above rather than with other securities of that kind, and

(b) subject to paragraph (a) above, shall be identified with securities issued at an earlier time rather than those issued at a later time.

(4) Subsection (2)(b) above shall not apply to any disposal falling within the provisions of section 58(1), 62(4) or 171(1) but a person who has acquired the securities on a disposal falling within those provisions (and without there having been a previous disposal not falling within those provisions or a devolution on death) shall be treated for the purposes of subsections (2)(b) and (3) above as if the securities had been issued to him.

(5) Where the gilt-edged securities to be exchanged for any shares are not issued until after the date on which the shares are compulsorily acquired but on that date a right to the securities is granted, this section shall have effect as if the exchange had taken place on that date, as if references to the issue of the securities and the person to whom they were issued were references to the grant of the right and the person to whom it was granted and references to the disposal of the securities included references to disposals of the rights.

(6) In this section "shares" includes securities within the meaning of section 132.

(7) This section does not apply where the compulsory acquisition took place before 7th April 1976.

Company reconstructions and amalgamations

135 Exchange of securities for those in another company

(1) Subsection (3) below has effect where a company ("company A") issues shares or debentures to a person in exchange for shares in or debentures of another company ("company B") and--

(a) company A holds, or in consequence of the exchange will hold, more than one-quarter of the ordinary share capital (as defined in section 832(1) of the Taxes Act) of company B, or

(b) company A issues the shares or debentures in exchange for shares as the result of a general offer--

(i) which is made to members of company B or any class of them (with or without exceptions for persons connected with company A), and

(ii) which is made in the first instance on a condition such that if it were satisfied company A would have control of company B.

(2) Subsection (3) below also has effect where under section 136 persons are to be treated as exchanging shares or debentures held by them in consequence of the arrangement there mentioned.

(3) Subject to sections 137 and 138, sections 127 to 131 shall apply with any necessary adaptations as if the 2 companies mentioned in subsection (1) above or, as the case may be, in section 136 were the same company and the exchange were a reorganisation of its share capital.

136 Reconstruction or amalgamation involving issue of securities

(1) Where--

(a) an arrangement between a company and the persons holding shares in or debentures of the company, or any class of such shares or debentures, is entered into for the purposes of or in connection with a scheme of reconstruction or amalgamation, and

(b) under the arrangement another company issues shares or debentures to those persons in respect of and in proportion to (or as nearly as may be in proportion to) their holdings of shares in or debentures of the first-mentioned company, but the shares in or debentures of the first-mentioned company are either retained by those persons or cancelled,

then those persons shall be treated as exchanging the first-mentioned shares or debentures for those held by them in consequence of the arrangement (any shares or debentures retained being for this purpose regarded as if they had been cancelled and replaced by a new issue), and subsections (2) and (3) of section 135 shall apply accordingly.

(2) In this section "scheme of reconstruction or amalgamation" means a scheme for the reconstruction of any company or companies or the amalgamation of any 2 or more companies, and references to shares or debentures being retained include their being retained with altered rights or in an altered form whether as the result of reduction, consolidation, division or otherwise.

(3) This section, and section 135(2), shall apply in relation to a company which has no share capital as if references to shares in or debentures of a company included references to any interests in the company possessed by members of the company.

137 Restriction on application of sections 135 and 136

(1) Subject to subsection (2) below, and section 138, neither section 135 nor section 136 shall apply to any issue by a company of shares in or debentures of that company in exchange for or in respect of shares in or debentures of another company unless the exchange, reconstruction or amalgamation in question is effected for bona fide commercial reasons and does not form part of a scheme or arrangements of which the main purpose, or one of the main purposes, is avoidance of liability to capital gains tax or corporation tax.

(2) Subsection (1) above shall not affect the operation of section 135 or 136 in any case where the person to whom the shares or debentures are issued does not hold more than 5 per cent. of, or of any class of, the shares in or debentures of the second company mentioned in subsection (1) above.

(3) For the purposes of subsection (2) above shares or debentures held by persons connected with the person there mentioned shall be treated as held by him.

