Finance Act 1989

69 Chargeable events

(1) For the purposes of section 68 above each of the following is a chargeable event in relation to the trustees of an employee share ownership trust—

(a) the transfer of securities by the trustees, if the transfer is not a qualifying transfer;

(b) the transfer of securities by the trustees to persons who are at the time of the transfer beneficiaries under the terms of the trust deed, if the terms on which the transfer is made are not qualifying terms;

(c) the retention of securities by the trustees at the expiry of the period of seven years beginning with the date on which they acquired them;

(d) the expenditure of a sum by the trustees for a purpose other than a qualifying purpose.

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1)(a) above a transfer is a qualifying transfer if it is made to a person who at the time of the transfer is a beneficiary under the terms of the trust deed.

(3) For the purposes of subsection (1)(a) above a transfer is also a qualifying transfer if—

(a) it is made to the trustees of a scheme which at the time of the transfer is a profit sharing scheme approved under Schedule 9 to the Taxes Act 1988, and

(b) it is made for a consideration which is not less than the price the securities might reasonably be expected to fetch on a sale in the open market.

(4) For the purposes of subsection (1)(b) above a transfer of securities is made on qualifying terms if—

(a) all the securities transferred at the same time are transferred on similar terms,

(b) securities have been offered to all the persons who are beneficiaries under the terms of the trust deed when the transfer is made, and

(c) securities are transferred to all such beneficiaries who have accepted.

(5) For the purposes of subsection (1)(d) above each of the following is a qualifying purpose—

(a) the acquisition of shares in the company which established the trust;

(b) the repayment of sums borrowed;

(c) the payment of interest on sums borrowed;

(d) the payment of any sum to a person who is a beneficiary under the terms of the trust deed;

(e) the meeting of expenses.

(6) For the purposes of subsection (4) above, the fact that terms vary according to the levels of remuneration of beneficiaries, the length of their service, or similar factors, shall not be regarded as meaning that the terms are not similar.

(7) In ascertaining for the purposes of this section whether particular securities are retained, securities acquired earlier by the trustees shall be treated as transferred by them before securities acquired by them later.

(8) For the purposes of this section trustees—

(a) acquire securities when they become entitled to them (subject to the exceptions in subsection (9) below);

(b) transfer securities to another person when that other becomes entitled to them;

(c) retain securities if they remain entitled to them.

(9) The exceptions are these—

(a) if securities are issued to trustees in exchange in circumstances mentioned in section 85(1) of the [1979 c. 14.] Capital Gains Tax Act 1979, they shall be treated as having acquired them when they became entitled to the securities for which they are exchanged;

(b) if trustees become entitled to securities as a result of a reorganisation, they shall be treated as having acquired them when they became entitled to the original shares which those securities represent (construing “reorganisation” and “original shares” in accordance with section 77 of that Act).

(10) If trustees agree to take a transfer of securities, for the purposes of this section they shall be treated as becoming entitled to them when the agreement is made and not on a later transfer made pursuant to the agreement.

(11) If trustees agree to transfer securities to another person, for the purposes of this section the other person shall be treated as becoming entitled to them when the agreement is made and not on a later transfer made pursuant to the agreement.

(12) For the purposes of this section the following are securities—

(a) shares;

(b) debentures.