Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988

Demergers

213 Exempt distributions

(1) The provisions of this section and sections 214 to 218 have effect for facilitating certain transactions whereby trading activities carried on by a single company or group are divided so as to be carried on by two or more companies not belonging to the same group or by two or more independent groups.

(2) References in the Corporation Tax Acts to distributions of a company shall not apply to any distribution—

(a) which falls within subsection (3) below, and

(b) in respect of which the conditions specified in subsections (4) to (12) below are satisfied;

and any such distribution is referred to in this section as an “exempt distribution”.

(3) The following distributions fall within this subsection—

(a) a distribution consisting of the transfer to all or any of its members by a company (“the distributing company”) of shares in one or more companies which are its 75 per cent. subsidiaries;

(b) a distribution consisting of the transfer by a company (“the distributing company”) to one or more other companies (“the transferee company or companies”) of—

(i) a trade or trades; or

(ii) shares in one or more companies which are 75 per cent. subsidiaries of the distributing company,

and the issue of shares by the transferee company or companies to all or any of the members of the distributing company;

and in this section and sections 214 to 217 references to a relevant company are to the distributing company, to each subsidiary whose shares are transferred as mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b) (ii) above and to each transferee company mentioned in paragraph (b) above.

(4) Each relevant company must be resident in the United Kingdom at the time of the distribution.

(5) The distributing company must at the time of the distribution be either a trading company or a member of a trading group and each subsidiary whose shares are transferred as mentioned in subsection (3)(a) or (b)(ii) above must at that time be either a trading company or the holding company of a trading group.

(6) In a case within subsection (3)(1)(a) above—

(a) the shares must not be redeemable, must constitute the whole or substantially the whole of the distributing company’s holding of the ordinary share capital of the subsidiary and must confer the whole or substantially the whole of the distributing company’s voting rights in the subsidiary; and

(b) subject to subsections (7) and (12)(b) below, the distributing company must after the distribution be either a trading company or the holding company of a trading group.

(7) Subsection (6)(b) above does not apply if the transfer relates to two or more 75 per cent. subsidiaries of the distributing company and that company is dissolved without there having been after the distribution any net assets of the company available for distribution in a winding up or otherwise.

(8) In a case within subsection (3)(b) above—

(a) if a trade is transferred the distributing company must either not retain any interest or retain only a minor interest in that trade;

(b) if shares in a subsidiary are transferred those shares must constitute the whole or substantially the whole of the distributing company’s holding of the ordinary share capital of the subsidiary and must confer the whole or substantially the whole of the distributing company’s voting rights in the subsidiary;

(c) the only or main activity of the transferee company or each transferee company after the distribution must be the carrying on of the trade or the holding of the shares transferred to it;

(d) the shares issued by the transferee company or each transferee company must not be redeemable, must constitute the whole or substantially the whole of its issued ordinary share capital and must confer the whole or substantially the whole of the voting rights in that company; and

(e) subject to subsections (9) and (12)(b) below, the distributing company must after the distribution be either a trading company or the holding company of a trading group.

(9) Subsection (8)(e) above does not apply if there are two or more transferee companies each of which has a trade or shares in a separate 75 per cent. subsidiary of the distributing company transferred to it and the distributing company is dissolved without there having been after the distribution any net assets of the company available for distribution in a winding up or otherwise.

(10) The distribution must be made wholly or mainly for the purpose of benefiting some or all of the trading activities which before the distribution are carried on by a single company or group and after the distribution will be carried on by two or more companies or groups.

(11) The distribution must not form part of a scheme or arrangements the main purpose or one of the main purposes of which is—

(a) the avoidance of tax (including stamp duty); or

(b) without prejudice to paragraph (a) above, the making of a chargeable payment, as defined by section 214, or what would be such a payment if any of the companies mentioned in that section were an unquoted company; or

(c) the acquisition by any person or persons other than members of the distributing company of control of that company, of any other relevant company or of any company which belongs to the same group as any such company; or

(d) the cessation of a trade or its sale after the distribution.

In paragraph (c) above “group” means a company which has one or more 51 per cent. subsidiaries together with that or those subsidiaries.

(12) Where the distributing company is a 75 per cent. subsidiary of another company—

(a) the group (or, if more than one, the largest group) to which the distributing company belongs at the time of the distribution must be a trading group;

(b) subsections (6)(b) and (8)(e) above shall not apply; and

(c) the distribution must be followed by one or more other distributions falling within subsection (3)(a) or (b)(ii) above which satisfy the conditions of this section and result in members of the holding company of the group (or, if more than one, the largest group) to which the distributing company belonged at the time of the distribution becoming members of—

(i) the transferee company or each transferee company to which a trade was transferred by the distributing company; or

(ii) the subsidiary or each subsidiary whose shares were transferred by the distributing company; or

(iii) a company (other than that holding company) of which the company or companies mentioned in sub-paragraph (i) or (ii) above are 75 per cent. subsidiaries.

