Finance (No. 2) Act 2005

51 Chargeable gains U.K.

(1) After section 140D of TCGA 1992 (transfer of non-UK trade) insert—

“Formation of SE by merger U.K.

140E Merger leaving assets within UK tax charge

(1) This section applies where—

(a) an SE is formed by the merger of two or more companies in accordance with Articles 2(1) and 17(2)(a) or (b) of Council Regulation (EC) 2157/2001 on the Statute for a European Company (Societas Europaea),

(b) each merging company is resident in a member State,

(c) the merging companies are not all resident in the same State, and

(d) section 139 does not apply to any qualifying transferred assets.

(2) Where this section applies, qualifying transferred assets shall be treated for the purposes of corporation tax on chargeable gains as if acquired by the SE for a consideration resulting in neither gain nor loss for the transferor.

(3) For the purposes of subsections (1) and (2) an asset is a qualifying transferred asset if—

(a) it is transferred to the SE as part of the process of the merger forming it, and

(b) subsections (4) and (5) are satisfied in respect of it.

(4) This subsection is satisfied in respect of a transferred asset if—

(a) the transferor is resident in the United Kingdom at the time of the transfer, or

(b) any gain that would have accrued to the transferor, had it disposed of the asset immediately before the time of the transfer, would have been a chargeable gain forming part of the transferor's chargeable profits in accordance with section 10B.

(5) This subsection is satisfied in respect of a transferred asset if—

(a) the transferee SE is resident in the United Kingdom on formation, or

(b) any gain that would accrue to the transferee SE were it to dispose of the asset immediately after the transfer would be a chargeable gain forming part of the SE's chargeable profits in accordance with section 10B.

(6) For the purposes of this section a company is resident in a member State if—

(a) it is within a charge to tax under the law of the State as being resident for that purpose, and

(b) it is not regarded, for the purposes of any double taxation relief arrangements to which the State is a party, as resident in a territory not within a member State.

(7) This section does not apply to the formation of an SE by merger if—

(a) it is not effected for bona fide commercial reasons, or

(b) it forms part of a scheme or arrangements of which the main purpose, or one of the main purposes, is avoiding liability to corporation tax, capital gains tax or income tax;

and section 138 (clearance in advance) shall apply to this subsection as it applies to section 137 (with any necessary modifications).

140F Merger not leaving assets within UK tax charge

(1) This section applies where—

(a) an SE is formed by the merger of two or more companies in accordance with Articles 2(1) and 17(2)(a) or (b) of Council Regulation (EC) 2157/2001 on the Statute for a European Company (Societas Europaea),

(b) each merging company is resident in a member State,

(c) the merging companies are not all resident in the same State,

(d) in the course of the merger a company resident in the United Kingdom (“company A”) transfers to a company resident in another member State (“company B”) all assets and liabilities relating to a business which company A carried on in a member State other than the United Kingdom through a permanent establishment, and

(e) the aggregate of the chargeable gains accruing to company A on the transfer exceeds the aggregate of any allowable losses so accruing.

(2) Where this section applies, for the purposes of this Act—

(a) the allowable losses accruing to company A on the transfer shall be set off against the chargeable gains so accruing, and

(b) the transfer shall be treated as giving rise to a single chargeable gain equal to the aggregate of those gains after deducting the aggregate of those losses.

(3) Where this section applies, section 815A of the Taxes Act shall also apply.

(4) Subsections (6) and (7) of section 140E apply for the purposes of this section as they apply for the purposes of that section.

140G Treatment of securities issued on merger

(1) This section applies where—

(a) an SE is formed by the merger of two or more companies in accordance with Articles 2(1) and 17(2)(a) or (b) of Council Regulation (EC) 2157/2001 on the Statute for a European Company (Societas Europaea),

(b) each merging company is resident in a member State,

(c) the merging companies are not all resident in the same State, and

(d) the merger does not constitute or form part of a scheme of reconstruction within the meaning of section 136.

(2) Where this section applies, the merger shall be treated for the purposes of section 136 as if it were a scheme of reconstruction.

(3) Where section 136 applies by virtue of subsection (2) above section 136(6) (and section 137) shall not apply.

(4) Subsections (6) and (7) of section 140E apply for the purposes of this section as they apply for the purposes of that section.”

(2) Subsection (1) shall have effect in relation to the formation of an SE which occurs on or after 1st April 2005.