(4) If any tax assessed on a person (the chargeable person) by virtue of subsection (1) above is not paid within 6 months from the date when it is payable, any other person who--

(a) holds all or any part of the shares or debentures that were issued to the chargeable person, and

(b) has acquired them without there having been, since their acquisition by the chargeable person, any disposal of them not falling within section 58(1) or 171,

may, at any time within 2 years from the time when the tax became payable, be assessed and charged (in the name of the chargeable person) to all or, as the case may be, a corresponding part of the unpaid tax; and a person paying any amount of tax under this subsection shall be entitled to recover a sum of that amount from the chargeable person.

(5) With respect to chargeable gains accruing in chargeable periods ending after such day as the Treasury may by order appoint, in subsection (4) above--

(a) for the words "the date when it is payable" there shall be substituted "the date determined under subsection (4A) below";

(b) for the words "the time when the tax became payable" there shall be substituted "that date"; and

(c) for the words "a sum" onwards there shall be substituted "from the chargeable person a sum equal to that amount together with any interest paid by him under section 87A of the Management Act on that amount";

and after that subsection there shall be inserted--

" (4A) The date referred to in subsection (4) above is whichever is the later of--

(a) the date when the tax becomes due and payable by the chargeable person; and

(b) the date when the assessment was made on the chargeable person. "

(6) In this section references to shares or debentures include references to any interests or options to which this Chapter applies by virtue of section 136(3) or 147.

138 Procedure for clearance in advance

(1) Section 137 shall not affect the operation of section 135 or 136 in any case where, before the issue is made, the Board have, on the application of either company mentioned in section 137(1), notified the company that the Board are satisfied that the exchange, reconstruction or amalgamation will be effected for bona fide commercial reasons and will not form part of any such scheme or arrangements as are mentioned in section 137(1).

(2) Any application under subsection (1) above shall be in writing and shall contain particulars of the operations that are to be effected and the Board may, within 30 days of the receipt of the application or of any further particulars previously required under this subsection, by notice require the applicant to furnish further particulars for the purpose of enabling the Board to make their decision; and if any such notice is not complied with within 30 days or such longer period as the Board may allow, the Board need not proceed further on the application.

(3) The Board shall notify their decision to the applicant within 30 days of receiving the application or, if they give a notice under subsection (2) above, within 30 days of the notice being complied with.

(4) If the Board notify the applicant that they are not satisfied as mentioned in subsection (1) above or do not notify their decision to the applicant within the time required by subsection (3) above, the applicant may within 30 days of the notification or of that time require the Board to transmit the application, together with any notice given and further particulars furnished under subsection (2) above, to the Special Commissioners; and in that event any notification by the Special Commissioners shall have effect for the purposes of subsection (1) above as if it were a notification by the Board.

(5) If any particulars furnished under this section do not fully and accurately disclose all facts and considerations material for the decision of the Board or the Special Commissioners, any resulting notification that the Board or Commissioners are satisfied as mentioned in subsection (1) above shall be void.

139 Reconstruction or amalgamation involving transfer of business

(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, where--

(a) any scheme of reconstruction or amalgamation involves the transfer of the whole or part of a company's business to another company, and

(b) at the time of the transfer both the companies are resident in the United Kingdom, and

(c) the first-mentioned company receives no part of the consideration for the transfer (otherwise than by the other company taking over the whole or part of the liabilities of the business),

then, so far as relates to corporation tax on chargeable gains, the 2 companies shall be treated as if any assets included in the transfer were acquired by the one company from the other company for a consideration of such amount as would secure that on the disposal by way of transfer neither a gain nor a loss would accrue to the company making the disposal, and for the purposes of Schedule 2 the acquiring company shall be treated as if the respective acquisitions of the assets by the other company had been the acquiring company's acquisition of them.

(2) This section does not apply in relation to an asset which, until the transfer, formed part of trading stock of a trade carried on by the company making the disposal, or in relation to an asset which is acquired as trading stock for the purposes of a trade carried on by the company acquiring the asset.

Section 170(1) applies for the purposes of this subsection.

