Finance Act 2003

Exchange gains and losses

12 After section 730B of the Taxes Act 1988 insert—

“730BB Exchange gains and losses on sale and repurchase of securities

(1) For the purposes of the Corporation Tax Acts, a company has a relationship to which this section applies in any case where—

(a) the circumstances are as set out in section 730A(1)(a) and (b);

(b) the company is the repurchaser of the securities or (subject to subsection (11) below) the interim holder;

(c) the conditions in subsection (2) or (3) below are satisfied; and

(d) subsection (10) below does not prevent this section from applying,

and references to a relationship to which this section applies, and to a company’s being a party to such a relationship, shall be construed accordingly.

(2) The conditions in this subsection are that—

(a) the sale price and the repurchase price are expressed in a currency other than sterling;

(b) there is a difference between—

(i) the sterling equivalent of the sale price as at the date of the transfer of the securities to the interim holder (“the first sum”); and

(ii) the sterling equivalent of the sale price as at the date they are bought back by the repurchaser (“the second sum”); and

(c) the case is not one where section 93 of the Finance Act 1993 (accounts of a company in a currency other than sterling) applies in relation to the company.

(3) The conditions in this subsection are that—

(a) the case is one where section 93 of the Finance Act 1993 applies in relation to the company;

(b) the sale price and the repurchase price are expressed in a currency other than the relevant foreign currency (within the meaning of that section) in relation to the company; and

(c) there is a difference between—

(i) the relevant foreign currency equivalent of the sale price as at the date of the transfer of the securities to the interim holder (“the first sum”); and

(ii) the relevant foreign currency equivalent of the sale price as at the date they are bought back by the repurchaser (“the second sum”).

(4) Where a company has a relationship to which this section applies and—

(a) the company is the repurchaser and the first sum exceeds the second sum; or

(b) the company is the interim holder and the second sum exceeds the first sum,

the amount of the excess shall be treated for the purposes of the Corporation Tax Acts as an exchange gain (within the meaning of Chapter 2 of Part 4 of the Finance Act 1996 (loan relationships)) arising to the company from the relationship.

(5) Where a company has a relationship to which this section applies and—

(a) the company is the repurchaser and the second sum exceeds the first sum; or

(b) the company is the interim holder and the first sum exceeds the second sum,

the amount of the excess shall be treated for the purposes of the Corporation Tax Acts as an exchange loss (within the meaning of Chapter 2 of Part 4 of the Finance Act 1996 (loan relationships)) arising to the company from the relationship.

(6) Where an exchange gain or loss is treated by virtue of subsection (4) or (5) above as arising to a company from a relationship to which this section applies—

(a) Chapter 2 of Part 4 of the Finance Act 1996 shall have effect in relation to the exchange gain or loss as it would have effect if it were an exchange gain or loss (as the case may be) arising to the company from a loan relationship to which it is a party; but

(b) the only debits and credits to be brought into account for the purposes of that Chapter by virtue of this section in respect of the relationship to which this section applies are those relating to the exchange gains and losses,

and, subject to paragraph (b) above, references in the Corporation Tax Acts to a loan relationship accordingly include a reference to a relationship to which this section applies.

(7) Where a company has a relationship to which this section applies, the repurchase price shall be treated for the purposes of the Tax Acts (other than this section and sections 730A, 737A and 737C) and (in cases where section 263A of the 1992 Act does not apply) for the purposes of the 1992 Act—

(a) in a case where an exchange gain arises to the company by virtue of subsection (4)(a) above or an exchange loss arises to the company by virtue of subsection (5)(b) above, as increased by the amount by which the first sum exceeds the second sum, and

(b) in a case where an exchange gain arises to the company by virtue of subsection (4)(b) above or an exchange loss arises to the company by virtue of subsection (5)(a) above, as reduced by the amount by which the second sum exceeds the first sum.

(8) Any question whether debits or credits brought into account in accordance with subsection (6) above in relation to any company—

(a) are to be brought into account under section 82(2) of the Finance Act 1996 (trading loan relationships); or

(b) are to be treated as non-trading debits or credits,

shall be determined (subject to Schedule 11 to that Act (insurance companies)) according to the extent (if any) to which the company is a party to the repurchase in the course of activities forming an integral part of a trade carried on by that company.

(9) To the extent that debits or credits fall to be brought into account by a company under section 82(2) of that Act in the case of a relationship to which this section applies, the company shall be regarded for the purposes of Chapter 2 of Part 4 of the Finance Act 1996 as being a party to the relationship for the purposes of a trade carried on by the company.

(10) Except where regulations under section 737E otherwise provide, this section does not apply if—

(a) the agreement or agreements under which provision is made for the sale and repurchase are not such as would be entered into by persons dealing with each other at arm’s length; or

(b) all of the benefits and risks arising from fluctuations, before the repurchase takes place, in the market value of the securities sold accrue to, or fall on, the interim holder.

(11) Where—

(a) the repurchase price is more than the sale price, so that by virtue of section 730A(2)(a) a payment of interest is treated as made by the repurchaser on a deemed loan from the interim holder; but

(b) the payment of interest is treated as made to a person other than the interim holder,

references to the “interim holder” in subsections (1), (4) and (5) above shall be read as references to the person to whom the payment of interest is treated as made.

(12) Any reference in this section to the “relevant foreign currency equivalent” of an amount is, in the case of any company, a reference to the amount’s equivalent expressed in the relevant foreign currency (within the meaning of section 93 of the Finance Act 1993) in relation to the company.

(13) Expressions used in this section and in section 730A have the same meaning in this section as in that section.”.