214 Chargeable payments connected with exempt distributions

(1) If within five years after the making of an exempt distribution there is a chargeable payment—

(a) the amount or value of the payment shall be treated as income chargeable to tax under Case VI of Schedule D;

(b) unless the payment is a transfer of money’s worth, sections 349(1) and 350 shall apply to the payment as if it were an annual sum payable otherwise than out of profits or gains charged to income tax;

(c) the payment shall be regarded as a distribution for the purposes of sections 337(2), 338(2)(a) and 427(4) and paragraph 3 of Schedule 19; and

(d) the payment shall not (if it otherwise would) be treated as a repayment of capital for the purposes of section 210 or 211.

(2) In this section “a chargeable payment” means any payment made otherwise than for bona fide commercial reasons or forming part of a scheme or arrangement the main purpose or one of the main purposes of which is the avoidance of tax (including stamp duty), being a payment which—

(a) a company concerned in an exempt distribution makes directly or indirectly to a member of that company or of any other company concerned in that distribution; and

(b) is made in connection with, or with any transaction affecting, the shares in that or any such company; and

(c) is not a distribution or exempt distribution or made to another company which belongs to the same group as the company making the payment.

(3) Where a company concerned in an exempt distribution is an unquoted company subsection (2)(a) above shall have effect as if any reference to the making of a payment by, or to a member of, a company concerned in the exempt distribution included a reference to the making of a payment by or to any other person in pursuance of a scheme or arrangements made with the unquoted company or, if the unquoted company is—

(a) under the control of five or fewer persons; and

(b) not under the control of (and only of) a company which is not itself under the control of five or fewer persons,

with any of the persons mentioned in paragraph (a) above.

(4) References in this section to a company concerned in an exempt distribution are to any relevant company and to any other company which was connected with any such company for the whole or any part of the period beginning with the exempt distribution and ending with the making of the payment which is in question under this section.

(5) For the purposes of subsection (4) above and this subsection a company shall be deemed to have been connected in the period referred to in that subsection with each company to which a company connected with it was connected in that period.

(6) References in this section to a payment include references to a transfer of money’s worth including the assumption of a liability.

215 Advance clearance by Board of distributions and payments

(1) A distribution shall be treated as an exempt distribution in any case in which, before the distribution is made, the Board have, on the application of the distributing company, notified that company that the Board are satisfied that it will be such a distribution.

(2) A payment shall not be treated as a chargeable payment in any case in which, before the payment is made, the Board have, on the application of the person intending to make it, notified him that they are satisfied that it will be made for bona fide commercial reasons and will not form part of any scheme or arrangements the main purpose, or one of the main purposes, of which is the avoidance of tax (including stamp duty).

(3) A company which becomes or ceases to be connected with another company may make an application under subsection (2) above as respects any payments that may be made by it at any time after becoming or ceasing to be so connected (whether or not there is any present intention to make any payments); and where a notification is given by the Board on such an application no payment to which the notification relates shall be treated as a chargeable payment by reason only of the company being or having been connected with the other company.

(4) References in subsections (2) and (3) above to a payment shall be construed as in section 214.

(5) Any application under this section shall be in writing and shall contain particulars of the relevant transactions 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 purposes 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.

(6) The Board shall notify their decision to the applicant within 30 days of receiving the application or, if they give a notice under subsection (5) above, within 30 days of the notice being complied with.

(7) If the Board notify the applicant that they are not satisfied as mentioned in subsection (1) or (2) above or do not notify their decision to the applicant within the time required by subsection (6) 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 (5) above, to the Special Commissioners; and in that event any notification by the Special Commissioners shall have effect for the purposes of this section as if it were a notification by the Board.

(8) If any particulars furnished under this section do not fully and accurately disclose all facts and circumstances 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) or (2) above shall be void.

216 Returns

(1) Where a company makes an exempt distribution it shall within 30 days after the distribution make a return to the inspector giving particulars of the distribution and of the circumstances by reason of which it is exempt.

(2) Where within five years after the making of an exempt distribution a person makes a chargeable payment which consists of a transfer of money’s worth, he shall within 30 days after the transfer make a return to the inspector giving particulars—

(a) of the transaction effecting the transfer;

(b) of the name and address of the recipient or each recipient and the value of what is transferred to him or each of them; and

(c) if the transfer is accompanied by a chargeable payment consisting of a payment of money, of that payment.

