VCM90110 | CVS: general: introduction

The CVS provides a range of tax reliefs for companies that subscribe for shares in other companies, known as qualifying issuing companies. The latter are companies which are unquoted at the time the shares are issued and which carry on or are preparing to carry on certain types of trading activities, and satisfy certain requirements. Many of the conditions that they have to meet are identical with the conditions to be met under the EIS, and there are a number of cross-references to the guidance on the EIS in the pages that follow.

The guidance at VCM90120 onwards covers all matters that need to be considered by officers of HMRC who deal with companies issuing shares under the CVS ( i.e. the Small Company Enterprise Centre). For guidance on matters relating to investment relief and the conditions to be met by companies investing under the scheme, dealt with by those companies’ tax offices, see VCM91000 onwards.

The CVS scheme stopped on 1 April 2010. The guidance thus only applies to shares issued on or before 31 March 2010.