Finance Act 1978

1 (1) On the application of a body corporate (in this Schedule referred to as " the company concerned ") which has established a profit sharing scheme which complies with sub-paragraphs (3) and (4) below, the Board, subject to section 54 of this Act, shall approve the scheme—

(a) if they are satisfied as mentioned in paragraph 2 below; and

(b) unless it appears to them that there are features of the scheme which are neither essential nor reasonably incidental to the purpose of providing for employees and directors benefits in the nature of interests in snares.

(2) Where the company concerned has control of another company or companies, the scheme may be expressed to extend to all or any of the companies of which it has control; and in this Schedule a scheme which is expressed so to extend is referred to as a " group scheme " and, in relation to a group scheme, the expression " participating company" means the company concerned or a company of which for the time being the company concerned has control and to which for the time being the scheme is expressed to extend.

(3) The scheme must provide for the establishment of a body of persons resident in the United Kingdom (in this Schedule referred to as " the trustees ")—

(a) who, out of moneys paid to them by the company concerned or, in the case of a group scheme, a participating company, are required by the scheme to acquire shares in respect of which the conditions in Part II of this Schedule are fulfilled; and

(b) who are under a duty to appropriate shares acquired by them to individuals who participate in the scheme, not being individuals who are ineligible by virtue of Part III of this Schedule; and

(c) whose functions with respect to shares held by them are regulated by a trust which is constituted under the law of a part of the United Kingdom and the terms of which are embodied in an instrument which complies with the provisions of Part IV of this Schedule.

(4) The scheme must provide that the total of the initial market values of the shares appropriated to any one participant in a year of assessment will not exceed £500.

(5) An application under sub-paragraph (1) above shall be made in writing and contain such particulars and be supported by such evidence as the Board may require.