(3) This section does not apply in relation to an asset if the company acquiring it, though resident in the United Kingdom--

(a) is regarded for the purposes of any double taxation relief arrangements as resident in a territory outside the United Kingdom, and

(b) by virtue of the arrangements, would not be liable in the United Kingdom to tax on a gain arising on a disposal of the asset occurring immediately after the acquisition.

(4) This section does not apply in the case of a transfer of the whole or part of a company's business to a unit trust scheme to which section 100(2) applies or which is an authorised unit trust or to an investment trust.

(5) This section does not apply unless the reconstruction or amalgamation is effected for bona fide commercial reasons and does not form part of a scheme or arrangements of which the main purpose, or one of the main purposes, is avoidance of liability to corporation tax, capital gains tax or income tax; but the foregoing provisions of this subsection shall not affect the operation of this section in any case where, before the transfer, the Board have, on the application of the acquiring company, notified the company that the Board are satisfied that the reconstruction or amalgamation will be effected for bona fide commercial reasons and will not form part of any such scheme or arrangements as aforesaid.

Subsections (2) to (5) of section 138 shall have effect in relation to this subsection as they have effect in relation to subsection (1) of that section.

(6) Where, if the company making the disposal had not been wound up, tax could have been assessed on it by virtue of subsection (5) above, that tax may be assessed and charged (in the name of the company making the disposal) on the company to which the disposal is made.

(7) If any tax assessed on a company ("the chargeable company") by virtue of subsection (5) or (6) above is not paid within 6 months from the date when it is payable, any other person who--

(a) holds all or any part of the assets in respect of which the tax is charged; and

(b) either is the company to which the disposal was made or has acquired the assets without there having been any subsequent disposal not falling within this section or section 171,

may, within 2 years from the time when the tax became payable, be assessed and charged (in the name of the chargeable company) to all or, as the case may be, a corresponding part of the unpaid tax; and a person paying any amount of tax under this section shall be entitled to recover a sum of that amount from the chargeable company.

(8) With respect to chargeable gains accruing in chargeable periods ending after such day as the Treasury may by order appoint, in subsection (7) above--

(a) for the words "when it is payable" there shall be substituted "when it is due and payable or, if later, the date when the assessment is made on the company";

(b) for the words "the time when the tax became payable" there shall be substituted "the later of those dates"; and

(c) for the words "a sum" onwards there shall be substituted "from the chargeable company a sum equal to that amount together with any interest paid by him under section 87A of the Management Act on that amount".

(9) In this section "scheme of reconstruction or amalgamation" means a scheme for the reconstruction of any company or companies or the amalgamation of any 2 or more companies.

140 Postponement of charge on transfer of assets to non-resident company

(1) This section applies where a company resident in the United Kingdom carries on a trade outside the United Kingdom through a branch or agency and--

(a) that trade, or part of it, together with the whole assets of the company used for the purposes of the trade or part (or together with the whole of those assets other than cash) is transferred to a company not resident in the United Kingdom;

(b) the trade or part is so transferred wholly or partly in exchange for securities consisting of shares, or of shares and loan stock, issued by the transferee company to the transferor company;

(c) the shares so issued, either alone or taken together with any other shares in the transferee company already held by the transferor company, amount in all to not less than one quarter of the ordinary share capital of the transferee company; and

(d) either no allowable losses accrue to the transferor company on the transfer or the aggregate of the chargeable gains so accruing exceeds the aggregate of the allowable losses so accruing;

and also applies in any case where section 268A of the [1970 c. 10.] Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1970 applied unless the deferred gain had been wholly taken into account in accordance with that section before the coming into force of this section.

Section 170(1) shall apply for the purposes of this section.

(2) In any case to which this section applies the transferor company may claim that this Act shall have effect in accordance with the following provisions.

