Finance Act 1999

“Section 626A.

SCHEDULE 18A Restriction on set-off of Pre-entry Losses Application and construction of Schedule 1. (1) This Schedule shall apply in the case of a company which is or has been a member of a group of companies (in this Schedule referred to as ‘the relevant group’) in relation to any pre-entry losses of the company. (2) In this Schedule ‘pre-entry loss’, in relation to a company, means— (a) an allowable loss that accrued to the company at a time before it became a member of the relevant group in so far as the loss has not been allowed as a deduction from chargeable gains accruing to the company prior to that time, or (b) the pre-entry proportion of an allowable loss accruing to the company on the disposal of a pre-entry asset, and for the purposes of this Schedule the pre-entry proportion of an allowable loss shall be calculated in accordance with paragraph 2. (3) In this Schedule ‘pre-entry asset’, in relation to a disposal means, subject to subparagraph (4), an asset which was held by a company at the time immediately before the company became a member of the relevant group. (4) An asset is not a pre-entry asset in relation to a disposal where— (a) the company which held the asset at the time the company became a member of the relevant group is not the company which makes the disposal, and (b) since that time the asset has been disposed of otherwise than by a disposal to which section 617 applies, but, without prejudice to subparagraph (8), where, on a disposal to which section 617 does not apply, an asset would cease to be a pre-entry asset by virtue of this subparagraph and the company making the disposal retains any interest in or over the asset in question, that interest shall be a pre-entry asset for the purposes of this Schedule. (5) References in this Schedule, in relation to a pre-entry asset, to the relevant time are references to the time when the company by reference to which the asset is a pre-entry asset became a member of the relevant group and for the purposes of this Schedule— (a) where a company has become a member of the relevant group on more than one occasion, an asset is a pre-entry asset by reference to the company if the asset would be a pre-entry asset by reference to the company in respect of any one of those occasions, and (b) references in the following provisions of this Schedule to the time when a company became a member of the relevant group, in relation to assets held on more than one such occasion as is mentioned in clause (a), are references to the later or latest of those occasions. (6) Where— (a) the principal company of a group of companies (in this paragraph referred to as ‘the first group’) has at any time become a member of another group (in this paragraph referred to as ‘the second group’) so that the two groups are treated as the same by virtue of subsection (3) of section 616, and (b) the second group, together in pursuance of the said subsection (3) with the first group, is the relevant group, then, except where subparagraph (7) applies, the members of the first group shall be treated for the purposes of this Schedule as having become members of the relevant group at that time, and not by virtue of the said subsection (3) at the times when they became members of the first group. (7) This subparagraph applies where— (a) the persons who immediately before the time when the principal company of the first group became a member of the second group owned the shares comprised in the issued share capital of the principal company of the first group are the same as the persons who, immediately after that time, owned the shares comprised in the issued share capital of the principal company of the relevant group, and (b) the company which is the principal company of the relevant group immediately after that time— (i) was not the principal company of any group immediately before that time, and (ii) immediately after that time had assets consisting entirely, or almost entirely, of shares comprised in the issued share capital of the principal company of the first group. (8) For the purposes of this Schedule— (a) an asset (in this subparagraph referred to as ‘the first asset’) acquired or held by a company at any time and an asset (in this subparagraph referred to as ‘the second asset’) held at a later time by the company (or by any company which is or has been a member of the same group of companies as the company) shall be treated as the same asset if the value of the second asset is derived in whole or in part from the first asset, and (b) where— (i) an asset is treated (whether by virtue of clause (a) or otherwise) as the same as an asset held by a company at a later time, and (ii) the first asset would have been a pre-entry asset in relation to the company, the second asset shall also be treated as a pre-entry asset in relation to the company, and clause (a) shall apply in particular where the second asset is a freehold and the first asset is a leasehold the lessee of which acquires the reversion. (9) In determining for the purposes of this Schedule whether an allowable loss accruing to a company on a disposal under section 719 or 738(4)(a) is a loss that accrued before the company became a member of the relevant group the provisions of section 720 or 738(4)(b), as the case may be, shall be disregarded. Calculation of pre-entry loss by reference to market value 2. (1) Where an allowable loss accrues on the disposal by a company of any pre-entry asset, the pre-entry proportion of that loss shall be whichever is the smaller of the amounts mentioned in subparagraph (2). (2) The amounts referred to in subparagraph (1) are— (a) the amount of the allowable loss which would have accrued if the asset had been disposed of at the relevant time at its market value at that time, and (b) the amount of the allowable loss accruing on the disposal mentioned in subparagraph (1). Gains from which pre-entry losses are to be deductible 3. (1) Notwithstanding section 78(2) a pre-entry loss that accrued to a company on a disposal before the company became a member of the relevant group shall only be deductible from a chargeable gain accruing to the company where the gain is one accruing— (a) on a disposal made by the company before the date (in this paragraph referred to as ‘the entry date’) on which the company became a member of the relevant group and made in the same accounting period in which the entry date falls, (b) on the disposal of an asset which was held by the company immediately before the entry date, or (c) on the disposal of an asset which— (i) was acquired by the company on or after the entry date from a person who was not a member of the relevant group at the time of the acquisition, and (ii) since its acquisition from the person has not been used or held for any purposes other than those of a trade which was being carried on by the company at the time immediately before the entry date and which continued to be carried on by the company until the disposal. (2) Notwithstanding section 78(2) the pre-entry proportion of an allowable loss accruing to a company on the disposal of a pre-entry asset shall only be deductible from a chargeable gain accruing to the company where— (a) the gain is one accruing on a disposal made by the company before the entry date and made in the same accounting period in which the entry date falls and the company is the one (in this subparagraph referred to as ‘the initial company’) by reference to which the asset on the disposal of which the loss accrues is a pre-entry asset, (b) the pre-entry asset and the asset on the disposal of which the gain accrues were each held by the same company at a time immediately before the company became a member of the relevant group, or (c) the gain is one accruing on the disposal of an asset which— (i) was acquired by the initial company (whether before or after the initial company became a member of the relevant group) from a person who, at the time of the acquisition, was not a member of that group, and (ii) since its acquisition from the person has not been used or held for any purposes other than those of a trade which was being carried on, immediately before the entry date, by the initial company and which continued to be carried on by the initial company until the disposal. (3) Where 2 or more companies become members of the relevant group at the same time and those companies were all members of the same group of companies immediately before those companies became members of the relevant group, then— (a) an asset shall be treated for the purposes of subparagraph (1)(b) as held, immediately before the company became a member of the relevant group, by the company to which the pre-entry loss in question accrued if the company is one of those companies and the asset was in fact so held by another of those companies, (b) two or more assets shall be treated for the purposes of subparagraph (2)(b) as assets held by the same company immediately before the company became a member of the relevant group wherever they would be so treated if all those companies were treated as a single company, and (c) the acquisition of an asset shall be treated for the purposes of subparagraphs (1)(c) and (2)(c) as an acquisition by the company to which the pre-entry loss in question accrued if the company is one of those companies and the asset was in fact acquired (whether before or after those companies became members of the relevant group) by another of those companies. Change of a company's nature 4. (1) Where— (a) within any period of 3 years, a company becomes a member of a group of companies and there is (either earlier or later in that period, or at the same time) a major change in the nature or conduct of a trade carried on by the company, or (b) at any time after the scale of the activities in a trade carried on by a company has become small or negligible, and before any considerable revival of the trade, the company becomes a member of a group of companies, the trade carried on before the change mentioned in clause (a), or, as the case may be, the trade mentioned in clause (b), shall be disregarded for the purposes of subparagraphs (1)(c) and (2)(c) of paragraph 3 in relation to any time before the company became a member of the group in question. (2) In subparagraph (1) the reference to a major change in the nature or conduct of a trade includes a reference to— (a) a major change in the type of property dealt in, or services or facilities provided, in the trade, or (b) a major change in customers, markets or outlets of the trade, and this paragraph shall apply even if the change is the result of a gradual process which began outside the period of 3 years mentioned in subparagraph (1)(a). (3) Where the operation of this paragraph depends on circumstances or events at a time after the company becomes a member of a group of companies (but not more than 3 years after), an assessment to give effect to this paragraph shall not be out of time if made within 6 years from that time or the latest such time. Companies changing groups on certain transfers of shares etc. 5. For the purposes of this Schedule, where— (a) a company which is a member of a group of companies becomes at any time a member of another group of companies as the result of a disposal of shares in or other securities of the company or any other company, and (b) that disposal is one on which, by virtue of any provision of the Tax Acts or the Capital Gains Tax Acts, neither a gain nor a loss would accrue, this Schedule shall apply in relation to the losses that accrued to the company before that time and the assets held by the company at that time as if any time when the company was a member of the first group were included in the period during which the company is treated as having been a member of the second group.”.

