Income Tax Act

Marginal note:Eligible distribution not included in income

• 86.1 (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Part,

  • (a) the amount of an eligible distribution received by a taxpayer shall not be included in computing the income of the taxpayer; and

  • (b) subsection 52(2) does not apply to the eligible distribution received by the taxpayer.

• Marginal note:Eligible distribution

  (2) For the purposes of this section and Part XI, a distribution by a particular corporation that is received by a taxpayer is an eligible distribution if

  • (a) the distribution is with respect to all of the taxpayer’s common shares of the capital stock of the particular corporation (in this section referred to as the “original shares”);

  • (b) the distribution consists solely of common shares of the capital stock of another corporation that were owned by the particular corporation immediately before their distribution to the taxpayer (in this section referred to as the “spin-off shares”);

  • (c) in the case of a distribution that is not prescribed,

    • (i) at the time of the distribution, both corporations are resident in the United States and were never resident in Canada,

    • (ii) at the time of the distribution, the shares of the class that includes the original shares are widely held and actively traded on a prescribed stock exchange in the United States, and

    • (iii) under the United States Internal Revenue Code applicable to the distribution, the shareholders of the particular corporation who are resident in the United States are not taxable in respect of the distribution;

  • (d) in the case of a distribution that is prescribed,

    • (i) at the time of the distribution, both corporations are resident in the same country, other than the United States, with which Canada has a tax treaty (in this section referred to as the “foreign country”) and were never resident in Canada,

    • (ii) at the time of the distribution, the shares of the class that includes the original shares are widely held and actively traded on a prescribed stock exchange,

    • (iii) under the law of the foreign country, those shareholders of the particular corporation who are resident in that country are not taxable in respect of the distribution, and

    • (iv) the distribution is prescribed subject to such terms and conditions as are considered appropriate in the circumstances;

  • (e) before the end of the sixth month following the day on which the particular corporation first distributes a spin-off share in respect of the distribution, the particular corporation provides to the Minister information satisfactory to the Minister establishing

    • (i) that, at the time of the distribution, the shares of the class that includes the original shares are widely held and actively traded on a prescribed stock exchange,

    • (ii) that the particular corporation and the other corporation referred to in paragraph (b) were never resident in Canada,

    • (iii) the date of the distribution,

    • (iv) the type and fair market value of each property distributed to residents of Canada,

    • (v) the name and address of each resident of Canada that received property with respect to the distribution,

    • (vi) in the case of a distribution that is not prescribed, that the distribution is not taxable under the United States Internal Revenue Code applicable to the distribution,

    • (vii) in the case of a distribution that is prescribed, that the distribution is not taxable under the law of the foreign country, and

    • (viii) such other matters that are required, in prescribed form; and

  • (f) except where Part XI applies in respect of the taxpayer, the taxpayer elects in writing filed with the taxpayer’s return of income for the taxation year in which the distribution occurs (or, in the case of a distribution received before October 18, 2000, filed with the Minister before July 2001) that this section apply to the distribution and provides information satisfactory to the Minister

    • (i) of the number, cost amount (determined without reference to this section) and fair market value of the taxpayer’s original shares immediately before the distribution,

    • (ii) of the number, and fair market value, of the taxpayer’s original shares and the spin-off shares immediately after the distribution of the spin-off shares to the taxpayer,

    • (iii) except where the election is filed with the taxpayer’s return of income for the year in which the distribution occurs, concerning the amount of the distribution, the manner in which the distribution was reported by the taxpayer and the details of any subsequent disposition of original shares or spin-off shares for the purpose of determining any gains or losses from those dispositions, and

    • (iv) of such other matters that are required, in prescribed form.

• Marginal note:Cost adjustments

  (3) Where a spin-off share is distributed by a corporation to a taxpayer pursuant to an eligible distribution with respect to an original share of the taxpayer,

  • (a) there shall be deducted for the purpose of computing the cost amount to the taxpayer of the original share at any time the amount determined by the formula

    A × (B/C)

    where

    A

    is the cost amount, determined without reference to this section, to the taxpayer of the original share at the time that is immediately before the distribution or, if the original share is disposed of by the taxpayer, before the distribution, at the time that is immediately before its disposition,

    B

    is the fair market value of the spin-off share immediately after its distribution to the taxpayer, and

    C

    is the total of

    • (i) the fair market value of the original share immediately after the distribution of the spin-off share to the taxpayer, and

    • (ii) the fair market value of the spin-off share immediately after its distribution to the taxpayer; and

  • (b) the cost to the taxpayer of the spin-off share is the amount by which the cost amount of the taxpayer’s original share was reduced as a result of paragraph (a).

• Marginal note:Inventory

  (4) For the purpose of calculating the value of the property described in an inventory of a taxpayer’s business,

  • (a) an eligible distribution to the taxpayer of a spin-off share that is included in the inventory is deemed not to be an acquisition of property in the fiscal period of the business in which the distribution occurs; and

  • (b) for greater certainty, the value of the spin-off share is to be included in computing the value of the inventory at the end of that fiscal period.

• Marginal note:Reassessments

  (5) Notwithstanding subsections 152(4) to (5), the Minister may make at any time such assessments, reassessments, determinations and redeterminations that are necessary where information is obtained that the conditions in subparagraph (2)(c)(iii) or (d)(iii) are not, or are no longer, satisfied.