(3) Any allowable losses accruing to the transferor company on the transfer shall be set off against the chargeable gains so accruing and the transfer shall be treated as giving rise to a single chargeable gain equal to the aggregate of those gains after deducting the aggregate of those losses and--

(a) if the securities are the whole consideration for the transfer, the whole of that gain shall be treated as not accruing to the transferor company on the transfer but an equivalent amount ("the deferred gain") shall be brought into account in accordance with subsections (4) and (5) below;

(b) if the securities are not the whole of that consideration--

(i) paragraph (a) above shall apply to the appropriate proportion of that gain; and

(ii) the remainder shall be treated as accruing to the transferor company on the transfer.

In paragraph (b)(i) above "the appropriate proportion" means the proportion that the market value of the securities at the time of the transfer bears to the market value of the whole of the consideration at that time.

(4) If at any time after the transfer the transferor company disposes of the whole or part of the securities held by it immediately before that time, the consideration received by it on the disposal shall be treated as increased by the whole or the appropriate proportion of the deferred gain so far as not already taken into account under this subsection or subsection (5) below.

In this subsection "the appropriate proportion" means the proportion that the market value of the part of the securities disposed of bears to the market value of the securities held immediately before the disposal.

(5) If at any time within 6 years after the transfer the transferee company disposes of the whole or part of the relevant assets held by it immediately before that time there shall be deemed to accrue to the transferor company as a chargeable gain on that occasion the whole or the appropriate proportion of the deferred gain so far as not already taken into account under this subsection or subsection (4) above.

In this subsection "relevant assets" means assets the chargeable gains on which were taken into account in arriving at the deferred gain and "the appropriate proportion" means the proportion which the chargeable gain so taken into account in respect of the part of the relevant assets disposed of bears to the aggregate of the chargeable gains so taken into account in respect of the relevant assets held immediately before the time of the disposal.

(6) There shall be disregarded--

(a) for the purposes of subsection (4) above any disposal to which section 171 applies; and

(b) for the purposes of subsection (5) above any disposal to which that section would apply apart from section 170(2)(a) and (9);

and where a person acquires securities or an asset on a disposal disregarded for the purposes of subsection (4) or (5) above (and without there having been a previous disposal not so disregarded) a disposal of the securities or asset by that person shall be treated as a disposal by the transferor or, as the case may be, transferee company.

(7) If in the case of any such transfer as was mentioned in section 268(1) of the [1970 c. 10.] Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1970 there were immediately before the coming into force of this section chargeable gains which by virtue of section 268(2) and 268A(8) of that Act were treated as not having accrued to the transferor company, subsection (4) above shall (without any claim in that behalf) apply to the aggregate of those gains as if references to the deferred gain were references to that aggregate and as if references to the transfer and the securities were references to the transfer and the shares, or shares and loan stock, mentioned in section 268(1).

(8) If in the case of any such transfer as was mentioned in section 268A(1) of the [1970 c. 10.] Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1970 there were immediately before the coming into force of this section deferred gains which by virtue of section 268A(3) were treated as not having accrued to the transferor company, subsections (4) and (5) above shall (without any claim in that behalf) apply to those deferred gains as they apply to gains deferred by virtue of subsection (3) above (as if the references to the transfer and the securities were references to the transfer and securities mentioned in section 268A(1)).

III Miscellaneous provisions relating to commodities,futures, options and other securities

141 Stock dividends: consideration for new holding

(1) In applying section 128(1) in relation to the issue of any share capital to which section 249 of the Taxes Act (stock dividends) applies as involving a reorganisation of the company's share capital, there shall be allowed, as consideration given for so much of the new holding as was issued as mentioned in subsection (4), (5) or (6) of section 249 (read in each case with subsection (3) of that section) an amount equal to what is, for that much of the new holding, the appropriate amount in cash within the meaning of section 251(2) of the Taxes Act.

(2) This section shall have effect notwithstanding section 128(2).

142 Capital gains on certain stock dividends

(1) This section applies where a company issues any share capital to which section 249 of the Taxes Act applies in respect of shares in the company held by a person as trustee, and another person is at the time of the issue absolutely entitled thereto as against the trustee or would be so entitled but for being an infant or other person under disability (or 2 or more other persons are or would be jointly so entitled thereto).

