SCHEDULE 19U.K. INHERITANCE TAX

PART IU.K. AMENDMENTS OF 1984 ACT

22U.K.After section 124 there shall be inserted the following sections—

124A Transfers within seven years before the death of the transferor.

(1)Where any part of the value transferred by a potentially exempt transfer which proves to be a chargeable transfer would (apart from this section) be reduced in accordance with the preceding provisions of this Chapter, it shall be is reduced unless the conditions in subsection (3) below are satisfied.

(2)Where—

(a)any part of the value transfered by any chargeable transfer, other than a potentially exempt transfer, is reduced in accordance with the preceding provisions of this Chapter, and

(b)the transfer is made within seven years of the death of the transferor,

then, unless the conditions in subsection (3) below are satisfied, the additional tax chargeable by reason of the death shall be calculated as if the value transferred had not been so reduced.

(3)The conditions referred to in subsections (1) and (2) are—

(a)that the original property was owned by the transferee throughout the period beginning with the date of the chargeable transfer and ending with the death of the transferor (in this subsection referred to as “the relevant period”) and it is not at the time of the death subject to a binding contract for sale; and

(b)except in a case falling within paragraph (c) below, that the original property is agricultural property immediately before the death and has been occupied (by the transferee or another) for the purpsoes of agriculture throughout the relevant period; and

(c)where the original property consists of shares in or securities of a company, that throughout the relevant period the agricultural property to which section 116 above applies by virtue of section 122(1) above on the chargeable transfer was owned by the company and occupied (by the company or another) for the purposes of agriculture.

(4)If the transferee has died before the transferor, the reference in subsection (3) above to the death of the transferor shall have effect as a reference to the death of the transferee.

(5)If the conditions in subsection (3) above are satisfied only with respect to part of the orginal property, then,—

(a)in a case falling within subsection (1) abvoe, only a proportionate part of so much of the value transferred as is attributable to the original property shall be reduced in accordance with the preceding provisions of this Chapter, and

(b)in a case falling within subsection (2) above, the additional tax shall be calculated as if only a proprtionate part of so much of the value transferred as was attributable to the orginal property had been so reduced.

(6)Where any shares owned by the transferee immediately before the death in question—

(a)would under any of the provisions of section 77 to 86 of the Capital Gains Tax Act 1979 be identified with the original property (or part of it), or

(b)were issued to him in consideration of the transfer of agricultural property consisting of the orginal property or (part of it),

they shall be treated for the purposes of this section as if they were the orginal property (or part of it).

(7)This section has effect subject to section 124B below.

(8)In this section—

  • the prginal property” means the property which, in relation to the chargeable transfer referred to in subsection (1) or subsection (2) above, was either agricultural property to which section 116 above applied or shares or securities of a company owning agricultural property to which that section applies by virtue of section 122(1) above; and

  • the transferee” means the person whose property the original property became on that chargeable transfer or, where on the transfer the original property became or remained settled property in which no qualifying interest in possession (within the meaning of Chapter III of Part III of this Act) subsists, the trustees of the settlement.

124B Application of section 124A to replacement property.

(1)Subject to subsection (2) below, this section applies where—

(a)the transferee has disposed of all or part of the original property before the death of the transferor; and

(b)the whole of the consideration received by him for the disposal has been applied by him in acquiring other property (in this section referred to as “the replacement property”).

(2)This section does not apply unless—

(a)the replacement property is acquired, or binding contract for its acquisition is entered into, within twelve months after the disposal of the original property (or, as the case may be, the part concerned); and

(b)the disposal and acquisition are both made in transactions at arm’s length or on terms such as might be expected to be included in a transaction at arm’s length.

(3)Where this section applies, the conditions in section 124A(3) above shall be taken to be satisfied in relation to the original property (or, as the case may be, the part concerned) if—

(a)the replacement property is owned by the transferee immediately before the death of the transferor and is not at that time subject to a binding contract for sale; and

(b)throughout the period beginning with the date of the chargeable transfer and ending with the disposal, the original property was owned by the transferee and occupied (by the transferee or another) for the purposes of agriculture; and

(c)throughout the period beginning with the date when the transferee acquired the replacement property and ending with the death, the replacement property was owned by the transferee and occupied (by the transferee or another) for the purposes of agriculture; and

(d)the replacement property is agricultural property immediately before the death.

(4)If the transferee has dies before the transferor, any reference in subsections (1) to (3) above to the death of the transferor shall have effect as a reference to the death of the transferee.

(5)In any case where—

(a)all or part of the original property has been disposed of before the death of the transferor or is subject to a binding contract for sale at the time of the death, and

(b)the replacement property is acquired, or a binding contract for its acquisition is entered into, after the death of the transferor but within twelve months after the disposal of the original property or part, and

(c)the transferor dies before the transferee,

subsection (3) above shall have effect with the omission of paragraphs (a) and (c), and as if any reference to a time immediately before the death of the transferor were a reference to the time when the replacement property is acquired.

(6)Section 124A(6) above shall have effect in relation to the replacement property as it has effect in relation to the original property.

(7)Where a binding contract for the disposal of any property is entered into at any time before the disposal of the property, the disposal shall be regarded for the purposes of subsections (2)(a) and (5)(b) above as taking place at that time.

(8)In this section “the original property” and “the transferee” have the same meaning as in section 124A above.