(3) Subject to subsection (4) below, where within five years after the making of an exempt distribution a person makes a payment or a transfer of money’s worth which would be a chargeable payment but for the fact that it is made for bona fide commercial reasons and does not form part of any such scheme or arrangements as are mentioned in section 214(2), that person shall within 30 days after making the payment or transfer make a return to the inspector giving particulars—

(a) in the case of a transfer, of the transaction by which it is effected;

(b) of the name and address of the recipient or each recipient and the amount of the payment made, or the value of what is transferred, to him or each of them; and

(c) of the circumstances by reason of which the payment or transfer is not a chargeable payment.

(4) Subsection (3) above does not apply where the payment or transfer is one in relation to which a notification under section 215(3) has effect.

217 Information

(1) Where a distribution falling within section 213(3) has been made and the inspector has reason to believe that it may form part of any such scheme or arrangements as are mentioned in section 213(11), he may by notice require any relevant company or any person controlling any such company to furnish him within such time, not being less than 30 days, as may be specified in the notice with—

(a) a declaration in writing stating whether or not, according to information which the company or that person has or can reasonably obtain, any such scheme or arrangements exist or have existed;

(b) such other information as the inspector may reasonably require for the purposes of section 213(11) and the company or that person has or can reasonably obtain.

(2) If the inspector has reason to believe that a person has not delivered an account or made a return which he is required to deliver or make by virtue of section 214(1)(b) or 216(2) or (3) in respect of any payment or transfer, he may by notice require that person to furnish him within such time, not being less than 30 days, as may be specified in the notice with such information relating to the payment or transfer as he may reasonably require for the purposes of section 214.

(3) If the inspector has reason to believe that a payment or transfer has been made within five years after the making of an exempt distribution and that the payment or transfer is a chargeable payment by reason of the existence of any such scheme or arrangements as are mentioned in section 214(3), he may by notice require the person making the payment or transfer or, if that person is a company, any person controlling it to furnish him within such time, not being less than 30 days, as may be specified in the notice with—

(a) a declaration in writing stating whether or not, according to information which that person has, or can reasonably obtain, any such scheme or arrangements exist or have existed;

(b) such other information as the inspector may reasonably require for the purposes of section 214 and that person has or can reasonably obtain.

(4) Any recipient of a chargeable payment and any person on whose behalf such a payment is received shall, if so required by the inspector, state whether the payment received by him or on his behalf is received on behalf of any person other than himself and, if so, the name and address of that person.

218 Interpretation of sections 213 to 217

(1) In sections 213 to 217—

• “chargeable payment” has the meaning given by section 214(2);

• “control” shall be construed in accordance with section 416(2) to (6);

• “distributing company” has the meaning given by section 213(3);

• “exempt distribution” has the meaning given by section 213(2);

• “group”, except in section 213(11)(c), means a company which has one or more 75 per cent. subsidiaries together with that or those subsidiaries;

• “holding company” means a company whose business (disregarding any trade carried on by it) consists wholly or mainly of the holding of shares or securities of one or more companies which are its 75 per cent. subsidiaries;

• “member”, where the reference is to a member of a company, does not, except in section 214(2)(a), include a person who is a member otherwise than by virtue of holding shares forming part of the company’s ordinary share capital;

• “relevant company” has the meaning given by section 213(3);

• “shares” includes stock;

• “trade”, except in subsection (3) below, does not include dealing in shares, securities, land, trades or commodity futures and “trading activities” shall be construed accordingly;

• “trading company” means a company whose business consists wholly or mainly of the carrying on of a trade or trades;

• “trading group” means a group the business of whose members, taken together, consists wholly or mainly in the carrying on of a trade or trades; and

• “unquoted company” means a company which does not satisfy the condition that its shares or some class thereof (disregarding debenture or loan stock, preferred shares or preferred stock) are listed in the Official List of the Stock Exchange and are dealt in on the Stock Exchange regularly or from time to time, so however that this definition does not apply to a company under the control of (and only of) one or more companies to which this definition does not apply.

(2) In determining for the purposes of section 213(3) to (9) whether a company whose shares are transferred by the distributing company is a 75 per cent. subsidiary of the distributing company there shall be disregarded any share capital of the first-mentioned company which is owned indirectly by the distributing company.

(3) In determining for the purposes of sections 213 to 217 whether one company is a 75 per cent. subsidiary of another, the other company shall be treated as not being the owner of—

(a) any share capital which it owns directly in a body corporate if a profit on a sale of the shares would be treated as a trading receipt of its trade; or

(b) any share capital which it owns indirectly and which is owned directly by a body corporate for which a profit on the sale of the shares would be a trading receipt.

(4) Section 839 applies for the purposes of sections 213 to 217.