When you sell your company your buyer may wish to pay part in cash and part in loan notes to be paid off from future profits. The Loan Notes are known as Qualifying Corporate Bonds (QCB’s), the dilemma is whether to claim Entrepreneurs Tax at 10% now or pay full Capital Gains Tax later.

To obtain Entrepreneurs’ Relief on a disposal of the shares (the “old asset”) at the time of the exchange, the individual may make an election for the gain not to be deferred by TCGA92/S116 (10). The effect of an election is that the gain is brought into charge at the time of the exchange so that Entrepreneurs’ Relief can be claimed in order to benefit from the 10% rate – TCGA92/S169R (2).

In the absence of an election the gain is deferred and will be charged to CGT when it accrues under TCGA92/S116 (10) (b). It would be unusual for the qualifying conditions for Entrepreneurs’ Relief to be met at the later date when the gain comes into charge.

An election under this section, like the claim for Entrepreneurs’ Relief, must be made on or before the first anniversary of the 31 January following the tax year in which the relevant transaction takes place – TCGA92/S169R (4).

So would you claim the Entrepreneurs Tax Relief and pay 10% now or possibly pay 28% later?

You could try selling your shares in stages but that might not suit either you or your buyer?

steve@bicknells.net