(2) This section shall apply in respect of a company which becomes a member of a group of companies on or after the 1st day of March, 1999.

58 Amendment of section 746 (offshore income gains accruing to persons resident or domiciled abroad) of Principal Act.

58.—(1) Section 746 of the Principal Act is hereby amended—

(a) by the substitution for subsection (1) of the following subsection:

“(1) Subject to subsection (2), sections 579 and 579A shall apply in relation to their application to offshore income gains as if—

(a) for any references to a chargeable gain there were substituted a reference to an offshore income gain,

(b) in subsection (2) of section 579 and subsection (4) of section 579A for ‘the Capital Gains Tax Acts’ there were substituted ‘the Tax Acts’,

(c) in subsection (2) of section 579 and subsection (3) of section 579A for ‘capital gains tax under section 31’ there were substituted ‘income tax by virtue of section 745’, and

(d) in subsection (5) of section 579 and subsection (9) of section 579A—

(i) for ‘any capital gains tax payable’ there were substituted ‘any income tax or corporation tax payable’, and

(ii) for ‘for the purposes of income tax’ there were substituted ‘for the purposes of income tax, corporation tax’.”,

(b) by the insertion after subsection (2) of the following subsection:

“(2A) Where in any year of assessment—

(a) under section 579A(4), as it applies apart from subsection (1), a chargeable gain is to be attributed to a beneficiary, and

(b) under section 579A(4), as applied by subsection (1), an offshore income gain is also to be attributed to the beneficiary,

section 579A shall apply as if it required offshore income gains to be attributed before chargeable gains.”,

(c) in subsection (3), by the substitution for paragraphs (b) and (c) of the following paragraphs:

“(b) for the reference in subsection (9) of that section to capital gains tax there were substituted a reference to income tax or corporation tax, and

(c) paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (7), and subsection (11), of that section were deleted.”,

(d) in subsection (4), by the substitution for paragraph (b) of the following paragraph:

“(b) for ‘capital gains tax under sections 579 to 579F or section 590’ there were substituted ‘income tax or corporation tax under sections 579 to 579F or section 590, as applied by section 746’,”

(e) in subsections (5) and (6) by the substitution for “sections 806 and 807” of “sections 806, 807 and 807A”, in each place where it occurs.

(2) This section shall apply as on and from the 11th day of February, 1999.

59 Amendment of Chapter 1 (purchase and sale of securities) of Part 28 of Principal Act.

59.—(1) Part 28 of the Principal Act is hereby amended in Chapter 1 by the insertion after section 751 of the following sections:

“Exchange of shares held as trading stock.

751A.—(1) In this section— ‘new holding’, in relation to original shares, and ‘original shares’ have, respectively, the same meanings as in section 584(1). (2) Subsections (4) and (5) shall apply where a transaction to which this section applies occurs in relation to any original shares— (a) to which a person carrying on a business consisting wholly or partly of dealing in securities is beneficially entitled, and (b) which are such that a profit on their sale would form part of the trading profits of that business. (3) This section applies to any transaction, being a disposal of original shares which, if the original shares were not such as are mentioned in subsection (2) would result in the disposal not being treated as a disposal by virtue of sections 584 to 587; but does not apply to any transaction in relation to which section 751B applies. (4) Subject to subsection (5), in making any computation in accordance with the provisions of the Tax Acts applicable to trading profits chargeable to tax under Case I of Schedule D— (a) the transaction to which this section applies shall be treated as not involving any disposal of the original shares, and (b) the new holding shall be treated as the same asset as the original shares. (5) Where, under a transaction to which this section applies, the person concerned receives or becomes entitled to receive any consideration in addition to the new holding, subsection (4) shall have effect as if the references to the original shares were references to the proportion of them which the market value of the new holding at the time of the transaction bears to the aggregate of that value and the market value at that time (or, if it is cash, the amount) of that consideration. (6) Subsections (4) and (5) shall have effect with the necessary modifications in relation to any computation made for the purposes of section 707(4) in a case where the original shares held by the company concerned and the new holding are treated as the same asset by virtue of any of sections 584 to 587.

Exchange of Irish Government bonds.

751B.—(1) In this section— ‘chargeable period’ has the same meaning as in section 321(2); ‘the exchange’ in relation to an investor, means the exchange of old securities for new securities under the Exchange Programme in Irish Government bonds as designated by the National Treasury Management Agency; ‘investor’ means any person who as beneficial owner of securities exchanges them for new securities under the exchange; ‘last payment day’ in relation to old securities, means the last day, before the day on which the exchange takes place, on which interest is payable in respect of the old securities; and in a case where a payment of such interest may be made on a number of days, that interest shall be treated as payable on the first of those days; but if there has not been any day upon which interest in respect of old securities has been payable before the day on which the exchange takes place, the last payment day means the day of issue of the old securities; ‘old securities’ means the first-mentioned securities in the definition of ‘investor’; ‘new securities’ means the securities issued to an investor in exchange for old securities under the exchange; ‘securities’ means securities to which section 36 applies. (2) (a) Subsections (3) and (5) shall apply as respects an investor who is a person carrying on a trade or business which consists wholly or partly of dealing in securities in respect of which any profits or gains are chargeable to tax under Case I of Schedule D. (b) Subsection (6) shall apply as respects any investor other than an investor referred to in paragraph (a). (3) There shall be computed for the chargeable period in which the exchange by an investor to whom this subsection applies takes place, an amount of tax (in this section referred to as ‘the deferred tax’) where the deferred tax is found by the formula— (a) in a case where the investor is chargeable to tax in the chargeable period in respect of interest received in the chargeable period— A - B - C, and (b) in any other case— A - B where— A is the amount of tax which, apart from this section, would finally fall to be borne by the investor for that chargeable period; B is the amount of tax which, apart from this section, would finally fall to be borne by the investor for that chargeable period if the exchange were not taken into account in computing that tax, but, in a case to which paragraph (b) applies, includes the tax on interest which has accrued in respect of old securities from the beginning of that chargeable period, or the day on which the old securities were acquired by the investor, whichever is later, to the day on which the exchange took place; and C is the amount representing the tax on accrued interest for that chargeable period in respect of old securities which is included in A. (4) For the purposes of subsection (3) the accrued interest in respect of old securities is the interest accrued on such securities from— (a) the last payment day in respect of the old securities, or (b) the day on which the old securities were acquired by an investor, whichever is later. (5) Where an investor to whom this section applies so elects, the amount of tax which, apart from this subsection, finally falls to be borne for the chargeable period in which the exchange takes place, shall be reduced by the amount of the deferred tax and the amount of the deferred tax shall be deemed to be an amount of tax which finally falls to be borne for the chargeable period (in this subsection referred to as ‘the later chargeable period’) in which the new securities are disposed of in addition to any tax, which apart from this subsection, finally falls to be borne for the later chargeable period and the provisions of Part 41 shall apply accordingly. (6) (a) Subject to paragraph (b), the amount of capital gains tax, which apart from this subsection, would be chargeable on chargeable gains accruing to an investor to whom this subsection applies, on the disposal of old securities, after such chargeable gains have been reduced by any allowable losses under section 31, shall, if the investor so elects, be deemed to be an amount of capital gains tax chargeable on chargeable gains which are deemed to accrue to the investor in the chargeable period (in this subsection referred to as ‘the later chargeable period’) in which the new securities are disposed of (and not in any other chargeable period) in addition to any capital gains tax chargeable on chargeable gains accruing to the investor in the later chargeable period and the provisions of Part 41 shall apply accordingly. (b) Section 815 shall apply to the disposal of the old securities to which paragraph (a) applies as if— (i) there were inserted, in subsection (3)(b) of that section after ‘profits of the trade’, ‘unless the trade consists wholly or partly of a life business the profits of which are not assessed to corporation tax under Case I of Schedule D for that accounting period’, and (ii) subsection (3)(c) of that section were deleted. (7) The election referred to in subsections (5) and (6) shall be made within a period of two years after the end of the chargeable period in which the disposal of the old securities takes place.”.

