Office of Public Sector Information

149 Rights to acquire qualifying shares

(1) This section applies where on or after 25th July 1991 (the day on which the [1991 c. 31.] Finance Act 1991 was passed) a building society confers—

(a) on its members, or

(b) on any particular class or description of its members,

any rights to acquire, in priority to other persons, shares in the society which are qualifying shares.

(2) Any such right so conferred shall be regarded for the purposes of capital gains tax as an option granted to, and acquired by, the member concerned for no consideration and having no value at the time of that grant and acquisition.

(3) In this section—

• “member” includes a former member, and

• “qualifying share” has the same meaning as in section 117(4).

150 Business expansion schemes

(1) In this section “relief” means relief under Chapter III of Part VII of the Taxes Act, Schedule 5 to the [1983 c. 28.] Finance Act 1983 (“the 1983 Act”) or Chapter II of Part IV of the [1981 c. 35.] Finance Act 1981 (“the 1981 Act”) and “eligible shares” has the meaning given by section 289(4) of the Taxes Act.

(2) A gain or loss which accrues to an individual on the disposal of any shares issued after 18th March 1986 in respect of which relief has been given to him and not withdrawn shall not be a chargeable gain or allowable loss for the purposes of capital gains tax.

(3) The sums allowable as deductions from the consideration in the computation for the purposes of capital gains tax of the gain or loss accruing to an individual on the disposal of shares issued before 19th March 1986 in respect of which relief has been given and not withdrawn shall be determined without regard to that relief, except that where those sums exceed the consideration they shall be reduced by an amount equal to—

(a) the amount of that relief; or

(b) the excess,

whichever is the less, but the foregoing provisions of this subsection shall not apply to a disposal falling within section 58(1).

(4) Any question—

(a) as to which of any shares issued to a person at different times, being shares in respect of which relief has been given and not withdrawn, a disposal relates, or

(b) whether a disposal relates to shares in respect of which relief has been given and not withdrawn or to other shares,

shall for the purposes of capital gains tax be determined as for the purposes of section 299 of the Taxes Act, or section 57 of the [1981 c. 35.] Finance Act 1981 if the relief has only been given under that Act; and Chapter I of this Part shall have effect subject to the foregoing provisions of this subsection.

(5) Notwithstanding anything in section 107(1) and (2), section 107 does not apply to shares in respect of which relief has been given and not withdrawn.

(6) Where an individual holds shares which form part of the ordinary share capital of a company and the relief has been given (and not withdrawn) in respect of some but not others, then, if there is within the meaning of section 126 a reorganisation affecting those shares, section 127 shall apply separately to the shares in respect of which the relief has been given (and not withdrawn) and to the other shares (so that shares of each kind are treated as a separate holding of original shares and identified with a separate new holding).

(7) Where section 58 has applied to any eligible shares disposed of by an individual to his or her spouse (“the transferee”), subsection (2) above shall apply in relation to the subsequent disposal of the shares by the transferee to a third party.

(8) Where section 135 or 136 would, but for this subsection, apply in relation to eligible shares issued after 18th March 1986 in respect of which an individual has been given relief, that section shall apply only if the relief is withdrawn.

(9) Sections 127 to 130 shall not apply in relation to any shares in respect of which relief (other than relief under the 1981 Act) has been given and which form part of a company’s ordinary share capital if—

(a) there is, by virtue of any such allotment for payment as is mentioned in section 126(2)(a), a reorganisation occurring after 18th March 1986 affecting those shares; and

(b) immediately following the reorganisation, the relief has not been withdrawn in respect of those shares or relief has been given in respect of the allotted shares and not withdrawn.

(10) Where relief is reduced by virtue of subsection (2) of section 305 of the Taxes Act—

(a) the sums allowable as deductions from the consideration in the computation, for the purposes of capital gains tax, of the gain or loss accruing to an individual on the disposal, after 18th March 1986, of any of the allotted shares or debentures shall be taken to include the amount of the reduction apportioned between the allotted shares or (as the case may be) debentures in such a way as appears to the inspector, or on appeal to the Commissioners concerned, to be just and reasonable; and

(b) the sums so allowable on the disposal (in circumstances in which subsections (2) to (8) above do not apply) of any of the shares referred to in section 305(2)(a) shall be taken to be reduced by the amount mentioned in paragraph (a) above, similarly apportioned between those shares.

(11) There shall be made all such adjustments of capital gains tax, whether by way of assessment or by way of discharge or repayment of tax, as may be required in consequence of the relief being given or withdrawn.

151 Personal equity plans

(1) The Treasury may make regulations providing that an individual who invests under a plan shall be entitled to relief from capital gains tax in respect of the investments.

(2) Subsections (2) to (5) of section 333 of the Taxes Act (personal equity plans) shall apply in relation to regulations under subsection (1) above as they apply in relation to regulations under subsection (1) of that section but with the substitution for any reference to income tax of a reference to capital gains tax.

(3) Regulations under this section may include provision securing that losses are disregarded for the purposes of capital gains tax where they accrue on the disposal of investments on or after 18th January 1988.