Private ruling: CGT asset cost base
Published: September 2014
Ruling period: Year ending 30 June 2015
Date scheme commenced: 1 July 2014

Ruling: Q1: Is the cost base of the shares acquired by A during their life time the same cost base applicable to the B? | A1: Yes. | Q2: Does B need to hold the in specie distribution of shares for 12 months in order to be eligible for the 50% CGT discount? | A2: No.

Relevant facts and circumstances: A passed away before B. You were appointed the administrator of A's estate. B (the deceased) later passed away. You were appointed executor of B's estate. A purchased shares in a company during their life and were held for more than 12 months. At the time of their death, A still owned the shares. Under the will of A, the sole beneficiary of their estate was B. The will of A provided that distributions to B could be made in specie. The Estate of A made an in specie distribution of the shares to the Estate of B. The shares remain unsold in the Estate of B. The current value of the shares is greater than the original purchase price paid by A. The Estate of B wishes to sell the shares and make distributions to the beneficiaries. The beneficiaries of the Estate of B are all Australian residents and are not under any legal disability.

Relevant legislative provisions: Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 1997) section 110-25 | Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 1997) section 115-30

Reasons for decision: Detailed Reasoning - Detailed reasoning: The cost base of an asset consists of five elements and generally includes the cost of the asset when a taxpayer bought it as well as the costs associated with acquiring, holding and disposing of the asset. The cost base of a capital gains tax (CGT) asset is generally the cost of the asset when you bought it. However, it also includes certain other costs associated with acquiring, holding and disposing of the asset. Where an asset, which was acquired by the deceased person on or after 20 September 1985, is acquired from a deceased estate, the first element of the asset's cost base is taken to be the deceased person's cost base of the asset on the day they died. Where the deceased person dies on or after 21 September 1999, if the indexation method was applied to the cost base of the deceased's asset, you must recalculate the first element of your cost base to leave out any indexation that may have been included. In your case, the cost base of the shares held by the Estate of B, that were acquired from the Estate of A, will be the cost base of the asset when A passed away, less any indexation if applicable. | Detailed Reasoning - Detailed reasoning: In administering and winding up a deceased estate, a legal personal representative may need to dispose of some or all of the assets of the estate. Assets disposed of in this way are subject to the normal rules and any capital gain the legal personal representative makes on the disposal is subject to CGT. If a beneficiary sells an asset they have inherited, the normal CGT rules also apply. Section 115-30 of the ITAA 1997 provides that for the purpose of the CGT general discount ownership test an executor or beneficiary of a deceased estate will acquire the asset on the same day that the deceased acquired it, if the asset was acquired by the deceased after 20 September 1985 (post CGT). In this case, B was the sole beneficiary of the Estate of A. The Estate of B acquired an in specie distribution of the post-CGT shares from the Estate of A. As A pre-deceased B, B acquired the post-CGT shares on the date that A acquired them, for the purpose of the general discount. Accordingly, the Estate of B is considered to have held the shares for over 12 months and will be entitled to the CGT general discount.