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This translation was prepared by Tax Interpretations Inc. The CRA did not issue this document in the language in which it now appears, and is not responsible for any errors in its translation that might impact a reader’s understanding of it or the position(s) taken therein. See also the general Disclaimer below.
Principal Issues: [TaxInterpretations translation] 1) In light of the Interpretation Act, is the 24-month holding period in subsection 110.6(1) calculated using "calendar" months, the starting point of the calculation being the 1st of the month and the endpoint being the last day of the month, or could the 24 month period start at any date in the month?
2) Can the CRA confirm, based on the facts submitted, the first date on which Mr. X could dispose of his shares while claiming the capital gains deduction in subsection 110.6(2.1) applicable to taxable capital gains realized on the disposition of qualified small business corporation shares?
Position: The "particular time" for the purpose of determining the 24-month period referred to in paragraph (b) of the definition of QSBCS in subsection 110.6(1) is February 5, 2011. In that regard, the 24-month period preceding February 5, 2011, throughout which the share was not owned by anyone other than the individual, would generally begin on February 5, 2009 and end February 4, 2011.
Since on February 5, 2009, a person unrelated to Mr. X (Ms. A) owned the shares, it appears to us that the requirement regarding the 24-month holding period of the shares would not be satisfied in this case.
Reasons: Income Tax Act; Interpretation Act
FEDERAL TAX ROUNDTABLE 7 OCTOBER 2011
2011 APFF CONFERENCE
Question 9
Definition of the word "month" in subsection 110.6(1)
Consider the following situation: Mr. X is a resident of Canada. On February 5, 2009, Mr. X acquired from an unrelated person, Ms. A, all of the shares of the capital stock of an operating corporation, Opco A, being 100 common shares, for a consideration of $250,000.
Opco A was a Canadian-controlled private corporation and, throughout the period commencing February 5, 2009, was a small business corporation.
On February 5, 2011, Mr. X disposed of his 100 common shares of the capital stock of Opco A to Mr. Y, an unrelated person, for consideration equal to their fair market value, namely $1,000,000.
Mr. X wishes to claim the capital gains deduction provided in subsection 110.6(2.1) as a deduction from taxable capital gains realized on the disposition of qualified small business corporation shares.
Mr. X has an unused capital gains deduction balance of $750,000. The deduction allowed in computing his taxable income would not be reduced by the annual gains limit for the year or the cumulative gains limit at the end of the year.
Questions to the CRA:
Paragraph (b) of the definition of "qualified small business corporation share" ("QSBCS"), as set out in subsection 110.6(1), stipulates that the share is a share of the capital stock of a corporation that
“throughout the 24 months immediately preceding the determination time, was not owned by anyone other than the individual or a person or partnership related to the individual”.
The rules applicable when a period of time is expressed in months are provided for in section 28 of An Act respecting the Interpretation of Statutes and Regulations, R.S.C., 1985, c. I-21. (the "Interpretation Act"):
“Where there is a reference to a period of time consisting of a number of months after or before a specified day, the period is calculated by
(a) counting forward or backward from the specified day the number of months, without including the month in which that day falls;
(b) excluding the specified day; and
(c) including in the last month counted under paragraph (a) the day that has the same calendar number as the specified day or, if that month has no day with that number, the last day of that month.”
In addition, section 35 of the Interpretation Act defines the word "month" as a calendar month.
A) Regarding the Interpretation Act, is the 24-month period calculated on the basis of "calendar" months, with the starting point of the calculation being the 1st of the month and the endpoint being the last day of the month, or could the 24-month period start at any date in the month so that the period from February 5 to March 4 would also constitute a month?
B) Can the CRA confirm, based on the facts submitted, what is the first date on which Mr. X could dispose of his shares while claiming the capital gains deduction in subsection 110.6(2.1) applicable to taxable capital gains realized on the disposition of qualified small business corporation shares?
CRA Response
In this case, the "determination time" for the purpose of determining the 24-month period provided in paragraph (b) of the definition of QSBCS in subsection 110.6(1) is February 5, 2011. In that regard, the 24-month period preceding February 5, 2011, throughout which the share was not owned by anyone other than the individual, would generally begin on February 5, 2009 and end on February 4, 2011.
Since on February 5, 2009, a person unrelated to Mr. X (Ms. A) owned the shares, it appears to us that the requirement regarding the 24-month holding period of the shares would not be satisfied in this case.
François Bordeleau
(613) 957-8972
2011-041183
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