Finance Act 1989

104 Meaning of “close company”. U.K.

(1) In section 414 of the Taxes Act 1988 for subsection (2) (further case inwhich a company is a close company for the purposes of the Tax Acts) thereshall be substituted—

“(2) Subject to section 415 and subsection (5) below, a company resident in theUnited Kingdom (but not falling within subsection (1)(b) above) is also aclose company if five or fewer participators, or participators who aredirectors, together possess or are entitled to acquire—

(a) such rights as would, in the event of the winding-up of the company(“the relevant company”) on the basis set out in subsection (2A) below,entitle them to receive the greater part of the assets of the relevant companywhich would then be available for distribution among the participators, or

(b) such rights as would in that event so entitle them if any rights which anyof them or any other person has as a loan creditor (in relation to therelevant company or any other company) were disregarded.

(2A) In the notional winding-up of the relevant company, the part of the assetsavailable for distribution among the participators which any person isentitled to receive is the aggregate of—

(a) any part of those assets which he would be entitled to receive in theevent of the winding-up of the company, and

(b) any part of those assets which he would be entitled to receive if—

(i) any other company which is a participator in the relevant company and isentitled to receive any assets in the notional winding-up were also wound upon the basis set out in this subsection, and

(ii) the part of the assets of the relevant company to which the other companyis entitled were distributed among the participators in the other company inproportion to their respective entitlement to the assets of the other companyavailable for distribution among the participators.

(2B) In the application of subsection (2A) above to the notional winding-up ofthe other company and to any further notional winding-up required by paragraph(b) of that subsection (or by any further application of that paragraph),references to “the relevant company” shall have effect as references tothe company concerned.

(2C) In ascertaining under subsection (2) above whether five or fewerparticipators, or participators who are directors, together possess or areentitled to acquire rights such as are mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b) ofthat subsection—

(a) a person shall be treated as a participator in or director of the relevantcompany if he is a participator in or director of any other company whichwould be entitled to receive assets in the notional winding-up of the relevantcompany on the basis set out in subsection (2A) above, and

(b) except in the application of subsection (2A) above, no account shall betaken of a participator which is a company unless the company possesses or isentitled to acquire the rights in a fiduciary or representative capacity.

(2D) Subsections (4) to (6) of section 416 apply for the purposes ofsubsections (2) and (2A) above as they apply for the purposes of subsection(2) of that section.”

(2) Subsection (3) of that section shall cease to have effect.

(3) In subsection (5)(b) of that section for the words from “paragraph(c)” to “that paragraph” there shall be substituted the words “paragraph (a) of subsection (2) above or paragraph (c) of section 416(2)and it would not be a close company if the references in those paragraphs”.

(4) This section shall be deemed to have come into force on 1st April 1989.