Inheritance Tax Act 1984

204 Limitation of liability. U.K.

(1) A person shall not be liable under section 200(1)(a) above for any tax as a personal representative of a deceased person, except to the extent of the following assets, namely—

(a) so far as the tax is attributable to the value of any property other than such as is mentioned in paragraph (b) below, the assets (other than property so mentioned) which he has received as personal representative or might have so received but for his own neglect or default; and

(b) so far as the tax is attributable to property which, immediately before the death, was comprised in a settlement and consists of land in the United Kingdom, so much of that property as is at any time available in his hands for the payment of the tax, or might have been so available but for his own neglect or default.

(2) A person shall not be liable for tax as trustee in relation to any property, except to the extent of—

(a) so much of the property as he has actually received or disposed of or as he has become liable to account for to the persons beneficially entitled thereto, and

(b) so much of any other property as is for the time being available in his hands as trustee for the payment of the tax or might have been so available but for his own neglect or default.

(3) A person not liable as mentioned in subsection (1) or (2) above but liable for tax as a person in whom property is vested or liable for tax as a person entitled to a beneficial interest in possession in any property shall not be liable for the tax except to the extent of that property.

(4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

(5) A person liable for tax as a person for whose benefit any settled property, or income from any settled property, is applied, shall not be liable for the tax except to the extent of the amount of the property or income (reduced in the case of income by the amount of any income tax borne by him in respect of it, and in the case of other property in respect of which he has borne income tax by virtue of [F2 Chapter 2 of Part 13 of the Income Tax Act 2007] by the amount of that tax).

(6) Where a person is liable for any tax—

(a) under section 199 above otherwise than as transferor [F3 or personal representatives of the transferor], or

(b) under section 201 above otherwise than as trustee of the settlement,

he shall be liable only if the tax remains unpaid after it ought to have been paid and, in a case where any part of the value transferred is attributable to the tax on it, shall be liable to no greater extent than he would have been had the value transferred been reduced by the tax remaining unpaid.

[F4 (7) Where the tax exceeds what it would have been had the transferor died more than seven years after the transfer, subsection (6) above shall not apply in relation to the excess.

(8) A person liable by virtue of section 199(2) above for any tax as personal representative of the transferor shall be liable only to the extent that either—

(a) in consequence of subsections (2), (3) and (5) above, no person falling within paragraphs (b) to (d) of section 199(1) above is liable for the tax, or

(b) the tax remains unpaid twelve months after the end of the month in which the death of the transferor occurs,

and, subject to that, shall be liable only to the extent of the assets mentioned in subsection (1) above.

(9) Where by virtue of subsection (3) of section 102 of the Finance Act 1986 the estate of a deceased person is treated as including property which would not apart from that subsection form part of his estate, a person shall be liable under section 200(1)(a) above as personal representative for tax attributable to the value of that property only if the tax remains unpaid twelve months after the end of the month in which the death occurs and, subject to that, only to the extent of the assets mentioned in subsection (1) above.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Repealed by 1986 s. 101(3), Sch. 19, para. 28(1)and Sch. 23, Part X,with effect from 18March 1986.

F2 Words in s. 204(5) substituted (with effect as mentioned in s. 1034 of the amending Act) by Income Tax Act 2007 (c. 3), ss. 1027, 1034, Sch. 1 para. 270 (with transitional provisions and savings in Sch. 2)

F3 Income and Corporation Act 1986 Sch. 19, para. 28(2),with effect from 18March 1986.

F4 Finance Act 1986 Sch. 19, para. 28(3),with effect from 18March 1986.Originally

“(7) Subsection (6) above shall not apply in relation to such an excess as is mentioned in subsection (4) above.”