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of section 126(2) the case shall not constitute a reorganisation of the company's share capital for the purposes of sections 126 to 128.

(3) Notwithstanding section 17(1), the person who is or would be so entitled to the share capital (or each of the persons who are or would be jointly so entitled thereto) shall be treated for the purposes of section 38(1)(a) as having acquired that share capital, or his interest in it, for a consideration equal to the appropriate amount in cash within the meaning of section 251(2) to (4) of the Taxes Act.

143 Commodity and financial futures and qualifying options

(1) If, apart from section 128 of the Taxes Act, gains arising to any person in the course of dealing in commodity or financial futures or in qualifying options would constitute, for the purposes of the Tax Acts, profits or gains chargeable to tax under Schedule D otherwise than as the profits of a trade, then his outstanding obligations under any futures contract entered into in the course of that dealing and any qualifying option granted or acquired in the course of that dealing shall be regarded as assets to the disposal of which this Act applies.

(2) In subsection (1) above--

(a) "commodity or financial futures" means commodity futures or financial futures which are for the time being dealt in on a recognised futures exchange; and

(b) "qualifying option" means a traded option or financial option as defined in section 144(8).

(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (2)(a) above, where, otherwise than in the course of dealing on a recognised futures exchange--

(a) an authorised person or listed institution enters into a commodity or financial futures contract with another person, or

(b) the outstanding obligations under a commodity or financial futures contract to which an authorised person or listed institution is a party are brought to an end by a further contract between the parties to the futures contract,

then, except in so far as any gain or loss arising to any person from that transaction arises in the course of a trade, that gain or loss shall be regarded for the purposes of subsection (1) above as arising to him in the course of dealing in commodity or financial futures.

(4) In subsection (3) above--

• "authorised person" has the same meaning as in the [1986 c. 60.] Financial Services Act 1986, and

• "listed institution" has the same meaning as in section 43 of that Act.

(5) For the purposes of this Act, where, in the course of dealing in commodity or financial futures, a person who has entered into a futures contract closes out that contract by entering into another futures contract with obligations which are reciprocal to those of the first-mentioned contract, that transaction shall constitute the disposal of an asset (namely, his outstanding obligations under the first-mentioned contract) and, accordingly--

(a) any money or money's worth received by him on that transaction shall constitute consideration for the disposal; and

(b) any money or money's worth paid or given by him on that transaction shall be treated as incidental costs to him of making the disposal.

(6) In any case where--

(a) a person who, in the course of dealing in financial futures, has entered into a futures contract does not close out that contract (as mentioned in subsection (5) above), and

(b) the nature of the futures contract is such that, at its expiry date, the person concerned is entitled to receive or liable to make a payment in full settlement of all obligations under that contract,

then, for the purposes of this Act, he shall be treated as having disposed of an asset (namely, his outstanding obligations under the futures contract) and the payment received or made by him shall be treated as consideration for that disposal or, as the case may be, as incidental costs to him of making the disposal.

144 Options and forfeited deposits

(1) Without prejudice to section 21, the grant of an option, and in particular--

(a) the grant of an option in a case where the grantor binds himself to sell what he does not own, and because the option is abandoned, never has occasion to own, and

(b) the grant of an option in a case where the grantor binds himself to buy what, because the option is abandoned, he does not acquire,

is the disposal of an asset (namely of the option), but subject to the following provisions of this section as to treating the grant of an option as part of a larger transaction.

(2) If an option is exercised, the grant of the option and the transaction entered into by the grantor in fulfilment of his obligations under the option shall be treated as a single transaction and accordingly--

(a) if the option binds the grantor to sell, the consideration for the option is part of the consideration for the sale, and

(b) if the option binds the grantor to buy, the consideration for the option shall be deducted from the cost of acquisition incurred by the grantor in buying in pursuance of his obligations under the option.

