Capital Allowances Act 1990

59 Disposal value of fixtures in certain cases

(1) In any case where—

(a) by virtue of section 57, a fixture is at any time treated for the purposes of this Part as ceasing to belong to any person (“the former owner”), and

(b) the qualifying interest continues in existence after that time (whether in the hands of the former owner or any other person) or would so continue but for its becoming merged in another interest, and

(c) the occasion of the fixture ceasing to belong to the former owner is not its permanent severance from the relevant land (whether on disposal, demolition, destruction or otherwise),

the fixture shall be treated for the purposes of this Part as sold at that time by the former owner for a price determined in accordance with subsections (2) to (6) below.

(2) Subject to subsection (6) below, if the occasion of the fixture ceasing to belong to the former owner is the sale of the qualifying interest, the price referred to in subsection (1) above is that portion of the sale price of the qualifying interest which falls (or, if the purchaser were entitled to an allowance, would fall) to be treated for the purposes of this Part as expenditure incurred by the purchaser on the provision of the fixture.

(3) If the fixture ceases to belong to the former owner by virtue of section 57(5), the price referred to in subsection (1) above is so much of the capital sum referred to in section 55(1)(c) as falls to be treated for the purposes of this Part as expenditure by the lessee on the provision of the fixture.

(4) If neither subsection (2) nor subsection (3) above applies, the price referred to in subsection (1) above is that portion of the price which, on a sale of the qualifying interest in the open market, would fall to be treated for the purposes of this Part as expenditure by the purchaser on the provision of the fixture.

(5) The sale referred to in subsection (4) above shall be assumed to take place immediately before the event which causes the fixture to be treated for the purposes of this Part as ceasing to belong to the former owner; but that event shall be disregarded in determining the open market price on that sale.

(6) If the sale referred to in subsection (2) above is at a price lower than that which the qualifying interest would have fetched if sold in the open market, that subsection shall not apply unless the purchaser’s expenditure on the acquisition of the fixture can be taken into account as mentioned in section 26(1)(b)(i).

(7) If the occasion of the fixture ceasing to belong to the former owner is the expiry of the qualifying interest, then, except in so far as the former owner receives any capital sum, by way of compensation or otherwise, by reference to the fixture, the disposal value of the fixture which falls to be brought into account under section 24 shall be nil.

(8) In any case where—

(a) the disposal value of a fixture falls to be brought into account in accordance with section 24 on the permanent discontinuance of the trade in circumstances where that value falls to be determined under paragraph (e) of subsection (1) of section 26; and

(b) before the occurrence of the later event referred to in that paragraph, the fixture is not permanently severed from the relevant land,

that paragraph shall apply as if the reference therein to paragraphs (a) and (b) of that subsection were omitted; but if the event which follows the discontinuance of the trade is the sale of the qualifying interest, the disposal value of the fixture to be brought into account under those sections shall be that portion of the sale price referred to in subsection (2) above.

(9) If the disposal value of the fixture falls to be brought into account in accordance with section 24 on its beginning to be used wholly or partly for purposes which are other than those of the trade, section 26(1)(f) shall apply as if the reference to the price which the machinery or plant would have fetched if sold on the open market were a reference to that portion of the price referred to in subsection (4) above.

(10) If, on the occasion of the fixture being treated by virtue of section 57 as ceasing to belong to the former owner—

(a) another person incurs expenditure on the provision of the fixture, and

(b) the former owner brings a disposal value into account in accordance with section 24,

there shall be disregarded for the purposes of this Part so much (if any) of that expenditure as exceeds that disposal value.

(11) In relation to expenditure incurred before 27th July 1989, subsection (10) above shall have effect with the substitution for the words following “to the former owner” of the words “another person incurs expenditure on the provision of the fixture, there shall be disregarded so much (if any) of that expenditure as exceeds the disposal value which the former owner is required to bring into account in accordance with section 24”.