Chevening Estate Act 1959

1 Confirmation of vesting deed and trust instrument.

(1) The vesting deed and the trust instrument are hereby confirmed, and shall have effect, and be deemed to have had effect as from the execution thereof, notwithstanding any rule of law or equity which apart from this subsection would have affected their validity:

Provided that this subsection shall not affect any right or interest in respect of any of the property comprised in the vesting deed or the trust instrument, being a right or interest to which a person other than the Settlor was entitled immediately before the execution of the vesting deed.

(2) The vesting deed shall be taken to comply with the requirements of section five of the [15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. 18.] Settled Land Act, 1925 (which relates to the contents of vesting deeds) notwithstanding that it does not contain all the statements and particulars mentioned in that section.

(3) Notwithstanding anything in subsection (1) of section one hundred and six or subsection (2) of section one hundred and eight of the Settled Land Act, 1925 (which relate respectively to provisions for limiting the exercise of powers conferred by that Act and to cases of conflict between the provisions of a settlement and the provisions of that Act), in so far as the trust instrument provides for the application of any provisions of, or powers conferred by, that Act, those provisions or powers shall apply subject to any modifications or restrictions specified in relation thereto in the trust instrument.

(4) Section twenty-two of the [15 & 16 Geo. 5.c. 23.] Administration of Estates Act, 1925 (which relates to the appointment of special executors in respect of settled land) shall apply in relation to the trust instrument subject to the provisions of that instrument relating to that, section.

(5) It is hereby declared that this Act is the Act referred to in the trust instrument as the intended Act of Parliament confirming that instrument.

2 Provisions as to income tax, estate duty and stamp duty.

(1) Subject to the following provisions of this section, exemption shall be granted—

(a) from income tax chargeable under Schedule A or Schedule B in respect of any land which is for the time being held upon the trusts of the trust instrument, being, either land which a person is for the time being permitted to occupy, use or enjoy in accordance with the trusts, of the trust instrument or land which is for the time being occupied by the Bank or the administrative trustees in their capacity as trustees under the trust instrument;

(b) from income tax chargeable under Schedule A, or, by virtue of section one hundred and seventy-seven or section one hundred and eighty-two of the [15 & 16 Geo. 6 & 1 Eliz. 2. c. 10.] Income Tax Act, 1952, under Schedule D, in respect of the rents and profits of any land which is for the time being held upon the trusts of the trust instrument;

(c) from income tax chargeable under Schedule C in respect of any interest, annuities, dividends or shares of annuities, or under Schedule D in respect of any yearly interest or other annual payment, which constitutes income arising from and subject to those trusts.

(2) None of the exemptions granted by the preceding subsection shall have effect in respect of any income tax which (apart from that subsection) would be chargeable for any year of assessment, in so far as that tax would be so chargeable—

(a) in respect of a period during which the life interest of the Settlor under the trust instrument continues to subsist, whether' that interest for the time being remains vested in the Settlor or not, or

(b) in respect of any period after all the trusts declared by the trust instrument (except the trust contained therein in favour of the National Trust) have failed or determined.

(3) The exemption granted by paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of this section shall not extend to tax in respect of any rent payable or other annual payment to be made by the Bank or the administrative trustees in respect of any land for the time being held upon the trusts of the trust instrument.

(4) Notwithstanding anything in paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of this section, any assessment upon any property falling within that paragraph shall not be vacated or altered but shall' be in force and levied notwithstanding the allowance of any such exemption as is mentioned in that paragraph.

(5) For the purposes of the enactments relating to estate duty, the property passing, or deemed to pass, on the death of the Settlor shall be taken not to include any property which, immediately before the death of the Settlor, is property held upon the trusts of the trust instrument:

Provided that this subsection shall not apply to any chattels which, immediately before the death of the Settlor, are held upon the trusts of the trust instrument but are given or bequeathed by him in pursuance of Clause 18 of that instrument.

(6) For the purposes of the said enactments, the property passing, or deemed to pass, on the death of the Settlor shall also be taken not to include any property which by his will is given or directed to be held upon the trusts of the trust instrument, except—

(a) any property which is so given or directed to be held subject to one or more prior interests, other than annuities;

(b) any property which is appropriated for the payment (whether by way of purchase or otherwise) of one or more annuities given by the will of the Settlor ;

(c) if by the will of the Settlor any property is charged with, or given conditionally upon, the payment of one or more annuities, and no property is so appropriated for the payment of those annuities, the property so charged or given.

(7) For the purposes of the said enactments—

(a) any property which by the will of the Settlor is given or directed to be held as mentioned in paragraph (a) of the last preceding subsection shall not be taken to be or to form part of property passing, or deemed to pass, on the death of any person entitled to any such prior interest as is therein mentioned, if on the cesser of that prior interest the property is directed to be held in possession upon the trusts of the trust instrument;

(b) property which is appropriated for the payment of one or more annuities given by the will of the Settlor, but which (subject thereto) is directed to be held upon the trusts of the trust instrument, shall not be taken to be or to form part of property passing, or deemed to pass, on the death of any of the annuitants;

and no property which is for the time being held upon the trusts of the trust instrument shall be taken to be or to form part of property passing, or deemed to pass, on the death of any person other than the Settlor, by reason only that it is property which, before that person's death, he was permitted to occupy, use or enjoy in accordance with those trusts.

(8) No stamp duty shall be payable, or be deemed to have been payable,—

(a) on the vesting deed or the trust instrument, or

(b) on any instrument executed by the Settlor for the purpose of vesting in the Bank any investments or other property to be held upon the trusts of the trust instrument, or

(c) on any instrument which, after the death of the Settlor, is executed in favour of the Bank or the administrative trustees, being an instrument in respect of which stamp duty, if payable, would be payable out of moneys held upon the trusts of the trust instrument;

and any stamp duty paid on any instrument, whether before or after the passing of this Act, if by virtue of this subsection no stamp duty should have been charged thereon, shall be repaid.

(9) In this section any reference to permission to occupy, use or enjoy any property in accordance with the trusts of the trust instrument is a reference to permission to occupy, use or enjoy that property as a person nominated in that behalf in accordance with those trusts, or as a person holding office as an ambassador, High Commissioner or other diplomatic representative as mentioned in the trust instrument.

(10) In this section " the Bank", the administrative trustees"' and " the National Trust" have the same meanings respectively as in the trust instrument, and any reference to the will of the Settlor includes a reference to any codicil to that will.

3 Short title.

This Act may be cited as the Chevening Estate Act, 1959.