A non-resident trust (the “Trust”) took the position that its shares of various private non-resident corporations (“NRCos”) were not taxable Canadian property (“TCP”), so that it was deemed under s. 94(3)(c) to have acquired its NRCo shares at a cost equal to their fair market value (“FMV”). The only assets of the NRCos, other than any intercompany receivables, were shares in private operating corporations resident in Canada (“Opcos”). The Opcos held timber resource properties, Canadian real property, other properties not listed in the definition of TCP and, in some cases, shares of lower tier Opcos.
The Rulings Directorate indicated that its established position is that (i) the gross asset (rather than net asset) value method should be used to determine whether more than 50% of the fair market value of the NRCo shares was derived directly or indirectly from the Canadian real property etc., and (ii) that for these purposes the proportionate value approach should be used to determine the proportion of the FMVs of the shares of the Opcos that derived from the Canadian real property etc.
A downstream loan within the group is effectively ignored and is treated instead as increasing the FMV of the shares of the particular wholly-owned subsidiary. However, recognizing an upstream loan would result in double counting because the assets acquired by the parent out of the proceeds thereof would already be counted for purposes of the tests – so that the loan’s value decreases the relevant FMV of the shares of the particular wholly-owned subsidiary. The treatment of a loan made to a sister depends on a range of factors but, generally, will be treated similarly to a downstream loan if that is reflective of the ultimate use of the funds, and otherwise generally will be recognized (if it is not part of a back-to-back loan made by the parent to a subsidiary).