Finance Act 1970

Estate duty

30 Rate of interest on estate duty

(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, the rate of interest payable under the following enactments namely—

(a) section 18 of the [1896 c. 28.] Finance Act 1896 (general provision for interest on death duties);

(b) subsection (3) of section 17 of the [1925 c. 20.] Law of Property Act 1925 and subsection (6) of section 73 of the [1925 c. 21.] Land Registration Act 1925 (interest on death duties becoming immediately payable on a conveyance or disposition of land which overrides the charge for duty),

shall, as regards interest accruing after the passing of this Act, be three per cent., instead of two per cent., per annum.

(2) The Treasury may by order from time to time increase or reduce the rate of interest payable under the enactments referred to in subsection (1) of this section; and any such order may correspondingly increase or reduce the rate of interest payable under any other enactments relating to estate duty.

(3) The power of the Treasury to make orders under this section shall be exercisable by statutory instrument; and any statutory instrument made by virtue of this section shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of the Commons House of Parliament.

31 Minor amendments as to discretionary trusts

(1) For the purposes of head (iii) of the substituted section 2(1)(b) (that is, the paragraph substituted by section 36 of the [1969 c. 32.] Finance Act 1969 for paragraph (b) of section 2(1) of the [1894 c. 30.] Finance Act 1894)—

(a) the deceased shall be treated as having benefited as a result of the discretion therein referred to if any of the income with respect to which that discretion was exercisable was paid to him or applied for his benefit; and

(b) property shall not be treated as having ceased to be subject to the trust by reason of any payment or application of such income ;

and paragraphs (b) to (e) of subsection (3) of section 37 of the Finance Act 1969 shall apply for the purpose of determining whether income was paid or applied as mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b) above as they apply for determining the part of the property to be treated as passing in a case where less than the whole of the income was paid or applied to or for the benefit of the deceased.

(2) Any reference in paragraph (b) or (c) of the said subsection (3) to a sum paid to or applied for the benefit of a person shall include a reference to property transferred to him or applied for his benefit or, as the context requires, to the value (at the date of the transfer or application) of such property.

(3) In paragraph 9 of Part II of Schedule 17 to the Finance Act 1969 (relief for charities under the substituted section 2(1)(M), after the words " seven years " there shall be inserted the words " except those occurring in the descriptions of the material period for the purposes of paragraphs (aa), (bb) and (cc) of head (iii) ".

(4) In paragraph 7 of Part II of Schedule 17 to the [1958 c. 56.] Finance Act 1969 (quick succession relief under s. 30 of the Finance Act 1958 in respect of settled property passing under head (iii) or (iv) of the substituted section 2(1)(b)) the words " subsisting at the date of the earlier death " shall be omitted ; and so much of paragraph 3(4) of Schedule 8 to the Finance Act 1958 as excludes relief under the said section 30 by reference to a death after the end of the settlement shall not apply to a case falling within the said paragraph 7.

(5) No relief shall be allowed under the said section 30 by virtue of the said paragraph 7 in a case where the property passes both on the earlier and on the later death under head (iii) of the substituted section 2(1)(b) and the relevant period (as defined by subsection (3) of section 37 of the [1969 c. 32.] Finance Act 1969) is the same in relation to each of those deaths.

(6) This section applies (and except as regards any such earlier death as is referred to in the said paragraph 7 applies only) in relation to deaths occurring after 14th April 1970.