Section 256 — Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992: Charities.

Charities. 256 1 Subject to ... the following provisions of this section , a gain shall not be a chargeable gain if it accrues to a charity and is applicable and applied for charitable purposes.

2 If property held on charitable trusts ceases to be subject to charitable trusts—

a the trustees shall be treated as if they had disposed of, and immediately reacquired, the property for a consideration equal to its market value, any gain on the disposal being treated as not accruing to a charity, and b if and so far as any of that property represents, directly or indirectly, the consideration for the disposal of assets by the trustees, any gain accruing on that disposal shall be treated as not having accrued to a charity, and an assessment to capital gains tax chargeable by virtue of paragraph (b) above may be made at any time not more than 3 years after the end of the year of assessment in which the property ceases to be subject to charitable trusts.

3 Subsection (4) below applies if a charitable trust has a non-exempt amount under section 540 of ITA 2007 for a year of assessment. 3A Subsection (4) below also applies if a charitable company has a non-exempt amount under section 493 of CTA 2010 for an accounting period.

4 Gains accruing—

a to the charitable trust in the year of assessment, or b to the charitable company in the accounting period, are treated as being, and always having been, chargeable gains so far as they are attributed to the non-exempt amount under section 256A (in the case of a charitable trust) or section 256C (in the case of a charitable company).

5 For restrictions on exemptions under Part 10 of ITA 2007 (special rules about charitable trusts etc) see section 539 of that Act. 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7 For restrictions on exemptions under Part 11 of CTA 2010 (charitable companies etc ) see section 492 of that Act. 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .