Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992

3 Annual exempt amount. U.K.

(1) An individual shall not be chargeable to capital gains tax in respect of so much of his taxable amount for any year of assessment as does not exceed the exempt amount for the year.

(2) Subject to subsection (3) below, the exempt amount for any year of assessment shall be £5,500.

(3) If the retail prices index for the month of [F1 September] preceding a year of assessment is higher than it was for the previous [F1 September], then, unless Parliament otherwise determines, subsection (2) above shall have effect for that year as if for the amount specified in that subsection as it applied for the previous year (whether by virtue of this subsection or otherwise) there were substituted an amount arrived at by increasing the amount for the previous year by the same percentage as the percentage increase in the retail prices index and, if the result is not a multiple of £100, rounding it up to the nearest amount which is such a multiple.

(4) The Treasury shall, before each year of assessment, make an order specifying the amount which by virtue of this section is the exempt amount for that year.

(5) For the purposes of this section an individual’s taxable amount for a year of assessment is the amount on which he is chargeable under section 2(2) for that year but—

(a) where the amount of chargeable gains less allowable losses accruing to an individual in any year of assessment does not exceed the exempt amount for the year, no deduction from that amount shall be made for that year in respect of allowable losses carried forward from a previous year or carried back from a subsequent year in which the individual dies, and

(b) where the amount of chargeable gains less allowable losses accruing to an individual in any year of assessment exceeds the exempt amount for the year, the deduction from that amount for that year in respect of allowable losses carried forward from a previous year or carried back from a subsequent year in which the individual dies shall not be greater than the excess.

(6) Where in a year of assessment—

(a) the amount of chargeable gains accruing to an individual does not exceed the exempt amount for the year, and

(b) the aggregate amount or value of the consideration for all the disposals of assets made by him (other than disposals gains accruing on which are not chargeable gains) does not exceed an amount equal to twice the exempt amount for the year,

a statement to the effect of paragraphs (a) and (b) above shall, unless the inspector otherwise requires, be sufficient compliance with any notice under section 8 of the Management Act requiring the individual to make a return of the chargeable gains accruing to him in that year.

(7) For the year of assessment in which an individual dies and for the next 2 following years, subsections (1) to (6) above shall apply to his personal representatives as they apply to an individual.

[F2 (7A) As they apply by virtue of subsection (7) above—

(a) subsection (5A) has effect with the omission of paragraph (b), and

(b) subsection (5B) has effect with the omission of the words “or (b)”.]

(8) Schedule 1 shall have effect as respects the application of this section to trustees.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 3(3) substituted (27.7.1993 with effect for the years 1994-95 and subsequent years as mentioned in s. 83(2)) by 1993 c. 34, s. 83(1)

F2 S. 3(7A) inserted (retrospectively) by Finance Act 2003 (c. 14), Sch. 28 paras. 3(4), 8

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 3 amended (for the year 1993-1994) by S.I. 1993/760, art. 2

S. 3 modified (for the year 1993-1994) by 1993 c. 34, s. 82

C2 S. 3(2) sum amended (for the year 1994-95) by Finance Act 1994 (c. 9), s. 90

C3 S. 3(2) sum amended (for the year 1996-97) by The Capital Gains Tax (Annual Exempt Amount) Order 1995 (S.I. 1995/3033), art. 2

C4 S. 3(3) excluded (for the year 1994-95) by Finance Act 1994 (c. 9), s. 90