CG25430 | Disposal of assets situated abroad: Example 2

From HM Revenue & Customs · Capital Gains Manual

An individual resident but not domiciled in the UK has a foreign bank account in a foreign currency, F. The rate of exchange is 2F = £1 throughout this example. The account contains the following entries:

Date-Amount
January 2009BalanceNil
January 2009Deposit: sale of foreign shares A90,000F
-(cost 48,000F in December 2005)-
February 2009Withdrawal: purchase of foreign30,000F
-shares B-
March 2009Withdrawal: brought to UK30,000F

The gain arising is first calculated in sterling, thus:

--£
Proceeds90,000F45,000
less Cost48,000F24,000
-Foreign Chargeable Gain21,000

Next, the account is analysed into capital and gains to give the composition of the balance of the account (90,000F - 30,000F = 60,000F) immediately before the March transfer, turning the gain back into foreign currency thus:

--CapitalCapital GainTotal
January 2009Deposit48,000F42,000F90,000F
February 2009Withdrawal to buy foreign shares16,000F14,000F30,000F
-Balance32,000F28,000F60,000F

The transfer of 30,000F is then split between capital and foreign chargeable gains according to the mixed fund rules (see CG25380+), so it is treated as containing 28,000F (£14,000) of gains and 2000F (£1000) capital. There is therefore a remittance of £14,000 of the gain on foreign shares A.