(2) This section shall apply—

(a) as respects section 751A inserted in the Principal Act by subsection (1), as on and from the 11th day of February, 1999,

(b) as respects section 751B inserted in the Principal Act by subsection (1), to an exchange of old securities for new securities (within the meaning of the said section 751B) in the period beginning on the 11th day of February, 1999, and ending before the 1st day of January, 2000.

60 Amendment of Part 33 (anti-avoidance) of Principal Act.

60.—(1) Part 33 of the Principal Act is hereby amended in Chapter 1—

(a) in section 806—

(i) in subsection (1) by the substitution for “In this section—” of “In this section and section 807A—”,

(ii) in subsection (2) by the substitution for “For the purposes of this section—” of “For the purposes of this section and section 807A—”,

and

(iii) in subsection (5) by the insertion after paragraph (b) of the following paragraph:

“(c) For the purposes of paragraph (b), there shall be treated as a capital sum which an individual receives or is entitled to receive any sum which a third person receives or is entitled to receive at the individual's direction or by virtue of the assignment by the individual of the individual's right to receive it.”,

(b) in section 807 by the insertion after subsection (4) of the following subsection:

“(5) An individual who is domiciled out of the State shall not be chargeable to income tax in respect of any income deemed to be the individual's by virtue of section 806 if the individual would not, by reason of being so domiciled, have been chargeable to income tax in respect of it if it had in fact been the individual's income.”,

(c) by the insertion after section 807 of the following section:

“Liability of non-transferors.

807A.—(1) This section shall apply where— (a) by virtue or in consequence of a transfer of assets, either alone or in conjunction with associated operations, income becomes payable to a person who is resident or domiciled out of the State, and (b) an individual who is resident or ordinarily resident in the State and who is not liable to tax under section 806 by reference to the transfer, receives a benefit provided out of assets which are available for the purpose by virtue or in consequence of the transfer or of any associated operations. (2) Subject to the provisions of this section, the amount or value of any such benefit as is mentioned in subsection (1), if not otherwise chargeable to income tax in the hands of the recipient, shall— (a) to the extent to which it falls within the amount of relevant income of years of assessment up to and including the year of assessment in which the benefit is received, be treated for all the purposes of the Income Tax Acts as the income of the individual for that year of assessment, (b) to the extent to which it is not by virtue of this subsection treated as the income of the individual for that year of assessment and falls within the amount of relevant income of the next following year of assessment, be treated for those purposes as the individual's income for the next following year of assessment, and so on for subsequent years of assessment, taking the reference in paragraph (b) to the year of assessment mentioned in paragraph (a) as a reference to that year of assessment and any other year of assessment before the subsequent year of assessment in question. (3) Subject to subsection (8), the relevant income of a year of assessment, in relation to an individual, is any income which arises in that year of assessment to a person resident or domiciled out of the State and which by virtue or in consequence of the transfer or associated operations referred to in subsection (1) can directly or indirectly be used for providing a benefit for the individual or for enabling a benefit to be provided for the individual. (4) Income tax chargeable by virtue of this section shall be charged under Case IV of Schedule D. (5) An individual who is domiciled out of the State shall not, in respect of any benefit not received in the State, be chargeable to tax under this section by reference to relevant income which is such that, if the individual had received it, the individual would not, by reason of the individual being so domiciled, have been chargeable to income tax in respect of it, and section 72 shall apply for the purposes of this subsection as it would apply for the purposes of section 71 (3) if the benefit were income arising from securities and possessions in any place outside the State. (6) Where— (a) the whole or part of the benefit received by an individual in a year of assessment is a capital payment within the meaning of section 579A or 579F(2) (by virtue of not falling within the amount of relevant income referred to in subsection (2)(a)), and (b) chargeable gains are by reason of that payment treated under either section 579A or 579F(2) as accruing to the individual in that or a subsequent year of assessment, subsection (2)(b) shall apply in relation to any year of assessment (in this subsection referred to as ‘a year of charge’) after one in which chargeable gains have been so treated as accruing to the individual, as if a part of the amount or value of the benefit corresponding to the amount of those gains had been treated under that subsection as income of the individual for a year of assessment before the year of charge. (7) Subsections (8) and (9) of section 806 shall apply for the purposes of this section as they apply for the purposes of subsections (4) and (5) of that section. (8) This section shall apply irrespective of when the transfer or associated operations referred to in subsection (1) took place, but shall apply only to relevant income arising on or after the 11th day of February, 1999.”,

(d) in section 808 by the substitution, in subsections (2) and (3)(b), for “807 and 809” of “807, 807A and 809” in each place where it occurs, and

(e) in sections 809 and 810 by the substitution for “section 806” of “sections 806 and 807A” in each place where it occurs.

(2) (a) Subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of paragraph (a) and paragraphs (c), (d) and (e), of subsection (1) shall apply as on and from the 11th day of February, 1999.

(b) Subparagraph (iii) of paragraph (a) of subsection (1) shall apply as respects any sum which a third person referred to in that subparagraph receives or becomes entitled to receive on or after the 11th day of February, 1999.

(c) Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) shall be deemed to have applied as on and from the 12th day of February, 1998.

61 Amendment of section 481 (relief for investment in films) of Principal Act.

61.—Section 481 of the Principal Act is hereby amended—

(a) in subsection (1) in the definition of “qualifying period” by the substitution—

(i) in paragraph (a) for “22nd day of January, 1999” of “5th day of April, 2000”, and

(ii) in paragraph (b) for “5th day of April, 1999” of “5th day of April, 2000”,

(b) in subsection (4)—

(i) in paragraph (a) by the substitution for “Subject to paragraph (b), where in any period of 12 months (in paragraph (b) referred to as a ‘12 month period’) ending on an anniversary of the 22nd day of January, 1996, the amount or the aggregate amount of the relevant investments made,” of the following:

“Subject to paragraph (b), where in the period—

(I) being a period of 12 months (in paragraph (b) referred to as a ‘12 month period’) ending on an anniversary of the 22nd day of January, 1996, or

(II) commencing on the 23rd day of January, 1999, and ending on the 5th day of April, 2000 (in paragraph (b) referred to as the ‘specified period’),

the amount or the aggregate amount of the relevant investments made,”,

and

(ii) in paragraph (b)(ii) by the insertion after “any 12 month period” of “, or in the specified period,”,

(c) in subsection (8) by the substitution for “1998-99” of “1999-2000”, and

(d) in subsection (9) by the substitution for “1998-99” of “1999-2000”.

62 Amendment of section 723 (special investment policies) of Principal Act.

62.—(1) Section 723 of the Principal Act is hereby amended—

(a) in subsection (1), after the definition of “qualifying shares” by the insertion of the following definition:

“‘relevant period’ means—

(a) the period commencing on the date on which the first payment was received by an assurance company in respect of a special investment policy and ending on the fifth anniversary of that date, and

(b) each subsequent period of five years;”,

(b) in subsection (3)(c), by the substitution for “at any time on or after the fifth anniversary of the date on which the first payment was received by it in respect of the policy” of “on the date on which each relevant period ends”, and

(c) by the substitution of the following subsection for subsection (6):

“(6) The corporation tax chargeable on any profits on which corporation tax falls finally to be borne which are attributable to the special investment fund of an assurance company shall be the amount of such tax, for the purposes of the Tax Acts other than section 707(4), before it is reduced by any credit, relief or other deduction under the Tax Acts apart from this section, which is 20 per cent of those profits; but in computing profits for the purposes of this subsection, section 78(2) shall apply as if the rate per cent of capital gains tax specified in section 28(3) were the rate per cent of corporation tax specified in section 21(1).”.

(2) (a) Paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (1) shall be deemed to have applied as on and from the 1st day of February, 1993.

(b) Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) shall apply as respects accounting periods beginning or treated as beginning on or after the 6th day of April, 1999.

