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Section 79 Conveyances and transfers of property between certain bodies corporate

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(1) Stamp duty shall not be chargeable under or by reference to the following headings in Schedule 1-

(a) "CONVEYANCE or TRANSFER on sale of any stocks or marketable securities",

(b) "CONVEYANCE or TRANSFER on sale of a policy of insurance or a policy of life insurance where the risk to which the policy relates is located in the State", or

(c) "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",

on any instrument to which this section applies.

What type of property can be transferred within a corporate group free of stamp duty?

(1) Stamp duty is not chargeable on the following transfers between associated bodies corporate:...

to read the full commentary

(2) Subsection (1) shall not apply to an instrument unless it has, in accordance with section 20, been stamped with a particular stamp denoting that it is not chargeable with any duty or that it is duly stamped.

What stamp must an intra-group transfer bear in order to qualify for exemption?

(2) The exemption mentioned in (1) does not apply unless the transfer instrument has been stamped with a particular stamp denoting that duty is not chargeable or that it has been duly stamped.

(3) This section applies to any instrument as respects which it is shown to the satisfaction of the Commissioners that the effect of the instrument was to convey or transfer a beneficial interest in property from one body corporate to another, and that at the time of the execution of the instrument the bodies in question were associated, that is, one was the beneficial owner of not less than 90 per cent of the [ordinary share capital]1 of the other, or a third such body was the beneficial owner of not less than 90 per cent of the [ordinary share capital]1 of each and that this ownership was ownership either directly or through another body corporate or other bodies corporate, or partly directly and partly through another body corporate or other bodies corporate, and subsections (5) to (10) of section 9 of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997, shall apply for the purposes of this section as if-

[(a) references to company were references to body corporate, and

(b) references to companies were references to bodies corporate.]2

Amendments

1 Substituted by Finance Act 2003 section 136(1)(a)(i) in relation to instruments executed on or after 6 February 2003.

2 Paras (a)-(b) substituted by Finance Act 2003 section 136(1)(a)(ii) in relation to instruments executed on or after 6 February 2003.

What conditions must be satisfied in order for the transfer to quality for the exemption?

(3) To qualify for exemption under this section, the instrument must transfer a beneficial interest in property from one body corporate to an associated body corporate....

to read the full commentary

(3A) For the purposes of subsection (3) "ordinary share capital", in relation to a body corporate, means all the issued share capital (by whatever name called) of the body corporate, other than capital the holders of which have a right to a dividend at a fixed rate, but have no other right to share in the profits of the body corporate.

Amendments

Subs (3A) inserted by Finance Act 2003 section 136(1)(b) in relation to instruments executed on or after 6 February 2003.

What does "ordinary share capital" mean in the context of intra-group transfers of property?

(3A) In (3), the term "ordinary share capital" means the entire issued share capital excluding fixed rate preference shares.

(4) Notwithstanding that at the time of execution of any instrument the bodies corporate between which the beneficial interest in the property was conveyed or transferred were associated within the meaning of subsection (3), they shall not be treated as having been so associated unless, additionally, at that time-

(a) one such body was beneficially entitled to not less than 90 per cent of any profits available for distribution to the shareholders of the other such body or a third such body was beneficially entitled to not less than 90 per cent of any profits available for distribution to the shareholders of each, and

(b) one such body would be beneficially entitled to not less than 90 per cent of any assets of the other such body available for distribution to its shareholders on a winding-up or a third such body would be beneficially entitled to not less than 90 per cent of any assets available for distribution to the shareholders of each on a winding- up,

and, for the purposes of this section-

(i) the percentage to which one body corporate is beneficially entitled of any profits available for distribution to the shareholders of another body corporate, and

(ii) the percentage to which one body corporate would be beneficially entitled of any assets of another body corporate on a winding-up,

means the percentage to which the first body corporate is, or would be, so entitled either directly or through another body corporate or other bodies corporate or partly directly and partly through another body corporate or other bodies corporate.

What conditions apply to the 90% relationship in the context of intra-group transfers of property for stamp duty purposes?

(4) The parent must genuinely own the real material interest in the subsidiary's shares. Two companies do not qualify for 90% relationship unless the parent is entitled to:...

to read the full commentary

(5) This section shall not apply to an instrument unless it is also shown to the satisfaction of the Commissioners that the instrument was not executed in pursuance of or in connection with an arrangement under which-

(a) the consideration, or any part of the consideration, for the conveyance or transfer was to be provided or received, directly or indirectly by a person, other than a body corporate which at the time of the execution of the instrument was associated within the meaning of [subsections (3) and (4)]1 with either the transferor or the transferee (being, respectively, the body from whom and the body to whom the beneficial interest was conveyed or transferred),

(b) that interest was previously conveyed or transferred, directly or indirectly, by such a person, or

(c) the transferor and the transferee were to cease to be associated within the meaning of subsections (3) and (4),

and, without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (a), an arrangement shall be treated as within that paragraph if it is one under which the transferor or the transferee, or a body corporate associated with either as there mentioned, was to be enabled to provide any of the consideration, or was to part with any of it, by or in consequence of the carrying out of a transaction or transactions involving, or any of them involving, a payment or other disposition by a person other than a body corporate so associated.

