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Change year: 2010

Section 29 Conveyance on sale combined with building agreement for dwelling house or apartment

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(1)(a) In this section-

"building" includes any improvement of any land, and any alteration to the character of any land, preliminary to the erection on that land of a dwellinghouse or apartment;

"land" includes any interest in any land but does not include the result of any act of building.

(b) For the purposes of this section, references to the repayment of stamp duty to a person who paid it include reference to any other person who satisfies the Commissioners that he or she is entitled to recover moneys owing to the person.

What do the terms "building" and "land" include?

(1) The term land includes any interest in land but does not include the result of an act of building. In this regard, building includes any improvements to, or alteration to the character of, the land prior to the construction of a house or apartmen...

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(2) Notwithstanding section 43, where, in connection with, or as part of any arrangement involving, a sale of any land, a dwellinghouse or apartment has been built, or is in the course of being built, or is to be built, on that land, any instrument whereby such sale is effected shall be chargeable to stamp duty under the heading "CONVEYANCE or TRANSFER on sale of any property other than stocks or marketable securities or a policy of insurance or a policy of life insurance" in Schedule 1 as if the property concerned were residential property on an amount equal to the aggregate of-

(a) any consideration paid in respect of the sale of that land, and

(b) any consideration paid, or to be paid, in respect of the building of the dwellinghouse or apartment on that land.

How is stamp duty calculated on the conveyance of a site in conjunction with a contract to build?

(2) This rule applies to the sale of a site together with a building contract for a house on that site. In other words, it applies to a combined sale of land together with a house or apartment which has been, or is in the course of being, built on th...

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(3) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (2), a dwellinghouse or apartment shall be regarded as having been built or being in the course of being built or to be built in connection with, or as part of any arrangement involving, a sale of any land where building has commenced prior to the execution of any instrument effecting the sale.

If building begins before any instrument affecting the sale is executed, does it still fall within the definition of a building contract?

(3) A building contract is within (1) if building began before any instrument (for example, mortgage, contract, conveyance) affecting the sale is executed.

(4)(a) Where in the case of any instrument of sale to which this section applies, the aggregate consideration to which subsection (2) relates cannot, in the opinion of the Commissioners, be ascertained at the date on which the instrument is presented for stamping, then the instrument shall be chargeable to stamp duty as if the amount of the aggregate consideration which is chargeable under subsection (2) was equal to 10 times the unencumbered open market value of the land at the date of the instrument of sale or to such lower multiple, not being less than 5, of the open market value of the land as the Commissioners consider appropriate having regard to the relevant information available to them.

(b) Where it is shown to the satisfaction of the Commissioners that the amount of the stamp duty paid under this subsection exceeded the stamp duty with which the instrument would have been charged under subsection (2) had the aggregate consideration paid or to be paid in respect of the dwellinghouse or apartment been ascertainable at the date of stamping of the instrument, then the amount of such excess stamp duty shall, on an application to the Commissioners within 3 years after the date of stamping of the instrument, be repaid to the person or persons by whom the stamp duty was paid and such repayment shall bear simple interest at the rate of [0.0161 per cent, or such other rate (if any) as stands prescribed by the Minister by regulations, for each day or part of a day]1 from the date of payment of the excess duty up until the date of such repayment and income tax shall not be deductible on payment of interest under this subsection and such interest shall not be reckoned in computing income for the purposes of the Tax Acts.

Amendments

1 Substituted by Finance Act 2002 section 129(6)(b)) from 1 September 2002 as respects an amount due to be repaid or retained, whether before, on or after that date.

How is stamp duty on a building contract charged if I cannot ascertain the consideration at the time of stamping?

(4) If the combined consideration within (1) cannot be ascertained when the instrument is presented for stamping, the instrument must be charged as if the aggregate consideration were:...

to read the full commentary

(5) For the purposes of determining whether this section shall apply to any instrument, the Commissioners may require the delivery to them, in such form as they may specify, of a statement or a statutory declaration by-

(a) any person directly or indirectly concerned with the sale of the land or with the building of a dwellinghouse or apartment on the land, and

(b) any solicitor acting on behalf of any person to whom paragraph (a) relates,

of any facts which the Commissioners consider relevant in making any such determination.

What statement or statutory declaration might be required by Revenue for the purpose of determining whether to stamp as a building contract?

(5) In determining whether these rules apply to an instrument, Revenue may require:...

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(6) Any instrument to which the heading "CONVEYANCE or TRANSFER on sale of any property other than stocks or marketable securities or a policy of insurance or a policy of life insurance" in Schedule 1 applies shall contain a statement, in such form as the Commissioners may specify, certifying whether or not this section is applicable to such instrument, and the furnishing of an incorrect certificate shall be deemed to constitute the delivery of an incorrect statement for the purposes of section 1078 of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997.

What statement must I include in respect of a conveyance of land, and does the furnishing of a false statement attract criminal penalties?

(6) A conveyance of land must contain a statement, in a form specified by Revenue, certifying whether the conveyance is a combined sale of a site together with a building contract for a house on that site....

to read the full commentary

(7) Where stamp duty has been charged on any instrument by reference to this section and, within 2 years after the date of stamping of the instrument, building has not commenced, then this section shall be deemed not to have applied to the instrument and, accordingly, the Commissioners shall, on application to them within 3 years after the date of stamping of the instrument by the person or persons by whom the stamp duty paid, repay to such person or persons the amount of the stamp duty paid by such person or persons which, but for the other provisions of this section, would not have been chargeable and such repayment shall bear simple interest at the rate of [0.0161 per cent, or such other rate (if any) as stands prescribed by the Minister by regulations, for each day or part of a day]1 from the date of payment of the excess duty up until the date of such repayment and income tax shall not be deductible on payment of interest under this subsection and such interest shall not be reckoned in computing income for the purposes of the Tax Acts.

Amendments

1 Substituted by Finance Act 2002 section 129(6)(b)) from 1 September 2002 as respects an amount due to be repaid or retained, whether before, on or after that date.

If I have not commenced the building work within two years of stamping, am I entitled to a recalculation and refund of overpaid stamp duty?

(7) This rule applies where stamp duty has been paid on the combined value of the site and the house, and building does not commence within two years of the date on which the instrument was stamped. In such a case, the transaction is treated as the s...

to read the full commentary

(8) Every regulation made under this section shall be laid before Dáil Éireann as soon as may be after it is made, if a resolution annulling the regulation is passed by Dáil Éireann within the next 21 days on which Dáil Éireann has sat after the regulation is laid before it, the regulation shall be annulled accordingly, but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that regulation.

How are regulations to vary the interest rate or overpaid duty passed into law?

(8) Regulations to vary the interest rate on overpaid duty must be laid before and passed by Dáil Éireann.

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