(c) For the purposes of paragraph (b), where an accounting period of a company begins before the 6th day of April, 1999, and ends on or after that day, it shall be divided into 2 parts, one beginning on the day on which the accounting period begins and ending on the 5th day of April, 1999, and the other beginning on the 6th day of April, 1999, and ending on the day on which the accounting period ends, and both parts shall be treated as if they were separate accounting periods of the company.

63 Amendment of section 737 (special investment schemes) of Principal Act.

63.—(1) Section 737 of the Principal Act is hereby amended—

(a) in subsection (1)(a), after the definition of “market value” by the insertion of the following definition:

“‘relevant period’ means—

(a) the period commencing on the date on which the first payment was made by or on behalf of an individual in respect of special investment units owned, whether jointly or otherwise, by that individual and ending on the fifth anniversary of that date, and

(b) each subsequent period of five years;”,

(b) in subsection (3)(a), by the substitution in subparagraph (iii) for “at any time on or after the fifth anniversary of the date on which the first payment was made by or on behalf of that individual in respect of those units” of “on the date on which each relevant period ends”, and

(c) in subsection (6), by the substitution of the following paragraph for paragraph (c):

“(c) Any income tax or capital gains tax chargeable in accordance with paragraph (b) shall be the amount of such tax, before it is reduced by any credit, relief or other deduction under the Tax Acts or the Capital Gains Tax Acts apart from this section, which is 20 per cent of income arising or chargeable gains accruing, as the case may be, to the scheme.”.

(2) (a) Paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (1) shall be deemed to have applied as on and from the 1st day of February, 1993.

(b) Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) shall apply as on and from the 6th day of April, 1999.

64 Amendment of section 738 (undertakings for collective investment) of Principal Act.

64.—(1) Section 738(2) of the Principal Act is hereby amended in paragraph (d) by the substitution for subparagraph (i) of the following subparagraph:

“(i) the capital gains tax which is chargeable on the chargeable gains accruing in a year of assessment to the undertaking shall be the amount of such tax, before it is reduced by any credit, relief or other deduction under any provision, other than under this section, of the Tax Acts or the Capital Gains Tax Acts, which is the standard rate, for the year of assessment, of the chargeable gains accruing to the undertaking, and”.

(2) This section shall apply in respect of chargeable gains accruing in the year of assessment 1998-99 and subsequent years of assessment.

65 Amendment of section 838 (special portfolio investment accounts) of Principal Act.

65.—(1) Section 838 of the Principal Act is hereby amended—

(a) in subsection (1)(a)—

(i) in the definition of “relevant investment” by the insertion—

(I) after “means an investment in” of “fully paid-up”, and

(II) after “acquired by a designated broker” of “at market value”, and

(ii) by the insertion after the definition of “relevant investment” of the following definition:

“‘relevant period’ means—

(a) the period commencing on the date on which the first specified deposit was made by an individual in respect of a relevant investment and ending on the fifth anniversary of that date, and

(b) each subsequent period of five years;”,

(b) in subsection (2)(c), by the substitution for “at any time on or after the fifth anniversary of the date on which the first specified deposit was made by an individual in respect of that relevant investment” of “on the date on which each relevant period ends”,

(c) in subsection (3), by the substitution for “; but that Chapter shall so apply as if, in relation to relevant interest payable in respect of a relevant deposit or relevant deposits held in a special savings account, the rate of appropriate tax were 10 per cent”, of “, and in particular the rate of appropriate tax specified in section 256(1) in relation to relevant interest payable in respect of a relevant deposit or relevant deposits held in a special savings account shall apply to special portfolio investment accounts”, and

(d) in subsection (4)(c), by the substitution for “1028(4)” of “1028(5)”.

(2) This section shall—

(a) be deemed to have applied, as respects paragraph (a)(ii) and paragraph (b) of subsection (1), as on and from the 1st day of February, 1993,

(b) be deemed to have applied, as respects paragraphs (a)(i), and (d) of subsection (1), as on and from the 1st day of December, 1998, and

(c) apply, as respects paragraph (c) of subsection (1), as on and from the 6th day of April, 1999.

66 Amendment of section 839 (limits to special investments) of Principal Act.

66.—Section 839 of the Principal Act is hereby amended by the substitution for subsection (3) of the following subsection:

“(3) So long as an individual, whether married or not, does not have a beneficial interest in an investment of a class mentioned in subsection (1) other than—

(a) a beneficial interest, whether or not a joint interest, in one investment, or

(b) a joint beneficial interest in 2 investment of a class (which need not be the same class) mentioned in subsection (1),

then, sections 264, 723, 737 and 838 shall apply to that one investment or those 2 investments, as the case may be, as if every reference to £50,000 in those sections were a reference to £75,000.”.

67 Amendment of section 832 (provisions in relation to Convention for reciprocal avoidance of double taxat on in the State and the United Kingdom of income and capital gains) of Principal Act.

67.—(1) Section 832 of the Principal Act is hereby amended—

(a) in subsection (1)—

(i) in the definition of “the Convention” by the substitution for “(S.I. No. 319 of 1976),” of “(S.I. No. 319 of 1976).”, and

(ii) by the deletion of the definition of “dividend”, and

(b) by the deletion of subsection (2).

(2) This section shall—

(a) apply as on and from the 6th day of April, 1999, as respects income tax, and

(b) be deemed to apply as on and from the 1st day of January, 1999, as respects corporation tax.

Chapter 5 Savings-Related Share Option Schemes and Employee Share Schemes

68 Savings-related share option schemes.

68.—The Principal Act is hereby amended—

(a) in Part 17, by the insertion after Chapter 2 of the following:

Approved savings-related share option schemes.	519A.—(1) (a) The provisions of this section shall apply where an individual obtains a right to acquire shares in a body corporate— (i) by reason of the individual's office or employment as a director or employee of that or any other body corporate, and (ii) that individual obtains that right in accordance with the provisions of a savings-related share option scheme approved under Schedule 12A on or after the 6th day of April, 1999, and in respect of which approval has not been withdrawn. (b) This section shall be construed together with Schedule 12A. (2) Tax shall not be chargeable under any provision of the Tax Acts in respect of the receipt of the right referred to in subsection (1). (3) Subject to subsection (4) if the individual exercises the right in accordance with the provisions of the scheme at a time when it is approved tax shall not be chargeable under any provision of the Tax Acts in respect of any gain realised by the exercise of the right. (4) Subsection (3) shall not apply in respect of a right obtained by a person under a scheme which is exercised within 3 years of its being obtained by virtue of a provision included in a scheme pursuant to paragraph 22 of Schedule 12A. (5) In this section ‘savings-related share option scheme has the meaning assigned to it by Schedule 12A.
Costs of establishing savings-related share option schemes.	519B.—(1) This section shall apply to a sum expended on or after the 6th day of April, 1999, by a company in establishing a savings-related share option scheme which the Revenue Commissioners approve of in accordance with the provisions of Schedule 12A and under which no employee or director obtains rights before such approval is given. (2) A sum to which this section applies shall be included— (a) in the sums to be deducted in computing for the purposes of Schedule D the profits or gains of a trade carried on by the company, or (b) if the company is an investment company within the meaning of section 83 or a company in the case of which that section applies by virtue of section 707, in the sums to be deducted under section 83(2) as expenses of management in computing the profits of the company for the purposes of corporation tax. (3) In a case where— (a) subsection (2) applies, and (b) the approval is given after the end of the period of 9 months beginning on the day following the end of the accounting period in which the sum is expended, then, for the purpose of subsection (2), the sum shall be treated as expended in the accounting period in which the approval is given and not the accounting period mentioned in paragraph (b).
Interest, etc. under certified contractual savings schemes.	519C.—(1) In this section— ‘qualifying savings institution’ means any of the following persons— (a) a person who is a holder of a licence granted under section 9 of the Central Bank Act, 1971, or a person who holds a licence or other similar authorisation under the law of any other Member State of the European Communities which corresponds to a licence granted under that section, (b) a building society within the meaning of section 256, (c) a trustee savings bank within the meaning of the Trustee Savings Banks Act, 1989, (d) ACC Bank plc, (e) ICC Bank plc, (f) ICC Investment Bank Limited, (g) the Post Office Savings Bank, (h) a credit union within the meaning of the Credit Union Act, 1997, or (i) such other person as the Minister for Finance may by order prescribe. (2) Any terminal bonus or interest paid by a qualifying savings institution to an individual under a certified contractual savings scheme shall be exempt from income tax and shall not be reckoned in computing total income for the purposes of the Income Tax Acts. (3) Any terminal bonus or interest paid by a qualifying savings institution under a certified contractual savings scheme shall not, where the qualifying savings institution is a relevant deposit taker within the meaning of section 256, be relevent interest for the purposes of that section and accordingly shall not be subject to deduction of appropriate tax under section 257. (4) In this section ‘certified contractual savings scheme’ means a scheme— (a) which provides for periodical contributions to be made by individuals for a specified period to a qualifying savings institution where the deposit represented by such contributions would, but for subsection (3), constitute a relevant deposit within the meaning of section 256 if the qualifying savings institution were a relevant deposit taker within the meaning of that section, (b) where the individuals referred to in paragraph (a)— (i) are eligible to participate in, that is to say, to obtain and exercise rights under, an approved savings-related share option scheme, and (ii) whose contributions under the scheme are to be used in accordance with paragraph 17 of Schedule 12A, and (c) which is certified by the Revenue Commissioners as qualifying for exemption under this section by reference to requirements specified by the Minister for Finance in accordance with Schedule 12B. (5) Schedule 12B to this Act which contains provisions supplementing this section shall have effect. (6) This section shall apply in relation to any terminal bonus or interest paid by a qualifying savings institution on or after the 6th day of April, 1999, under a certified contractual savings scheme.”,

