Finance Act, 1959

Charges on capital sums received for sale of patent rights.

50.—(1) Where, on or after the operative date, a person resident in the State sells any patent rights and the net proceeds of the sale consist wholly or partly of a capital sum, he shall, subject to the provisions of this Chapter, be charged to tax under Case VI of Schedule D, for the year of assessment in which the sum is received by him and for each of the five succeeding years of assessment, on an amount equal to one-sixth of that sum:

Provided that—

(a) if that person, by notice in writing served on the inspector of taxes not later than twelve months after the end of the year of assessment in which that sum was received, elects that the whole of that sum shall be charged to tax for the said year of assessment, it shall be charged to tax accordingly;

(b) if that person, by notice as aforesaid, applies to have the period for which he is to be charged determined as being other than the six years of assessment hereinbefore referred to (that is to say, the year of assessment in which that sum was received and the five succeeding years of assessment), then, if it appears to the Revenue Commissioners that hardship is likely to arise having regard to all the circumstances of the case unless a direction is given under this paragraph, they may direct that the charge shall be spread equally over a number of years of assessment other than six, of which the first shall be the year of assessment in which that sum was received.

(2) Where, on or after the operative date, a person not resident in the State sells any patent rights and the net proceeds of the sale consist wholly or partly of a capital sum, and the patent is an Irish patent, then, subject to the provisions of this Chapter—

(a) he shall be chargeable to tax in respect of that sum under Case VI of Schedule D, and

(b) Rule 21 of the General Rules shall apply to that sum as if it were an annual payment payable otherwise than out of profits or gains brought into charge to tax:

Provided that if, not later than twelve months after the end of the year of assessment in which the sum is paid, the person to whom it is paid, by notice in writing to the Revenue Commissioners, elects that the said sum shall be treated for the purpose of income tax for that year and for each of the five succeeding years as if one-sixth thereof, and no more, were included in his income chargeable to tax for all those years respectively, it shall be so treated, and all such repayments and assessments of tax for each of those years shall be made as are necessary to give effect to the election, so, however, that—

(i) the election shall not affect the amount of tax falling to be deducted and accounted for under the said Rule 21,

(ii) where any sum is deducted under the said Rule 21, any adjustments necessary to give effect to the election shall be made by way of repayment of tax, and

(iii) the said adjustments shall be made year by year and as if one-sixth of the sum deducted had been deducted in respect of tax for each year, and no repayment of, or of any part of, that portion of the tax deducted which is to be treated as deducted in respect of tax for any year shall be made unless and until it is ascertained tha the tax (other than sur-tax) ultimately falling to be paid for that year is less than the amount of tax (other than sur-tax) paid for that year.

(3) Where the patent rights sold by a person, or the rights out of which the patent rights sold by a person were granted, were acquired by him by purchase and the price paid consisted wholly or partly of a capital sum, subsections (1) and (2) of this section shall apply as if any capital sum received by him when he sells the rights were reduced by the amount of that sum:

Provided that—

(a) where between the said purchase and the said sale he has sold part of the patent rights acquired by him and the net proceeds of that sale consist wholly or partly of a capital sum, the amount of the reduction falling to be made under this subsection in respect of the subsequent sale shall be itself reduced by the amount of that sum,

(b) nothing in this subsection shall effect the amount of tax falling to be deducted and accounted for under Rule 21 of the General Rules by virtue of subsection (2) of this section, and, where any sum is deducted under the said Rule 21, any adjustment necessary to give effect to the provisions of this subsection shall be made by way of repayment of tax.

(4) This section shall apply in relation to any sale of part of any patent rights as it applies in relation to sales of patent rights.