(1)An individual shall not be chargeable to capital gains tax in respect of so much of his taxable amount for any year of assessment as does not exceed the exempt amount for the year.
(2)Subject to subsection (3) below, the exempt amount for any year of assessment shall be £5,500.
(3)If the retail prices index for the month of [F1September] preceding a year of assessment is higher than it was for the previous [F1September], then, unless Parliament otherwise determines, subsection (2) above shall have effect for that year as if for the amount specified in that subsection as it applied for the previous year (whether by virtue of this subsection or otherwise) there were substituted an amount arrived at by increasing the amount for the previous year by the same percentage as the percentage increase in the retail prices index and, if the result is not a multiple of £100, rounding it up to the nearest amount which is such a multiple.
(4)The Treasury shall, before each year of assessment, make an order specifying the amount which by virtue of this section is the exempt amount for that year.
[F2(5)For the purposes of this section an individual’s taxable amount for any year of assessment is the amount which, after—
(a)making every deduction for which section 2(2) provides,
(b)applying any reduction in respect of taper relief under section 2A, and
(c)adding any amounts falling to be added by virtue of section 2(5)(b),
is (apart from this section) the amount for that year on which that individual is chargeable to capital gains tax in accordance with section 2.
(5A)Where, in the case of any individual, the amount of the adjusted net gains for any year of assessment is equal to or less than the exempt amount for that year, no deduction shall be made for that year in respect of—
(a)any allowable losses carried forward from a previous year; or
(b)any allowable losses carried back from a subsequent year in which the individual dies.
(5B)Where, in the case of any individual, the amount of the adjusted net gains for any year of assessment exceeds the exempt amount for the year, the deductions made for that year in respect of allowable losses falling within subsection (5A)(a) or (b) above shall not be greater than the excess.
(5C)In subsections (5A) and (5B) above the references, in relation to any individual’s case, to the adjusted net gains for any year are references to the amount given in his case by—
(a)taking the amount for that year from which the deductions for which section 2(2)(a) and (b) provides are to be made;
(b)deducting only the amounts falling to be deducted in accordance with section 2(2)(a); and
(c)in a year in which any amount falls to be brought into account by virtue of section 2(5)(b), adding whichever is the smaller of the exempt amount for that year and the amount falling to be so brought into account.]
(6)Where in a year of assessment—
(a)the amount of chargeable gains accruing to an individual does not exceed the exempt amount for the year, and
(b)the aggregate amount or value of the consideration for all the disposals of assets made by him (other than disposals gains accruing on which are not chargeable gains) does not exceed an amount equal to twice the exempt amount for the year,
a statement to the effect of paragraphs (a) and (b) above shall, unless the inspector otherwise requires, be sufficient compliance with any notice under section 8 of the Management Act requiring the individual to make a return of the chargeable gains accruing to him in that year.
(7)For the year of assessment in which an individual dies and for the next 2 following years, subsections (1) to (6) above shall apply to his personal representatives as they apply to an individual.
[F3(7A)As they apply by virtue of subsection (7) above—
(a)subsection (5A) has effect with the omission of paragraph (b), and
(b)subsection (5B) has effect with the omission of the words “or (b)”.]
(8)Schedule 1 shall have effect as respects the application of this section to trustees.
Textual Amendments
F1Words in s. 3(3) substituted (27.7.1993 with effect for the years 1994-95 and subsequent years as mentioned in s. 83(2)) by 1993 c. 34, s. 83(1)
F2S. 3(5)(5A)(5B)(5C) substituted for s. 3(5) (with effect in accordance with s. 121(4) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1998 (c. 36), Sch. 21 para. 3
F3S. 3(7A) inserted (retrospectively) by Finance Act 2003 (c. 14), Sch. 28 paras. 3(4), 8
Modifications etc. (not altering text)
C1S. 3 amended (for the year 1993-1994) by S.I. 1993/760, art. 2
S. 3 modified (for the year 1993-1994) by 1993 c. 34, s. 82
C2S. 3(2) sum amended (for the year 1994-95) by Finance Act 1994 (c. 9), s. 90
C3S. 3(2) sum amended (for the year 1996-97) by The Capital Gains Tax (Annual Exempt Amount) Order 1995 (S.I. 1995/3033), art. 2
C4S. 3(2) sum amended (for the year 1997-98) by The Capital Gains Tax (Annual Exempt Amount) Order 1996 (S.I. 1996/2957), art. 2
C5S. 3(2) sum amended (for the year 1998-99) by The Capital Gains Tax (Annual Exempt Amount) Order 1998 (S.I. 1998/757), art. 2
C6S. 3(2) sum amended (for the year 1999-2000) by The Capital Gains Tax (Annual Exempt Amount) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/591), art. 2
C7S. 3(2) sum amended (for the year 2000-01) by The Capital Gains Tax (Annual Exempt Amount) Order 2000 (S.I. 2000/808), art. 2
C8S. 3(2) sum amended (for the year 2001-02) by The Capital Gains Tax (Annual Exempt Amount) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/636), art. 2
C9S. 3(2) sum amended (for the year 2002-03) by The Capital Gains Tax (Annual Exempt Amount) Order 2002 (S.I. 2002/702), art. 2
C10S. 3(3) excluded (for the year 1994-95) by Finance Act 1994 (c. 9), s. 90