Finance Act 2002

Interpretation of Schedule 9: “major interest”

36 In Schedule 9, after paragraph 19 insert—

“Interpretation of references to major interests

20 (1) For the purposes of any provision which applies this paragraph, the cases where a company (“company A”) has a major interest in another company (“company B”) at any time are those cases where at that time—

(a) company A and one other person, taken together, have control of company B;

(b) company A and the other person each have interests, rights and powers representing at least 40 per cent of the holdings, rights and powers in respect of which company A and the other person fall to be taken as having control of company B; and

(c) company A, or a company connected with it, and the other person, or, if that person is a company, a company connected with it, both satisfy the first condition, or both satisfy the second condition, in sub-paragraph (2) below.

(2) A person—

(a) satisfies the first condition if he stands in the position of a creditor in relation to a loan relationship as respects which company B stands in the position of a debtor; and

(b) satisfies the second condition if he stands in the position of a debtor in relation to a loan relationship as respects which company B stands in the position of a creditor.

(3) The reference in sub-paragraph (1)(b) above to interests, rights and powers does not include interests, rights or powers arising from shares held by a company if—

(a) a profit on a sale of the shares would be treated as a trading receipt of a trade carried on by the company; and

(b) the shares are not, within the meaning of Chapter 1 of Part 12 of the Taxes Act 1988, assets of an insurance company’s long-term insurance fund (see section 431(2) of that Act).

(4) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (1) above, any question—

(a) whether two persons taken together have control of a company at any time, or

(b) whether a person has at any time interests, rights and powers representing at least 40 per cent of the holdings, rights and powers in respect of a company,

shall be determined after attributing to any person which is a company all the interests, rights and powers of any company connected with it.

(5) Where section 114 of the Taxes Act 1988 (partnerships involving companies: special rules for computing profits and losses) applies in relation to a partnership, any property, rights or powers held or exercisable for the purposes of the partnership shall be treated for the purposes of this paragraph, as respects any time in an accounting period of the partnership, as if—

(a) the property, rights or powers had been apportioned between, and were held or exercisable by, the partners severally, and

(b) the apportionment had been in the shares in which the profit or loss of the accounting period of the partnership would be apportioned between the partners under subsection (2) of that section,

but taking the references in paragraphs (a) and (b) above to partners as not including a reference to the general partner of a limited partnership which is a collective investment scheme within the meaning of section 235 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

(6) Where a trade, profession or business is carried on by two or more persons in partnership (“the firm”) and the firm stands in the position of a creditor or debtor as respects a money debt, any question—

(a) whether a company has a major interest (within the meaning of this paragraph) in another company for an accounting period in the case of a loan relationship, or

(b) to what extent any amount is to be treated under this Chapter in any particular way as a result of a company having, or (as the case may be) not having, such a major interest in another company,

shall be determined as if to the extent of his appropriate share each of the partners separately, instead of the firm, stood in the position of a creditor or, as the case may be, debtor as respects the money debt.

The reference in the words following paragraph (b) above to partners does not include a reference to the general partner of a limited partnership which is a collective investment scheme within the meaning of section 235 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

(7) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (6) above, a partner’s “appropriate share” is the share that would be apportioned to him if an apportionment were made in the shares in which any profit or loss computed in accordance with subsection (1) of section 114 of the Taxes Act 1988 for the accounting period in question would be apportioned between the partners under subsection (2) of that section.

(8) For the purposes of this paragraph, a company is connected with another company if one controls the other or both are controlled by the same company.

(9) For the purposes of this paragraph, “control”, in relation to a company, has the same meaning as in section 87 of this Act (see section 87A).

(10) Where two or more persons taken together have the power mentioned in subsection (1) of section 87A of this Act (as read with the other provisions of that section) they shall be taken for the purposes of sub-paragraph (1)(a) above to have control of the company in question.”.