and

(b) by the insertion after Schedule 12 of the following:

“Section 519A.	SCHEDULE 12A
	Approved Savings-Related Share Option Schemes Interpretation
	1. (1) For the purposes of this Schedule— ‘approved’ in relation to a scheme, means approved under paragraph 2; ‘associated company’ has the same meaning as in section 432, except that, for the purposes of paragraph 24, subsection (1) of that section shall have effect with the omission of the words ‘or at any time within one year previously’; ‘bonus date’ has the meaning assigned to it by paragraph 18; ‘control’ has the same meaning as in section 432; ‘full-time director’ has the same meaning as in section 250; ‘grantor’, in relation to a scheme, means the company which has established the scheme; ‘group scheme’ and, in relation to such a scheme, ‘participating company’ have the meanings given by subparagraphs (3) and (4), respectively, of paragraph 2; ‘market value’ shall be construed in accordance with section 548; ‘savings-related share option scheme’ means a scheme approved by the Revenue Commissioners in accordance with this Schedule and which approval has not been withdrawn; ‘scheme shares’ has the meaning assigned to it by paragraph 10; ‘shares’ includes stock. (2) Section 10 shall apply for the purposes of this Schedule. (3) For the purposes of this Schedule, a company is a member of a consortium that owns another company if it is one of not more than 5 companies which between them beneficially own not less than 75 per cent of the other company's ordinary share capital and each of which beneficially owns not less than 5 per cent of that capital. (4) For the purposes of this Schedule, the question whether one company is controlled by another shall be determined in accordance with section 432. Approval of schemes 2. (1) On the application of a body corporate (in this Schedule referred to as ‘the grantor’) which has established a savings-related share option scheme, the Revenue Commissioners shall approve the scheme if they are satisfied that it fulfils the requirements of this Schedule. (2) An application under subparagraph (1) shall be made in writing and contain such particulars and be supported by such evidence as the Revenue Commissioners may require (3) Where the grantor has control of another company or companies, the scheme may be expressed to extend to all or any of the companies of which it has control and in this Schedule a scheme which is expressed so to extend is referred to as a ‘group scheme’. (4) In relation to a group scheme, ‘participating company’ means the grantor or any other company to which for the time being the scheme is expressed to extend. 3. (1) The Revenue Commissioners shall not approve a scheme under this Schedule if it appears to them that it contains features which are neither essential nor reasonably incidental to the purpose of providing for employees and directors benefits in the nature of rights to acquire shares. (2) The Revenue Commissioners shall be satisfied— (a) that there are no features of the scheme other than any which are included to satisfy requirements of this Schedule which have or would have the effect of discouraging any description of employees who fulfil the conditions in paragraph 9(1) from actually participating in the scheme, and (b) where the grantor is a member of a group of companies, that the scheme does not and would not have the effect of conferring benefits wholly or mainly on directors of companies in the group or on those employees of companies in the group who are in receipt of the higher or highest levels of remuneration. (3) For the purposes of subparagraph (2), ‘a group of companies’ means a company and any other companies of which it has control. 4. (1) If, at any time after the Revenue Commissioners have approved a scheme, any of the requirements of this Schedule cease to be satisfied or the grantor fails to provide information requested by the Revenue Commissioners under paragraph 6, the Revenue Commissioners may withdraw the approval with effect from that time or such later time as the Revenue Commissioners may specify but where rights obtained under a savings-related share option scheme before the withdrawal of approval from the scheme under this paragraph are exercised after the withdrawal, section 519A(3) shall apply in respect of the exercise as if the scheme were still approved. (2) If an alteration is made in the scheme at any time after the Revenue Commissioners have approved the scheme, the approval shall not have effect after the date of the alteration unless the Revenue Commissioners have approved the alteration. 5. If the grantor is aggrieved by— (a) the failure of the Revenue Commissioners to approve the scheme or to approve an alteration in the scheme, (b) the withdrawal of approval, or (c) the failure of the Revenue Commissioners to decide that a condition subject to which the approval has been given is satisfied, it may, by notice in writing given to the Revenue Commissioners within 30 days from the date on which it is notified of the Revenue Commissioners' decision, require the matter to be determined by the Appeal Commissioners, and the Appeal Commissioners shall hear and determine the matter in like manner as an appeal made to them against an assessment and all the provisions of the Income Tax Acts relating to such an appeal (including the provisions relating to the rehearing of an appeal and to the statement of a case for the opinion of the High Court on a point of law) shall apply accordingly with any necessary modifications. Information 6. The Revenue Commissioners may by notice in writing require any person to furnish them, within such time as the Revenue Commissioners may direct (not being less than 30 days), with such information as the Revenue Commissioners think necessary for the performance of their functions under this Schedule, and which the person to whom the notice is addressed has or can reasonably obtain, including in particular information— (a) to enable the Revenue Commissioners to determine— (i) whether to approve a scheme or withdraw an approval already given, or (ii) the liability to tax, including capital gains tax, of any person who has participated in a scheme, and (b) in relation to the administration of a scheme and any alteration of the terms of a scheme. 7. The Revenue Commissioners may nominate any of their officers, including an inspector, to perform any acts and discharge any functions authorised by this Schedule to be performed or discharged by them. Eligibility 8. (1) The scheme shall not provide for any person to be eligible to participate in it, that is to say, to obtain and exercise rights under it at any time if at that time that person has, or has within the preceding 12 months had, a material interest in a close company which is— (i) a company the shares of which may be acquired pursuant to the exercise of rights obtained under the scheme, or (ii) a company which has control of such a company or is a member of a consortium which owns such a company. (2) Subparagraph (1) shall apply in relation to a company which would be a close company but for section 430(1)(a) or 431. (3) (a) In this paragraph, ‘close company’ has the meaning assigned to it by section 430. (b) For the purpose of this paragraph— (i) subsection (3) of section 433 shall apply— (I) in a case where the scheme in question is a group scheme, with the substitution of a reference to all participating companies for the first reference to the company in paragraph (c)(ii) of that subsection, and (II) with the substitution of a reference to 15 per cent for the reference in that paragraph to 5 per cent, and (ii) section 437(2) shall apply, with the substitution of a reference to 15 per cent for the reference in that section to 5 per cent, for the purpose of determining whether a person has or had a material interest in a company. 9. (1) Subject to paragraph 8, every person who— (a) is an employee or a full-time director of the grantor or, in the case of a group scheme, a participating company, (b) has been such an employee or director at all times during a qualifying period not exceeding three years, and (c) is chargeable to tax in respect of that person's office or employment under Schedule E, shall be eligible to participate in the scheme, that is to say, to obtain and exercise rights under it, on similar terms. (2) For the purposes of subparagraph (1), the fact that the rights to be obtained by the persons participating in a scheme vary according to the levels of their remuneration, the length of their service or similar factors shall not be regarded as meaning that they are not eligible to participate in the scheme on similar terms. (3) Except as provided by paragraph 20 or pursuant to such a provision as is referred to in paragraph 22(1)(e) or (f), a person shall not be eligible to participate in the scheme at any time unless he or she is at that time a director or employee of the grantor or, in the case of a group scheme, of a participating company. Conditions as to the shares 10. The scheme shall provide for directors and employees to obtain rights to acquire shares (in this Schedule referred to as ‘scheme shares’) which satisfy the requirements of paragraphs 11 to 15. 11. Scheme shares shall from part of the ordinary share capital of— (a) the grantor, (b) a company which has control of the grantor, or (c) a company which either is, or has control of, a company which— (i) is a member of a consortium which owns either the grantor or a company having control of the grantor, and (ii) beneficially owns not less than 15 per cent of the ordinary share capital of the company so owned. 