Words and Phrases - "main"

A British taxpayer (TDS) used a total return swap to cause its share investment in a subsidiary (LGI) to be deemed to be a loan. However, its hoped-for tax benefit was denied by an anti-avoidance provision that applied if “one of the main purposes” for being a party to a loan relationship was to secure relief from tax. In this regard, TDS emphasized that it had held its TDS shares long before entering into the swap and a related novation contract. In rejecting this contention, Lord Justice Newey stated (at para. 46):

Had the tax advantage in view been small, there might have been scope for argument as to whether an intention to use the shares to achieve it implied that obtaining the advantage was now a main purpose of holding the shares. In fact, however, the hoped-for gain was large both in absolute terms (more than £70 million) and relative to the apparent value of TDS (some £280 million).

After so concluding against TDL, Lord Justice Newey stated (at para. 48):

I would add, however, that I do not accept that, as was submitted by Mr Ghosh [for HMRC], "main" … means "more than trivial". A "main" purpose will always be a "more than trivial" one, but the converse is not the case. A purpose can be "more than trivial" without being a "main" purpose. "Main" has a connotation of importance.