Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1970

154 Effect, for income tax, of change in ownership of trade, profession or vocation

(1) Where there is a change in the persons engaged in carrying on any trade, profession or vocation chargeable under Case I or Case II of Schedule D, then, subject to the provisions of this section and of section 155(3)(6) below, the amount of the profits or gains thereof on which income tax is chargeable for any year of assessment, and the persons on whom it is chargeable, shall be determined as if the trade, profession or vocation had been permanently discontinued at the date of the change, and a new trade, profession or vocation had been then set up and commenced.

(2) Subject to the said section 155(3)(6), where there is such a change as is mentioned in subsection (1) above, and a person engaged in carrying on the trade, profession or vocation immediately before the change continues to be so engaged immediately after it, the persons so engaged immediately before and the persons so engaged immediately after the change may, by notice signed by them and sent to the inspector at any time within twelve months after the date of the change, elect that that subsection shall not apply to treat the trade, profession or vocation as discontinued or a new trade, profession or vocation as set up and commenced.

(3) Where there is in any year of assessment a change in the persons engaged in carrying on a trade, profession or vocation, and subsection (1) above does not apply by reason of a notice under subsection (2) above, then—

(a) income tax in respect of the trade, profession or vocation for that year shall be assessed and charged separately on those so engaged before the change and on those so engaged after it, but the amount on which tax is chargeable shall be computed as if there had been no such change in that year, and shall be apportioned as may be just, and

(b) if, after the change but before the end of the second year of assessment following that in which the change occurred, there is a permanent discontinuance of the trade, profession or vocation (including a change treated as such), then, on that discontinuance, section 118 of this Act shall apply, as respects any period before the first-mentioned change, to the persons charged or chargeable for that period as it would apply if no such change had taken place and they had been charged to tax accordingly for the subsequent period up to the discontinuance.

(4) There shall be made any such assessment, reduction of an assessment or, on the making of a claim therefor, repayment of income tax as may in any case be necessary for giving effect to this section.

(5) Any question which arises as to the manner in which any sum is to be apportioned under subsection (3)(a) above shall be determined, for the purposes of the tax of all of the persons as respects whose liability to tax the apportionment is material—

(a) in a case where the same body of General Commissioners have jurisdiction with respect to all those persons, by those Commissioners, unless all those persons agree that it shall be determined by the Special Commissioners,

(b) in a case where different bodies of Commissioners have jurisdiction with respect to those persons, by such of those bodies as the Board may direct, unless all those persons agree that it shall be determined by the , Special Commissioners, and

(c) in any other case, by the Special Commissioners,

and any such Commissioners shall determine the question in like manner as an appeal :

Provided that all the said persons shall be entitled to appear and be heard by the Commissioners who are to make the determination, or to make representations to them in writing.

(6) In the case of the death of a person who, if he had not died, would under the provisions of this section have become chargeable to tax for any year, the tax which would have been so chargeable shall be assessed and charged upon his executors or administrators, and shall be a debt due from and payable out of his estate ; and where under those provisions an election may be made by any person, it may in the case of his death be made by his executors or administrators instead of him.

(7) For the purposes of this section, 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 engaged in carrying on any trade, profession or vocation carried on by those personal representatives or trustees as such.