Finance Act 1998

2 After section 547 of the Taxes Act 1988 there shall be inserted—

“547A Method of charging gain to tax: multiple interests.

(1) Where, immediately before the happening of a chargeable event, two or more persons have relevant interests in the rights conferred by the policy or contract in question, section 547 shall have effect in relation to each of those persons as if that person had been the only person with a relevant interest in those rights, but with references to the amount of the gain construed as references to his proportionate share of the amount of the gain.

(2) References in this section to the rights conferred by a policy or contract are, in the case of an assignment of a share only in any rights, references to that share.

(3) For the purposes of this section, a person has a “relevant interest” in the rights conferred by a policy or contract—

(a) in the case of an individual, if a share in the rights is vested in him as beneficial owner, or is held on trusts created, or as security for a debt owed, by him;

(b) in the case of a company, if a share in the rights is in the beneficial ownership of the company, or is held on trusts created, or as security for a debt owed, by the company;

(c) in the case of personal representatives, if a share in the rights is vested in them;

(d) in the case of trustees—

(i) if a share in the rights is held by them, and the person who created the trusts is not resident in the United Kingdom or has died or (in the case of a company or foreign institution) has been dissolved or wound up or has otherwise come to an end; or

(ii) if a share in the rights is held as security for a debt owed by them;

(e) in the case of a foreign institution, if a share in the rights is in the beneficial ownership of the foreign institution, or is held as security for a debt owed by the foreign institution.

(4) For the purposes of subsection (1) above, a person’s “proportionate share” of the amount of a gain is that share of it which is proportionate to the share of the rights by reference to which he has the relevant interest in question.

(5) Where, immediately before the happening of a chargeable event, the rights conferred by the policy or contract in question are, or a share in those rights is, held as security for one or more debts owed by two or more persons, this section shall effect in relation to the chargeable event as if—

(a) each of those persons were instead the sole debtor in respect of a separate debt; and

(b) the security for that separate debt were the appropriate share of the security for the actual debt or debts (so far as consisting of the rights, or a share in the rights, conferred by the policy or contract);

and for the purposes of paragraph (b) above the appropriate share, in the case of any person, is a share which is proportionate to that share of the actual debt or, as the case may be, the aggregate of the two or more actual debts, for which he is liable as between the debtors.

(6) Where, immediately before the happening of a chargeable event, the rights conferred by the policy or contract in question are, or a share in those rights is, held on trusts created by two or more persons, this section shall have effect in relation to that chargeable event as if—

(a) each of those persons had instead been the sole settlor in relation to a separate share of the rights or share so held; and

(b) that separate share were proportionate to the share which originates from him of the whole of the property subject to the trusts immediately before the happening of the chargeable event.

(7) The reference in subsection (6)(b) above to the share of the property which originates from a person is a reference to the share of the property which consists of—

(a) property which that person has provided directly or indirectly for the purposes of the trusts;

(b) property representing property which that person has so provided; and

(c) so much of any property which represents both property so provided and other property as, on a just apportionment, represents the property so provided.

(8) References in subsection (7) above to property which a person has provided directly or indirectly—

(a) include references to property which has been provided directly or indirectly by another in pursuance of reciprocal arrangements with the person, but

(b) do not include references to property which the person has provided directly or indirectly in pursuance of reciprocal arrangements with another.

(9) References in subsection (7) above to property which represents other property include references to property which represents accumulated income from that other property.

(10) Where immediately before the happening of a chargeable event—

(a) the rights conferred by the policy or contract in question are, or a share in those rights is, held subject to any trusts, and

(b) different shares of the whole of the property subject to those trusts originate (within the meaning of subsection (6)(b) above) from different persons,

the rights or share shall, in relation to that chargeable event, be taken for the purposes of this section to be held on trusts created by those persons.

(11) Where the rights conferred by a policy or contract are, or an interest in any such rights is, in the beneficial ownership of two or more persons jointly, the rights or interest shall be treated for the purposes of this section as if they were in the beneficial ownership of those persons in equal shares.

(12) A non-fractional interest in the rights conferred by a policy or contract shall be treated for the purposes of this section as if it were instead such a share in those rights as may justly and reasonably be regarded for those purposes as representing the non-fractional interest.

(13) For the purposes of subsection (12) above, a “non-fractional interest” in the rights conferred by a policy or contract is an interest in some or all of those rights which is not a share in all of those rights (otherwise than by virtue only of subsection (2) above).

(14) This section applies in a case where the same person has two or more relevant interests in the rights conferred by a policy or contract as it applies in a case where two or more persons have separate relevant interests, unless—

(a) that person is the only person with a relevant interest in those rights, and

(b) he has all the relevant interests in the same capacity,

in which case section 547 applies.

(15) In this section—

• “foreign institution” has the same meaning as in section 547;

• “personal representatives” has the same meaning as in Part XVI.

(16) Subsections (12) and (14) of section 547 apply for the purposes of this section as they apply for the purposes of that section.”