Finance Act 1986

Depositary receipts U.K.

67 Depositary receipts U.K.

(1) Subject to subsection (9) below, subsection (2) or (3) below (as the case may be) applies where an instrument transfers relevant securities of a company incorporated in the United Kingdom to a person who at the time of the transfer falls within subsection (6), (7) or (8) below.

(2) If stamp duty is chargeable on the instrument under the heading “Conveyance or Transfer on Sale” in Schedule 1 to the Stamp Act 1891 M1 , the rate at which the duty is charged under that heading shall be the rate of £1.50 for every £100 or part of £100 of the amount or value of the consideration for the sale to which the instrument gives effect.

(3) If stamp duty is chargeable on the instrument under the heading “Conveyance or Transfer of any kind not hereinbefore described” in Schedule 1 to the Stamp Act 1891, the rate at which the duty is charged under that heading shall (subject to [F1 subsection] (5) below) be the rate of £1.50 for every £100 or part of £100 of the value of the securities at the date the instrument is executed.

(4) F2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(5) In a case where —

(a) securities are issued, or securities sold are transferred, and (in either case) they are to be paid for in instalments,

(b) the person to whom they are issued or transferred holds them and transfers them to another person when the last instalment is paid,

(c) the transfer to the other person is effected by an instrument in the case of which subsection (3) above applies,

(d) before the execution of the instrument mentioned in paragraph (c) above an instrument is received by a person falling (at the time of the receipt) within subsection (6), (7) or (8) below,

(e) the instrument so received evidences all the rights which (by virtue of the terms under which the securities are issued or sold as mentioned in paragraph (a) above) subsist in respect of them at the time of the receipt, and

(f) the instrument mentioned in paragraph (c) above contains a statement that paragraphs (a), (b) and (e) above are fulfilled,

subsection (3) above shall have effect as if the reference to the value there mentioned were to an amount (if any) equal to the total of the instalments payable, less those paid before the transfer to the other person is effected.

(6) A person falls within this subsection if his business is exclusively that of holding relevant securities —

(a) as nominee or agent for a person whose business is or includes issuing depositary receipts for relevant securities, and

(b) for the purposes of such part of the business mentioned in paragraph (a) above as consists of issuing such depositary receipts (in a case where the business does not consist exclusively of that).

(7) A person falls within this subsection if —

(a) he is specified for the purposes of this subsection by the Treasury by order made by statutory instrument, and

(b) his business is or includes issuing depositary receipts for relevant securities.

(8) A person falls within this subsection if —

(a) he is specified for the purposes of this subsection by the Treasury by order made by statutory instrument,

(b) he does not fall within subsection (6) above but his business includes holding relevant securities as nominee or agent for a person who falls within subsection (7)(b) above at the time of the transfer, and

(c) he holds relevant securities as nominee or agent for such a person, for the purposes of such part of that person's business as consists of issuing depositary receipts for relevant securities (in a case where that business does not consist exclusively of that).

(9) Where an instrument transfers relevant securities of a company incorporated in the United Kingdom —

(a) to a company which at the time of the transfer falls within subsection (6) above and is resident in the United Kingdom, and

(b) from a company which at that time falls within that subsection and is so resident,

subsections (2) to (5) above shall not apply and the maximum stamp duty chargeable on the instrument shall be 50p.

(10) This section applies to any instrument executed on or after the day on which the rule of The Stock Exchange that prohibits a person from carrying on business as both a broker and a jobber is abolished.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 67(3) substituted (with application as mentioned in s. 99(5) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1997 (c. 16) s. 99(2)(a)

F2 S. 67(4) repealed (with application as mentioned in s. 99(5) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1997 (c. 16) ss. 99(1), 113, Sch. 18 Pt. VII Note 2

Marginal Citations

M1 1891 c. 39.

68 Depositary receipts: notification U.K.

(1) A person whose business is or includes issuing depositary receipts for relevant securities of a company incorporated in the United Kingdom shall notify the Commissioners of that fact before the end of the period of one month beginning with the date on which he first issues such depositary receipts.

(2) A person whose business includes (but does not exclusively consist of) holding relevant securities (being securities of a company incorporated in the United Kingdom)—

(a) as nominee or agent for a person whose business is or includes issuing depositary receipts for relevant securities, and

(b) for the purposes of such part of the business mentioned in paragraph (a) above as consists of issuing such depositary receipts (in a case where the business does not consist exclusively of that),

shall notify the Commissioners of that fact before the end of the period of one month beginning with the date on which he first holds such relevant securities as such a nominee or agent and for such purposes.

(3) A company which is incorporated in the United Kingdom and becomes aware that any shares in the company are held by a person such as is mentioned in subsection (1) or (2) above shall notify the Commissioners of that fact before the end of the period of one month beginning with the date on which the company first becomes aware of that fact.

(4) A person who fails to comply with subsection (1) or (2) above shall be liable to a fine not exceeding £1,000.

(5) A company which fails to comply with subsection (3) above shall be liable to a fine not exceeding £100.

(6) Section 121 of the Stamp Act 1891 M2 (recovery of penalties) shall apply to fines under subsection (4) or (5) above as it applies to fines imposed by that Act.

Marginal Citations

M2 1891 c. 39.

69 Depositary receipts: supplementary U.K.

(1) For the purposes of sections 67 and 68 above a depositary receipt for relevant securities is an instrument acknowledging—

(a) that a person holds relevant securities or evidence of the right to receive them, and

(b) that another person is entitled to rights, whether expressed as units or otherwise, in or in relation to relevant securities of the same kind, including the right to receive such securities (or evidence of the right to receive them) from the person mentioned in paragraph (a) above,

except that for those purposes a depositary receipt for relevant securities does not include an instrument acknowledging rights in or in relation to securities if they are issued or sold under terms providing for payment in instalments and for the issue of the instrument as evidence that an instalment has been paid.

(2) The Treasury may by regulations provide that for subsection (1) above (as it has effect for the time being) there shall be substituted a subsection containing a different definition of a depositary receipt for the purposes of sections 67 and 68 above.

(3) References in this section and sections 67 and 68 above to relevant securities, or to relevant securities of a company, are to shares in or stock or marketable securities of any company (which, unless otherwise stated, need not be incorporated in the United Kingdom).

(4) For the purposes of section 67(3) above the value of securities at the date the instrument is executed shall be taken to be the price they might reasonably be expected to fetch on a sale at that time in the open market.

(5) Where section 67(3) above applies, section 15(2) of the Stamp Act 1891 M3 (stamping of instruments after execution) shall have effect as if the instrument were specified in the first column of the table in paragraph (d) and the transferee were specified (opposite the instrument) in the second.

(6) F3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(7) F3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(8) F3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(9) The power to make regulations or an order under this section shall be exercisable by statutory instrument subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of the House of Commons.

Textual Amendments

F3 S. 69(6)-(8) repealed (with application as mentioned in s. 99(5) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1997 (c. 16), ss. 99(2)(b), 113, Sch. 18 Pt. VII Note 2

Marginal Citations

M3 1891 c. 39.