Finance Act 1998

133 Transfer within group to investment trust

(1) After section 101 of the [1992 c. 12.] Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992, there shall be inserted the following section—

“101A Transfer within group to investment trust

(1) This section applies where—

(a) an asset has been disposed of to a company (the “acquiring company”) and the disposal has been treated by virtue of section 171(1) as giving rise to neither a gain nor a loss,

(b) at the time of the disposal the acquiring company was not an investment trust, and

(c) the conditions set out in subsection (2) below are satisfied by the acquiring company.

(2) Those conditions are satisfied by the acquiring company if—

(a) it becomes an investment trust for an accounting period beginning not more than 6 years after the time of the disposal,

(b) at the beginning of that accounting period, it owns, otherwise than as trading stock—

(i) the asset, or

(ii) property to which a chargeable gain has been carried forward from the asset on a replacement of business assets,

(c) it has not been an investment trust for any earlier accounting period beginning after the time of the disposal, and

(d) at the time at which it becomes an investment trust, there has not been an event by virtue of which it falls by virtue of section 179(3) or 101C(3) to be treated as having sold, and immediately reacquired, the asset at the time specified in subsection (3) below.

(3) The acquiring company shall be treated for all the purposes of this Act as if immediately after the disposal it had sold, and immediately reacquired, the asset at its market value at that time.

(4) Any chargeable gain or allowable loss which, apart from this subsection, would accrue to the acquiring company on the sale referred to in subsection (3) above shall be treated as accruing to it immediately before the end of the last accounting period to end before the beginning of the accounting period for which the acquiring company becomes an investment trust.

(5) For the purposes of this section a chargeable gain is carried forward from an asset to other property on a replacement of business assets if—

(a) by one or more claims under sections 152 to 158, the chargeable gain accruing on a disposal of the asset is reduced, and

(b) as a result an amount falls to be deducted from the expenditure allowable in computing a gain accruing on the disposal of the other property.

(6) For the purposes of this section an asset acquired by the acquiring company shall be treated as the same as an asset owned by it at a later time if the value of the second asset is derived in whole or in part from the first asset; and, in particular, assets shall be so treated where—

(a) the second asset is a freehold and the first asset was a leasehold; and

(b) the lessee has acquired the reversion.

(7) Where under this section a company is to be treated as having disposed of and reacquired an asset—

(a) all such recomputations of liability in respect of other disposals, and

(b) all such adjustments of tax, whether by way of assessment or by way of discharge or repayment of tax,

as may be required in consequence of the provisions of this section shall be carried out.

(8) Notwithstanding any limitation on the time for making assessments, any assessment to corporation tax chargeable in consequence of this section may be made at any time within 6 years after the end of the accounting period referred to in subsection (2)(a) above.”

(2) In section 179 of that Act (company ceasing to be a member of a group), after subsection (2B) there shall be inserted the following subsection—

“(2C) This section shall not have effect as respects any asset if, before the time when the chargeable company ceases to be a member of the group or, as the case may be, the second group, an event has already occurred by virtue of which the company falls by virtue of section 101A(3) to be treated as having sold and immediately reacquired the asset at the time specified in subsection (3) below.”

(3) Subsections (1) and (2) above apply to any company which becomes an investment trust for an accounting period beginning on or after 17th March 1998.