Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003

39 (1) This Part applies in connection with company reorganisations. U.K.

(2) For the purposes of this Part there is a “company reorganisation” where a company (“the acquiring company”)—

(a) obtains control of a company whose shares are subject to an outstanding qualifying option—

(i) as a result of making a general offer to acquire the whole of the issued share capital of that company which is made on a condition such that, if it is met, the person making the offer will have control of the company, or

(ii) as a result of making a general offer to acquire all the shares in the company which are of the same class as those to which the option relates;

[F1 (b) obtains control of such a company as a result of a compromise or arrangement sanctioned by the court under section 899 of the Companies Act 2006 (court sanction for compromise or arrangement);]

[F2 (c) becomes bound or entitled to acquire shares in the scheme company under sections 979 to 982 [F3 or 983 to 985] of the Companies Act 2006 (takeover offers: right of offeror to buy out minority shareholder).]

(d) obtains all the shares of a company whose shares are subject to an outstanding qualifying option as a result of a qualifying exchange of shares (see paragraph 40).

(3) In sub-paragraph (2) “outstanding qualifying option” means a qualifying option that has yet to be exercised.

[F4 (4) In sub-paragraph (2)(a)(i) the reference to the issued share capital of the company does not include any capital already held by the person making the offer or a person connected with that person and in sub-paragraph (2)(a)(ii) the reference to the shares in the company does not include any shares already held by the person making the offer or a person connected with that person.

(5) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (2)(a)(i) and (ii) it does not matter if the general offer is made to different shareholders by different means.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Sch. 5 para. 39(2)(b) substituted (6.4.2008) by The Companies Act 2006 (Consequential Amendments) (Taxes and National Insurance) Order 2008 (S.I. 2008/954), arts. 1(1), 34 (with art. 4)

F2 Sch. 5 para. 39(2)(c) substituted (1.10.2007) by The Companies Act 2006 (Commencement No. 3, Consequential Amendments, Transitional Provisions and Savings) Order 2007 (S.I. 2007/2194), Sch. 4 para. 101 (with art. 12)

F3 Words in Sch. 5 para. 39(2)(c) inserted (retrospective to 17.7.2013) by Finance Act 2016 (c. 24), Sch. 3 para. 8(1)(2)

F4 Sch. 5 para. 39(4)(5) inserted (31.10.2013) by Finance Act 2013 (c. 29), Sch. 2 para. 31(1)(2); S.I. 2013/2796, art. 2