Finance Act 2000

Qualifying trades E+W+S+N.I.

13 (1) In section 297 of the Taxes Act 1988 for subsections (4) and (5) (trades consisting of receiving royalties and licence fees) substitute— E+W+S+N.I.

“(4) A trade shall not be treated as failing to comply with this section by reason only that at some time in the relevant period it consists to a substantial extent in the receiving of royalties or licence fees if the royalties and licence fees (or all but for a part that is not a substantial part in terms of value) are attributable to the exploitation of relevant intangible assets.

(5) For this purpose an intangible asset is a “relevant intangible asset” if the whole or greater part (in terms of value) of it has been created—

(a) by the company carrying on the trade, or

(b) by a company which at all times during which it created the intangible asset was—

(i) the parent company of the company carrying on the trade, or

(ii) a qualifying subsidiary of that parent company.

(5A) For the purposes of subsection (5) above—

(a) in the case of an intangible asset that is intellectual property, references to the creation of the asset by a company are to its creation in circumstances in which the right to exploit it vests in the company (whether alone or jointly with others);

(b) “parent company” means a company that—

(i) has one or more 51% subsidiaries, but

(ii) is not itself a 51% subsidiary of another company; and

(c) a subsidiary of the parent company referred to in subsection (5)(b) above is a “qualifying subsidiary" of that company if it is a subsidiary of a kind which the parent company may hold by virtue of section 308.

For the purposes of paragraph (c) above, section 308 shall have effect as if the references in that section to the qualifying company were to that parent company.

(5B) For the purposes of subsections (4) to (5A) above “intangible asset” means any asset which falls to be treated as an intangible asset in accordance with normal accounting practice.

For this purpose “normal accounting practice” means normal accounting practice in relation to the accounts of companies incorporated in any part of the United Kingdom.

(5C) In subsection (5A)(a) above “intellectual property” means—

(a) any patent, trade mark, registered design, copyright, design right, performer’s right or plant breeder’s right; and

(b) any rights under the law of a country or territory outside the United Kingdom which correspond or are similar to those falling within paragraph (a) above.”.

(2) This paragraph has effect in relation to shares issued on or after 6th April 2000.