VCM52090 - VCT: investor CG disposal relief: shares acquired in excess of permitted maximum: example

In this example the taxpayer has separate holdings of exempt shares and a TCGA92/S104 holding of non-exempt shares. All the shares in the Section 104 holding were acquired in excess of the permitted maximum. These acquisitions were made at different times. The facts are as follows.

The taxpayer makes the following acquisitions of ordinary shares in A plc, an approved VCT.

  • May 1996 buys 50,000 shares cost £50,000.
  • September 1996 buys 60,000 shares cost £60,000.
  • May 1997 buys 40,000 shares cost £40,000. The taxpayer has already purchased 100,000 worth of shares in another VCT earlier in the month.
  • May 1998 buys 30,000 shares cost £30,000.

£10,000 worth of the shares bought in September 1996 were acquired in excess of the permitted maximum. All the shares acquired in May 1997 were acquired in excess of the permitted maximum.

The taxpayer has the following blocks of shares in A plc:

  • 50,000 exempt shares acquired May 1996,
  • 50,000 exempt shares acquired September 1996,
  • 30,000 exempt shares acquired May 1998,
  • a Section 104 holding of 50,000 shares which includes 10,000 shares acquired September 1996 and 40,000 shares acquired May 1997.

In September 1999 the taxpayer sells 140,000 shares in A plc for £280,000. The taxpayer does not own any shares acquired before the company was approved as a VCT. Therefore the rule in TCGA92/S151A (4)(a) applies. The shares are identified on a first in/first out basis as follows:

50,000 acquired May 1996                    Exempt

10,000 acquired September 1996      not exempt

50,000 acquired September 1996     Exempt

30,000 acquired May 1997                    not exempt

Section 104 holding
When computing the chargeable gain you do not attempt to identify the cost and indexation attributable to specific blocks of shares included in the Section 104 holding. The normal pooling rules apply. The computation is below.

-

Number of Shares

Pool of Qualifying Expenditure

Pool of Indexed Expenditure

September 1996

10,000

£10,000

£10,000

Indexation Sept 96 - May 97

-

-

£200

-

10,000

£10,000

£10,200

May 1997

40,000

£40,000

£40,000

-

50,000

£50,000

£50,200

Indexation May 97 - Apr 98*

-

-

£1,808

-

50,000

£50,000

£52,008


* Indexation allowance has been frozen at April 1998, see CG17207.

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Capital gains computation

Pool of Indexed Expenditure      £52,008   x   40,000  =   £41,607

                                                                                              50,000

Pool of Qualifying Expenditure  £50,000  x  40,000  =  £40,000

                                                                                              50,000

Indexation Allowance                                                                     £1,607

Disposal proceeds of 40,000 non-exempt shares           £80,000

Less cost                                                                                                £40,000

Unindexed Gain                                                                                  £40,000

Less Indexation                                                                                   £1,607

Chargeable Gain                                                                                 £38,393 

For the purposes of this example assume the shares are non-business assets therefore there is no taper relief available, see CG17895 onwards.