Amendments

1 Substituted by Finance Act 2001 section 204(1)(b) and (2)(b) in relation to instruments executed on or after 6 March 2001. This closes a possible loophole by ensuring a wider definition of "associated" prevails when construing the anti-avoidance rules.

What can prevent a company qualifying for exemption on an intra-group transfer of property?

(5) The exemption mentioned in (1) does not apply does not apply unless it can be proved to Revenue that no arrangement exists whereby:...

to read the full commentary

(6)(a) The Commissioners may, for the purposes of this section, require the delivery to them of a statutory declaration in such form as they may direct made, as they may direct, by a responsible officer of a body corporate or by a solicitor of the Courts of Justice or by both and of such further evidence (if any) as they may require.

(b) The powers conferred on the Commissioners by paragraph (a) shall be in addition to and not in substitution for the powers conferred on them by section 20.

If I am the responsible officer of a company, what declaration must I provide in relation to intra-group property transfers?

(6) Revenue may require a responsible officer of a body corporate, or a solicitor, to provide:...

to read the full commentary

(7) If-

(a) where any claim for exemption from duty under this section has been allowed, it is subsequently found that any declaration or other evidence furnished in support of the claim was untrue in any material particular, or

(b) the transferor and transferee cease to be associated within the meaning of [subsections (3) or (4)]1 within a period of 2 years from the date of the conveyance or transfer,

then the exemption shall cease to be applicable and stamp duty shall be chargeable in respect of the conveyance or transfer as if subsection (1) had not been enacted together with [interest on the duty, ...2 calculated in accordance with section 159D,]3 to the day on which the duty is paid, in a case to which paragraph (a) applies, from the date of the conveyance or transfer or, in a case to which paragraph (b) applies, from the date the transferor and transferee ceased to be so associated.

Amendments

1 Substituted by Finance Act 2001 section 204(1)(a) and (2)(a) in relation to instruments executed on or after 15 February 2001. This strengthens the clawback provisions where companies cease to be associated within two years of the transfer.

2 Deleted by Finance (No. 2) Act 2008 section 98 and Schedule 5 Part 5 Chapter 2 para 7(f) from 24 December 2008 and to the extent that Chapter 3A applies to penalties incurred under the Stamp Duties Consolidation Act 1999 before 24 December 2008 which by 24 December 2008 have not been paid, it shall not apply to such penalties which are in the form of interest accrued under any provisions of the act.

3 Substituted by Finance Act 2005 section 145(3) and Schedule 5 Part 2.

When can the exemption applicable to intra-group property transfers be clawed back?

(7) The exemption is withdrawn if:...

to read the full commentary

(8) For the purposes of subsection (4)-

(a) the percentage to which one body is beneficially entitled of any profits available for distribution to shareholders of another company has, subject to any necessary modifications, the meaning assigned to it by section 414 of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997, and

(b) the percentage to which one body is beneficially entitled of any assets of another body available for distribution on a winding-up has, subject to any necessary modifications, the meaning assigned to it by section 415 of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997.

(9) This section shall apply notwithstanding that a body corporate, referred to in this section, is incorporated outside the State, and such body corporate, corresponds, under the law of the place where it is incorporated, to a body corporate which has an ordinary share capital within the meaning given in subsection (3A) and subject to any necessary modifications for the purpose of so corresponding, all the other provisions of this section are met.

Amendments

Subs (9) inserted by Finance Act 2003 section 136(1)(c) in relation to instruments executed on or after 6 February 2003.

Can a foreign company claim exemption from stamp duty on intra-group property transfers?

(8)-(9) Since 6 February 2003, this relief also applies to a foreign body corporate which has the equivalent of a (voting) share capital structure (see (3A)) and complies with all the other conditions.

(10) Subsection (1) shall not apply to an instrument conveying or transferring stocks or marketable securities (in this subsection referred to as the "second transfer") to the extent of the consideration for the sale that is attributable to those of the stocks or marketable securities being conveyed or transferred that were conveyed or transferred immediately prior to the second transfer by an instrument or instruments, as the case may be, to which section 75, as inserted by the Finance Act 2007, applied.

Amendments

Subs (10) inserted by Finance Act 2008 section 115 as respects instruments executed on or after 31 January 2008.

If a previous transfer of securities was exempt under relief for intermediary provisions, does that prevent a claim for relief under this section?

(10) You cannot claim exemption in respect of a transfer of shares from a market intermediary to a connected company if the intermediary's acquisition of the new shares was exempt.

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