(3) The exercise of an option by the person for the time being entitled to exercise it shall not constitute the disposal of an asset by that person, but, if an option is exercised then the acquisition of the option (whether directly from the grantor or not) and the transaction entered into by the person exercising the option in exercise of his rights under the option shall be treated as a single transaction and accordingly--

(a) if the option binds the grantor to sell, the cost of acquiring the option shall be part of the cost of acquiring what is sold, and

(b) if the option binds the grantor to buy, the cost of the option shall be treated as a cost incidental to the disposal of what is bought by the grantor of the option.

(4) The abandonment of--

(a) a quoted option to subscribe for shares in a company, or

(b) a traded option or financial option, or

(c) an option to acquire assets exercisable by a person intending to use them, if acquired, for the purpose of a trade carried on by him,

shall constitute the disposal of an asset (namely of the option); but the abandonment of any other option by the person for the time being entitled to exercise it shall not constitute the disposal of an asset by that person.

(5) This section shall apply in relation to an option binding the grantor both to sell and to buy as if it were 2 separate options with half the consideration attributed to each.

(6) In this section references to an option include references to an option binding the grantor to grant a lease for a premium, or enter into any other transaction which is not a sale, and references to buying and selling in pursuance of an option shall be construed accordingly.

(7) This section shall apply in relation to a forfeited deposit of purchase money or other consideration money for a prospective purchase or other transaction which is abandoned as it applies in relation to the consideration for an option which binds the grantor to sell and which is not exercised.

(8) In subsection (4) above and sections 146 and 147--

(a) "quoted option" means an option which, at the time of the abandonment or other disposal, is quoted on a recognised stock exchange;

(b) "traded option" means an option which, at the time of the abandonment or other disposal, is quoted on a recognised stock exchange or a recognised futures exchange; and

(c) "financial option" means an option which is not a traded option, as defined in paragraph (b) above, but which, subject to subsection (9) below--

(i) relates to currency, shares, securities or an interest rate and is granted (otherwise than as agent) by a member of a recognised stock exchange, by an authorised person within the meaning of the [1986 c. 60.] Financial Services Act 1986 or by a listed institution within the meaning of section 43 of that Act; or

(ii) relates to shares or securities which are dealt in on a recognised stock exchange and is granted by a member of such an exchange, acting as agent; or

(iii) relates to currency, shares, securities or an interest rate and is granted to such an authorised person or institution as is referred to in sub-paragraph (i) above and concurrently and in association with an option falling within that sub-paragraph which is granted by that authorised person or institution to the grantor of the first-mentioned option; or

(iv) relates to shares or securities which are dealt in on a recognised stock exchange and is granted to a member of such an exchange, including such a member acting as agent.

(9) If the Treasury by order so provide, an option of a description specified in the order shall be taken to be within the definition of "financial option" in subsection (8)(c) above.

145 Call options: indexation allowance

(1) This section applies where, on a disposal to which section 53 applies, the relevant allowable expenditure includes both--

(a) the cost of acquiring an option binding the grantor to sell ("the option consideration"); and

(b) the cost of acquiring what was sold as a result of the exercise of the option ("the sale consideration"),

but does not apply in any case where section 114 applies.

(2) For the purpose of computing the indexation allowance (if any) on the disposal referred to in subsection (1) above--

(a) the option consideration and the sale consideration shall be regarded as separate items of expenditure; and

(b) subsection (4) of section 54 shall apply to neither of those items and, accordingly, they shall be regarded as incurred when the option was acquired and when the sale took place, respectively.

(3) This section has effect notwithstanding section 144, but expressions used in this section have the same meaning as in that section and subsection (5) of that section applies for the purpose of determining the cost of acquiring an option binding the grantor to sell.

146 Options: application of rules as to wasting assets

(1) Section 46 shall not apply--

(a) to a quoted option to subscribe for shares in a company, or

(b) to a traded option, or financial option, or

(c) to an option to acquire assets exercisable by a person intending to use them, if acquired, for the purpose of a trade carried on by him.

(2) In relation to the disposal by way of transfer of an option (other than an option falling within subsection (1)(a) or (b) above) binding the grantor to sell or buy quoted shares or securities, the option shall be regarded as a wasting asset the life of which ends when the right to exercise the option ends, or when the option becomes valueless, whichever is the earlier.

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