12. Scheme shares shall be— (a) shares of a class quoted on a recognised stock exchange, (b) shares in a company not under the control of another company, or (c) shares in a company which is under the control of a company (other than a company which is, or if resident in the State would be, a close company within the meaning of section 430) whose shares are quoted on a recognised stock exchange. 13. (1) Scheme shares shall be— (a) fully paid up, (b) not redeemable, and (c) not subject to any restrictions other than restrictions which attach to all shares of the same class or a restriction authorised by subparagraph (2). (2) Subject to subparagraph (3), the shares may be subject to a restriction imposed by the company's articles of association— (a) requiring all shares held by directors or employees of the company or of any other company of which it has control to be disposed of on ceasing to be so held, and (b) requiring all shares acquired, in pursuance of rights or interests obtained by such directors or employees, by persons who are not, or have ceased to be, such directors or employees to be disposed of when they are acquired. (3) A restriction is not authorised by subparagraph (2) unless— (a) any disposal required by the restriction will be by way of sale for a consideration in money on terms specified in the articles of association, and (b) the articles also contain general provisions by virtue of which any person disposing of shares of the same class (whether or not held or acquired as mentioned in subparagraph (2)) may be required to sell them on terms which are the same as those mentioned in paragraph (a). 14. (1) In determining for the purposes of paragraph 13(1)(c) whether scheme shares which are or are to be acquired by any person are subject to any restrictions, there shall be regarded as a restriction attaching to the shares any contract, agreement, arrangement or condition by which such person's freedom to dispose of the shares or of any interest in them or of the proceeds of their sale or to exercise any right conferred by them is restricted or by which such a disposal or exercise may result in any disadvantage to that person or to a person connected with that person. (2) Subparagraph (1) does not apply to so much of any contract, agreement, arrangement or condition as contains provisions similar in purpose and effect to any of the provisions of the Model Code set out in the Listing Rules of the Irish Stock Exchange. 15. Except where scheme shares are in a company whose ordinary share capital consists of shares of one class only, the majority of the issued shares of the same class shall be held by persons other than— (a) persons who acquired their shares— (i) in pursuance of a right conferred on them or an opportunity afforded to them as a director or employee of the grantor or any other company, and (ii) not in pursuance of an offer to the public, (b) trustees holding shares on behalf of persons who acquired their beneficial interests in the shares as mentioned in subparagraph (a), and (c) in a case where the shares fall within paragraph 12(c) and do not fall within paragraph 12(a), companies which have control of the company whose shares are in question or of which that company is an associated company within the meaning of section 432. Exchange provisions 16. (1) The scheme may provide that if any company (‘the acquiring company’)— (a) obtains control of a company whose shares are scheme shares as a result of making a general offer— (i) to acquire the whole of the issued ordinary share capital of the company which is made on a condition such that if it is satisfied the person making the offer will have control of the company, or (ii) to acquire all the shares in the company which are of the same class as the scheme shares, (b) obtains control of a company whose shares are scheme shares in pursuance of a compromise or arrangement sanctioned by the court under section 201 of the Companies Act, 1963, or (c) becomes bound or entitled to acquire shares in a company, under section 204 of the Companies Act, 1963, whose shares are scheme shares, any participant in the scheme may at any time within the appropriate period, by agreement with the acquiring company, release his or her rights under the scheme (in this paragraph referred to as ‘the old rights’) in consideration of the grant to him or her of rights (in this paragraph referred to as ‘the new rights’) which are equivalent to the old rights but relate to shares in a different company (whether the acquiring company itself or some other company falling within subparagraph (b) or (c) of paragraph 11). (2) In subparagraph (1) ‘the appropriate period’ means— (a) in a case falling within clause (a) of that subparagraph, the period of six months beginning with the time when the person making the offer has obtained control of the company and any condition subject to which the offer is made is satisfied, (b) in a case falling within clause (b) of that subparagraph, the period of six months beginning with the time when the court sanctions the compromise or arrangement, and (c) in a case falling within clause (c) of that subparagraph, the period during which the acquiring company remains bound or entitled as mentioned in that clause. (3) The new rights shall not be regarded for the purposes of this paragraph as equivalent to the old rights unless— (a) the shares to which they relate satisfy the conditions specified, in relation to scheme shares, in paragraphs 11 to 15, (b) the new rights will be exercisable in the same manner as the old rights and subject to the provisions of the scheme as it had effect immediately before the release of the old rights, (c) the total market value, immediately before the release, of the shares which were subject to the participant's old rights is equal to the total market value, immediately after the grant, of the shares in respect of which the new rights are granted to the participant, and (d) the total amount payable by the participant for the acquisition of shares in pursuance of the new rights is equal to the total amount that would have been payable for the acquisition of shares in pursuance of the old rights. (4) Where any new rights are granted pursuant to a provision included in a scheme by virtue of this paragraph they shall be regarded— (a) for the purposes of section 519A and this Schedule, and (b) for the purposes of the subsequent application (by virtue of a condition complying with subparagraph (3)(b)) of the provisions of the scheme, as having been granted at the time when the corresponding old rights were granted. Exercise of rights 17. The scheme shall provide for the scheme shares to be paid for with moneys not exceeding the amount of repayments made and any interest paid to them under a certified contractual savings scheme within the meaning of subsection (4) of section 519C. 18. Subject to paragraphs 19 to 22, the rights obtained under the scheme must not be capable of being exercised before the bonus date, that is to say, the date on which repayments under the certified contractual savings scheme are due and for the purposes of this paragraph and paragraph 17— (a) repayments under a certified contractual savings scheme may be taken as including or as not including a bonus, (b) the time when repayments are due shall be, where repayments are taken as including the maximum bonus, the earliest date on which the maximum bonus is payable and, in any other case, the earliest date on which a bonus is payable under the scheme, and (c) the question of what is to be taken as so included must be required to be determined at the time when rights under the scheme are obtained. 19. The scheme shall provide that if a person who has obtained rights under the scheme dies before the bonus date the rights must be exercised, if at all, within 12 months after the date of that person's death and if that person dies within 6 months after the bonus date the rights may be exercised within 12 months after the bonus date. 20. The scheme shall provide that if a person who has obtained rights under it ceases to hold the office or employment by virtue of which that person is eligible to participate in the scheme by reason of— (a) injury or disability or on account of his or her being dismissed by reason of redundancy (within the meaning of the Redundancy Payments Acts, 1967 to 1991), or (b) reaching pensionable age (within the meaning of section 2 of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1993), then the rights shall be exercised, if at all, within 6 months of that person so ceasing and, if that person so ceases for any other reason within 3 years of obtaining the rights, they may not be exercised at all except pursuant to such a provision of the scheme as is mentioned in paragraph 22(1)(e); in relation to the case where that person so ceases, for any other reason, more than 3 years after obtaining the rights, the scheme shall either provide that the rights may not be exercised or that they must be exercised, if at all, within 6 months of that person so ceasing. 