Finance Act 1975

Acceptance of property in satisfaction of tax

17 (1) The Board may, if they think fit, on the application of any person liable to pay tax, accept in satisfaction of the whole or any part of it any property to which this paragraph applies.

(2) This paragraph applies to any such land as may be agreed upon between the Board and the person liable to pay tax.

(3) This paragraph also applies to any objects which are or have been kept in any building—

(a) if the Board have determined to accept or have accepted that building in satisfaction or part satisfaction of tax or of estate duty; or

(b) if the building or any interest therein belongs to Her Majesty in right of the Crown or of the Duchy of Lancaster, or belongs to the Duchy of Cornwall or belongs to a Government department or is held for the purposes of a Government department; or

(c) if the building is one of which the Secretary of State is guardian under the [1913 c. 32.] Ancient Monuments Consolidation and Amendment Act 1913 or of which the Department of Finance for Northern Ireland is guardian under the [1971 c. 17 (N.I.).] Historic Monuments Act (Northern Ireland) 1971 ; or

(d) if the building belongs to any body specified in paragraph 12 of Schedule 6 to this Act;

in any case where it appears to the Treasury desirable for the objects to remain associated with the building.

(4) This paragraph also applies to—

(a) any work of art which the Treasury are satisfied is preeminent for aesthetic merit or historical value ;

(b) any picture, print, book, manuscript, scientific object or other thing which the Treasury are satisfied is pre-eminent for its national, scientific or historic interest; and

(c) any collection or group of pictures, prints, books, manuscripts, works of art, scientific objects or other things if the Treasury are satisfied that the collection or group, taken as a whole, is pre-eminent for its national, scientific, historic or artistic interest.

(5) In this paragraph "national interest" includes interest within any part of the United Kingdom.

18 (1) Where a person has power to sell any property in order to raise money for the payment of tax, he may agree with the Board for the property to be accepted in satisfaction of that tax in pursuance of paragraph 17 above ; and, except as regards the nature of the consideration and the receipt and application thereof, any such agreement shall be subject to the same provisions and shall be treated for all purposes as a sale made in the exercise of the said power, and any conveyance or transfer made or purporting to be made to give effect to such an agreement shall have effect accordingly.

(2) This paragraph shall not affect section 32(4) or 34(6) of this Act.