1.This section maintains capital gains roll-over relief in relation to payment entitlements under the EU’s agricultural subsidy scheme for farmers following changes to the scheme.
2.Subsections (1) to (3) amend section 155 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to include payment entitlements under the basic payment scheme within the list of classes of assets eligible for roll-over relief.
3.Subsection (4) holds that the amendment has effect in relation to disposals of old assets (or interests in them) and acquisition of new assets (or interests in the) from 20 December 2013, the date that the relevant EU Regulation came into force.
4.Roll-over relief (as the relief at sections 152 to 159 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act (TCGA) 1992 is commonly referred to) permits the deferral of some or all of a chargeable gain on the disposal of a qualifying business asset (or interests in them) where the consideration received for that business asset is wholly or partly applied in acquiring replacement qualifying business assets (or interests in them).
5.Qualifying business assets are listed at section 155 of TCGA 1992. Class 7A refers to the single payment scheme (SPS), the EU’s main agricultural subsidy scheme for farmers under the common agricultural policy. SPS is designed to give farmers greater freedom to farm to the demands of the market, as subsidies are not linked to production; and environmentally friendly farming practices (known as cross compliance) are better acknowledged.
6.SPS payments will cease in 2014 and are being replaced by payments under the EU’s new basic payment scheme (BPS) from 1 January 2015.
7.SPS and BPS payments are made only to farmers who have established entitlements under either scheme. Entitlements are transferrable and are typically transferred when the underlying agricultural land is transferred.