21. The scheme shall provide that where a person who has obtained rights under it continues to hold the office or employment by virtue of which that person is eligible to participate in the scheme after the date on which that person reaches pensionable age, that person may exercise the rights within 6 months of that date. 22. (1) The scheme may provide that— (a) if any person obtains control of a company whose shares are scheme shares as a result of making a general offer falling within clause (a)(i) or (a)(ii) of paragraph 16(1), rights obtained under the scheme to acquire shares in the company may be exercised within 6 months of the time when the person making the offer has obtained control of the company and any condition subject to which the offer is made has been satisfied, (b) if under section 201 of the Companies Act, 1963, (compromise between company and its members or creditors) the court sanctions a compromise or arrangement proposed for the purposes of or in connection with a scheme for the reconstruction of a company whose shares are scheme shares or its amalgamation with any other company or companies, rights obtained under the share option scheme to acquire shares in the company may be exercised within 6 months of the court sanctioning the compromise or arrangement, (c) if any person becomes bound or entitled, under section 204 of the Companies Act, 1963, (power to acquire shares of shareholders dissenting from schemes or contract which has been approved by majority), to acquire shares in a company shares in which are scheme shares, rights obtained under the scheme to acquire shares in the company may be exercised at any time when that person remains so bound or entitled, (d) if a company whose shares are scheme shares passes a resolution for voluntary winding up, rights obtained under a scheme to acquire shares in the company may be exercised within 6 months of the passing of the resolution, (e) if a person ceases to hold an office or employment by virtue of which that person is eligible to participate in the scheme by reason only that— (i) that office or employment is in a company of which the grantor ceases to have control, or (ii) that office or employment relates to a business or part of a business which is transferred to a person who is neither an associated company of the grantor nor a company of which the grantor has control, rights under the scheme held by that person may be exercised within 6 months of that person so ceasing, and (f) if, at the bonus date, a person who has obtained rights under the scheme holds an office or employment in a company which is not a participating company but which is— (i) an associated company of the grantor, or (ii) a company of which the grantor has control, those rights may be exercised within 6 months of that date. (2) For the purposes of this paragraph a person shall be deemed to have obtained control of a company if that person and others acting in concert with that person have together obtained control of it. 23. Except as provided in paragraph 19, rights obtained by a person under the scheme shall not be capable— (a) of being transferred by that person, or (b) of being exercised later than 6 months after the bonus date. 24. No person shall be treated for the purposes of paragraph 20 or 22(1)(e) as ceasing to hold an office or employment by virtue of which that person is eligible to participate in the scheme until that person ceases to hold an office or employment in the grantor or in any associated company or company of which the grantor has control. Acquisition of shares 25. (1) The scheme shall provide for a person's contributions under the certified contractual savings scheme to be of such amount as to secure as nearly as may be repayment of an amount equal to that for which shares may be acquired in pursuance of rights obtained under the scheme, and for this purpose the amount of repayment under the certified contractual savings scheme shall be determined as mentioned in paragraph 18. (2) The scheme shall not— (a) permit the aggregate amount of a person's contributions under certified contractual savings schemes linked to savings-related share option schemes approved under this Schedule to exceed £250 monthly, nor (b) impose a minimum on the amount of a person's contributions which exceeds £10 monthly. (3) The Minister for Finance may by order amend subparagraph (2) by substituting for any amount for the time being specified in that subparagraph such amount as may be specified in the order. Share price 26. The price at which scheme shares may be acquired by the exercise of a right obtained under the scheme— (a) shall be stated at the time the right is obtained, and (b) shall not be manifestly less than 75 per cent of the market value of shares of the same class at that time or, if the Revenue Commissioners and the grantor agree in writing, at such earlier time or times as may be provided in the agreement, but the scheme may provide for such variation of the price as may be necessary to take account of any variation in the share capital of which the scheme shares form part. Options etc. 27. (1) For the purposes of section 437(2), as applied by paragraph 8(3)(b)(ii) of this Schedule, a right to acquire shares (however arising) shall be taken to be a right to control them. (2) Any reference in subparagraph (3) to the shares attributed to an individual is a reference to the shares which, in accordance with section 437(2) as applied by paragraph 8(3)(b)(ii) of this Schedule, fall to be brought into account in that individual's case to determine whether their number exceeds a particular percentage of the company's ordinary share capital. (3) In any case where— (a) the shares attributed to an individual consist of or include shares which that individual or any other person has a right to acquire, and (b) the circumstances are such that, if that right were to be exercised, the shares acquired would be shares which were previously unissued and which the company is contractually bound to issue in the event of the exercise of the right; then, in determining at any time prior to the exercise of that right whether the number of shares attributed to the individual exceeds a particular percentage of the ordinary share capital of the company, that ordinary share capital shall be taken to be increased by the number of unissued shares referred to in clause (b).
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Section 519C.	SCHEDULE 12B
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	Certified Contractual Savings Schemes
	1. This Schedule shall have effect for the purposes of section 519C. Specifications by the Minister for Finance 2. (1) The requirements which may be specified under section 519C(4)(c) are such requirements as the Minister for Finance thinks fit. (2) In particular, the requirements may relate to— (a) the descriptions of individuals who may enter into contracts under a scheme; (b) the contributions to be paid by individuals; (c) the sums to be paid or repaid to individuals. 3. (1) Where a specification has been made under section 519C(4)(c), the Minister for Finance may withdraw the specification and stipulate the date on which the withdrawal is to become effective and any certification made by the Revenue Commissioners by reference to such specification shall be deemed to have been withdrawn on the same date. (2) No withdrawal under this paragraph shall affect— (a) the operation of a certified contractual savings scheme before the stipulated date, or (b) any contract under such a scheme entered into before that date. (3) No withdrawal under this paragraph shall be effective unless the Revenue Commissioners— (a) send a notice by post to each qualifying savings institution informing it of the withdrawal of both the specification and certification, and (b) do so not less than 28 days before the stipulated date. 4. (1) Where a specification has been made under section 519C(4)(c), the Minister for Finance may vary the specification and stipulate the date on which the variation is to become effective and any certification made by the Revenue Commissioners by reference to the specification obtaining before the variation shall be deemed to have been withdrawn on the date the variation became effective. (2) The Revenue Commissioners may at any time certify a scheme as fulfilling the requirements obtaining after the variation (3) No variation and withdrawal under this paragraph shall affect— (a) the operation of a certified contractual savings scheme before the stipulated date, or (b) any contract under such a scheme entered into before that date. (4) No variation and withdrawal under this paragraph shall be effective unless the Revenue Commissioners— (a) send a notice by post to each qualifying savings institution informing it of the variation of the specification and withdrawal of the certification, and (b) do so not less than 28 days before the stipulated date. Information 5. The Revenue Commissioners may by notice in writing require any person to furnish them, within such time as the Revenue Commissioners may direct (not being less than 30 days), with such information as the Revenue Commissioners think necessary for the performance of their functions under this Schedule, and which the person to whom the notice is addressed has or can reasonably obtain, including in particular information— (a) to enable the Revenue Commissioners to determine— (i) whether to certify a scheme or withdraw a certification already given, or (ii) the liability to tax, including capital gains tax, of any person who has participated in a scheme, and (b) in relation to the administration of a scheme and any alteration of the terms of a scheme. 6. The Revenue Commissioners may nominate any of their officers, including an inspector, to perform any acts and discharge any functions authorised by this Schedule to be performed or discharged by them.”.
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69 Employee share schemes.

