Finance Act 1981

21 (1) Subject to the provisions of this paragraph, where there is a change in the persons engaged in carrying on a trade, this Schedule applies as if the trade had been permanently discontinued at the date of the change and a new trade had been then set up and commenced.

For the purposes of this paragraph, a change in the personal representatives of any person, or in the trustees of any trust, shall not be treated as a change in the persons carrying on any trade carried on by those personal representatives or trustees as such.

(2) Where there is a change of persons but—

(a) a person engaged in carrying on the trade immediately before the change continues to be so engaged immediately after the change; and

(b) the trading stock of the trade immediately before the change is the trading stock immediately after the change,

an election may be made to the effect that sub-paragraph (1) above shall not apply to the change.

(3) An election under this paragraph must be made by all the persons engaged in carrying on the trade before the change ("the predecessors") and all those so engaged immediately after the change (" the successors ") and be signed by them and sent to the inspector within two years after the end of the successors' period of account which begins with or includes the date of the change.

Where those persons have elected under section 154(2) of the Taxes Act that the trade be treated as continuing for income tax purposes, they shall be treated as having also made an election under this paragraph.

(4) In ascertaining for the purposes of this Schedule the amount of unrecovered past relief allowed to a person in respect of a trade where at an earlier date a change in the persons carrying on that trade has been the subject of an election under the provisions of this paragraph or paragraph 21 of Schedule 5 to the [1976 c. 40.] Finance Act 1976, the successors (in relation to that change) shall be treated as having carried on the trade since the predecessors began (or are themselves treated by virtue of this sub-paragraph or any other provision of this Schedule or of Schedule 5 to the said Act of 1976. as having begun) to do so.

(5) Where during a period of account there is a change in the persons engaged in carrying on a trade, and—

(a) an election is made under this paragraph; but

(b) no election is made under section 154(2) of the Taxes Act in relation to that change,

any relief or charge under this Schedule in respect of that period of account shall be apportioned between the predecessors and successors according to the respective lengths of the parts of the period falling before and after the change, and for the purpose of giving effect to that relief or charge each of those parts shall be treated as if it were a separate period of account.