This article focuses on compulsory purchase of land in India, basic concept is same in case land is situated in any country including UK.
Background
Our client’s ancestral home was partly acquired by the government in India to widen the road. Client lives in UK, but the Indian house is occupied by his widowed mother.
What is compulsory purchase of land?
Compulsory purchase is where land is acquired by an authority possessing compulsory purchase powers. Example a highway is being broadened and government acquires part of your front garden. Compensation received from authority is `sale proceeds` in this case. [see CG72100]
What is the date of disposal?
Date of disposal is date when compensation is agreed. [see CG72101]
Does land in India treated as same as land situated in UK?
UK Capital Gains Tax is not normally dependent on where in the world an asset is situated but there are some exceptions to this rule. [see CG12400P] These exceptions are not applicable in our case, as client is tax resident in the UK.
Since 6 April 2020 , individuals (not companies) selling UK land need to report and pay capital gains tax to HMRC within 60 days. Overseas land disposals are reported in Self-assessment tax return only. Source Litrg.org.uk.
Are there any reliefs available?
Yes, besides the usual CGT reliefs (like EIS investment etc.) there are three reliefs available:
- Small disposal relief
Where disposal proceeds are less than £3,000 or 5% of the Market Value of the land. No gain arises and compensation is deducted from the purchase cost. [see CG72200]
2. Roll over relief
Simple guidance on this relief is given in HS290 ; for detailed guidance see CG61900P.
Basically, if sale proceeds are used to acquire another land, capital gain tax can be deferred.
Conditions:
- New land must not be used as tax payers main residence within 6 years from date of acquisition. [section 13 HS290].
[Practice notes – Where new land is acquired which seems suitable for use as a private residence by the new owner but which at the time of the roll-over relief claim is not used as a private residence by the owner, a forward note should be made to review the position at, say, the three or six year points after the date of acquisition in order to ensure that the property has not become the only or main residence of the landowner.] [see CG61906]
- Period of reinvestment 12 months before, or 36 months after the disposal of the old asset.
This relief – you can be claimed provisionally as well.
How to claim this relief? See section 18 and 19 of Helpsheet HS290 also see Example 17 and 18 for computation of relief.
3. Principal private residence relief (PPR).
Simple guidance on this relief is given in HS283 ; for detailed guidance see CG64200c.
If you dispose of a house which was any time your main residence you get this relief. If the dwelling house has not always been your only or main residence, you will need to split the gain as [Period of occupation1 + final 9 months2] / [Period of ownership1].
- Both period of occupation and ownership starts from 31st March 1982 if property owned before this date.
- The final 9 months of your period of ownership always qualify for relief, regardless of how you use the property in that time, as long as the dwelling house has been your only or main residence at some point.
Residence provided for a dependent relative – Second PPR Relief
A second PPR relief may be available on disposal of a residence which was provided to a dependent relative if certain conditions are fulfilled see [CG65550+.] . Main condition is that the residence was acquired for the dependent relative before 6th April 1988.
Conclusion:
In our case, as interest in the property was acquired by tax payer and his widowed mother before 1988 and they also full filled other conditions. So no Capital Gains Tax was payable.
For further reading on UK India taxation see our Worldwide blog