69.—(1) The Principal Act is hereby amended—

(a) in Chapter 1 of Part 17—

(i) in section 510 by the insertion of the following after subsection (5):

“(5A) (a) This subsection shall apply where—

(i) the trustees of an approved profit sharing scheme make an appropriation of shares, to which section 510(3) applies, to a participant,

(ii) the shares concerned were transferred to the trustees of the approved scheme concerned by the trustees of an employee share ownership trust to which section 519 applies, and

(iii) the shares were transferred at a date later than that on which the shares could have first been transferred in accordance with the terms of the employee share ownership trust deed or any other document but, for whatever reason, were not transferred on that earlier date.

(b) Where this subsection applies, the appropriation to the participant concerned shall, for the purposes of capital gains tax, be deemed to have taken place on the day following the day on which those shares could have first been transferred by the trustees of the employee share ownership trust concerned, in accordance with the terms of the trust deed under which that trust was established or any other document.”,

(ii) in section 511A by the insertion of the following subsections after subsection (2):

“(3) Subject to subsection (5), subsection (4) shall apply where—

(a) the trustees of an approved scheme make an appropriation to a participant of shares to which section 510(3) applies, and

(b) the shares concerned were transferred to those trustees by the trustees of an employee share ownership trust to which section 519 applies.

(4) For the purposes of this Chapter as it applies to the shares referred to in subsection (3), where this subsection applies—

(a) the period of retention shall end—

(i) where, immediately prior to the transfer referred to in subsection (3)(b), the shares concerned had been held in the employee share ownership trust for a period (in subsection (5) referred to as ‘the first period’) of less than 2 years, on the day following the day on which a period, being a period equivalent in length to the difference between 2 years and the length of the period for which the shares had been so held, has elapsed since the shares were appropriated to the participant, or

(ii) where, prior to the transfer referred to in subsection (3)(b), the shares concerned had been held in the employee share ownership trust for a period (in subsection (5) referred to as ‘the second period’) of 2 years or more, the day following the day on which the shares were appropriated to the participant,

and

(b) where, immediately prior to the transfer referred to in subsection (3)(b), the shares concerned had been held in the employee share ownership trust for a period (in subsection (5) referred to as ‘the third period’) of less than 3 years, the release date shall be the day following the day on which a period, being a period equivalent in length to the difference between 3 years and the length of the period for which the shares had been so held, has elapsed since the shares were appropriated to the participant.

(5) Subsection (4) shall not apply unless the participant concerned was a beneficiary (within the meaning of paragraph 11 of Schedule 12) under the employee share ownership trust at all times during—

(a) the first period or the second period, as may be appropriate, and

(b) the third period.”,

and

(iii) in section 515, by the substitution of the following subsections for subsections (1) and (2):

“(1) Subject to subsection (2B), where the total of the initial market values of all the shares appropriated to an individual in any one year of assessment (whether under a single approved scheme or under 2 or more such schemes) exceeds—

(a) £10,000, or

(b) £30,000 where the conditions in subsection (2A) are satisfied,

subsections (4) to (7) shall apply to any excess shares, that is, any share which caused the applicable limit to be exceeded and any share appropriated after the applicable limit was exceeded.

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), where a number of shares is appropriated to an individual at the same time under 2 or more approved schemes, the same proportion of the shares appropriated at that time under each scheme shall be regarded as being appropriated before the limit of £10,000 or the limit of £30,000, as the case may be, is exceeded.

(2A) The conditions referred to in paragraph (b) of subsection (1) are—

(a) the shares appropriated to such individual have been transferred to the trustees of the approved scheme concerned by the trustees of an employee share ownership trust to which section 519 applies,

(b) at each given time in the 5 years commencing with the date of the establishment of the employee share ownership trust 50 per cent, or such lesser percentage as the Minister for Finance may be order prescribe, of the securities retained by the trustees at the time were pledged by them as security for borrowings,

(c) at the time of transfer referred to in paragraph (a) a period of at least 10 years commencing on the date the employee share ownership trust was established and ending at the time when all the shares pledged as security for borrowings by the trustees of the employee share ownership trust became unpledged (hereafter in this section referred to as the ‘encumbered period’) has elapsed, and

(d) no shares which were pledged, at any time since the trust was established, as security for borrowings by the trustees of the employee share ownership trust were previously transferred to the trustees of the approved scheme because they remained so pledged during the encumbered period.

(2B) The limit of £30,000 in paragraph (b) of subsection (1) may only be applied in the first year of assessment during which the encumbered period has elapsed and then only in respect of shares appropriated after that period has so elapsed.”,

(b) in Chapter 2 of Part 17—

(i) by the insertion in section 519 of the following subsection after subsection (7):

“(7A) Where the trustees of a trust to which this section applies sell securities on the open market, any gain accruing to such trustees shall not be a chargeable gain if, and to the extent that, the proceeds of such sale are used to repay monies borrowed by those trustees or to pay interest on such borrowings.”,

and

(ii) by the substitution of the following for paragraphs (b) and (c) of subsection (9):

“(b) income consisting of dividends in respect of securities held by that trust,

(c) the transfer of securities to a profit sharing scheme approved under Part 2 of Schedule 11, or

(d) the gain accruing to the trustees of that trust from the sale of shares on the open market.”,

(c) in Schedule 11—

(i) by the substitution in paragraph 3, of the following subparagraph for subparagraph (4):

“(4) The scheme shall provide that the total of the initial market values of the shares appropriated to any one participant in a year of assessment will not exceed £10,000, or where paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section 515 applies, £30,000.”,

(ii) in paragraph 4, by the substitution in subparagraph (1)(b) of “3 years” for “5 years”,

and

(iii) by the insertion of the following paragraph after paragraph 12:

“12A. Notwithstanding paragraph 12, an individual shall be eligible to have shares appropriated to him or her under the scheme at any time if—

(a) the shares were transferred to the trustees of the scheme by the trustees of an employee share ownership trust to which section 519 applies, and

(b) the individual is at that time, or was within the preceding 30 days, a beneficiary (within the meaning of paragraph 11 of Schedule 12) of that employee share ownership trust.”,

and

(d) in Schedule 12—

(i) in paragraph 11—

(I) by the insertion of the following subparagraphs after subparagraph (2A) (inserted by the Finance Act, 1998):

“(2B) Subject to subparagraph (2C), the trust deed may provide that a person is a beneficiary at a particular time (in this subparagraph referred to as ‘the relevant time’) if—

(a) the person has at each given time in a qualifying period been an employee or director of a company within the founding company's group at that given time,

(b) the person was such an employee or director—

(i) on the date the trust was established or at some time within 9 months prior to that date, or

(ii) at any time in the period of 5 years beginning with such date,

(c) the person has ceased to be an employee or director of the company or the company has ceased to be within that group,

(d) at each given time in the 5 year period referred to in clause (b) 50 per cent, or such lesser percentage as the Minister for Finance may by order prescribe, of the securities retained by the trustees at that time were pledged by them as security for borrowings, and

(e) at the relevant time a period of not more than 15 years has elapsed since the trust was established.

(2C) The trust deed shall not contain a rule that conforms with subparagraph (2B) unless the rule is expressed as applying to every person within it.”,

(II) by the substitution in subparagraph (4)(a), of “subparagraphs (2A), (2B) and (3)” for “subparagraphs (2A) and (3)”,

(III) by the substitution in subparagraph (5)(a) of “3 years” for “5 years”,

(IV) by the substitution in subparagraph (6), of “subparagraphs (2B) and (3)” for “subparagraph (3)” and by the substitution of “subparagraphs (2B)(c) and (3)(b)” for “subparagraph (3)(b)”,

(V) by the substitution in subparagraph (7), of “subparagraph (2A), (2B), (3) or (4)” for “subparagraph (2A), (3) or (4)”,

and

(VI) by the substitution in subparagraph (8), of “subparagraph (2), (2A), (2B), (3) or (4)” for “subparagraph (2), (2A), (3) or (4)”,

and

(ii) in paragraph 18, by the insertion in subparagraph (3)(a), after “when the agreement is made” of “or, if the agreement is subject to one or more specified conditions being satisfied, on that condition or those conditions being satisfied”.

(2) (a) Paragraphs (a)(i), (a)(ii) and (c)(iii) of subsection (1) shall apply as respects an appropriation of shares made by the trustees of an approved scheme (within the meaning of section 510(1) of the Principal Act) on or after the date of the passing of this Act.

(b) Paragraphs (b) and (d) of subsection (1) shall apply as respects employee share ownership trusts approved under paragraph 2 of Schedule 12 to the Principal Act on or after the date of the passing of this Act.

(c) Paragraph (c)(ii) of subsection (1) shall apply as respects profit sharing schemes approved of under Part 2 of Schedule 11 to the Principal Act on or after the date of the passing of this Act.

Chapter 6 Income Tax and Corporation Tax: Tax reliefs for the provision of Park and Ride Facilities and for Certain Related Developments

70 Amendment of Part 10 (income tax and corporation tax: reliefs for renewal and improvement of certain urban areas, certain resort areas and certain islands) of Principal Act.

70.—(1) Part 10 of the Principal Act is hereby amended by the insertion after Chapter 8 (inserted by the Finance Act, 1998) of the following:

Park and ride facilities and certain related developments