The 100 common shares of Opco, having an aggregate fair market value (FMV) of $1,000,000 and an aggregate paid-up capital (PUC), and aggregate adjusted cost base (ACB) to their holders, of $100 are held as to 25% and 25% by two unrelated holding companies (Holdco A and Holdco B) each wholly-owned by Mr. A and Mr. B and as to a further 25% and 25% by two discretionary family trusts for the families of A and B (Trust A and Trust B). The common shares (being all of the issued and outstanding shares) have an aggregate safe income of $400,000 ($100,000 each).
Opco now pays a $400 stock dividend (valued at $400,000) of high-low preferred shares so that each shareholder receives 100 preferred shares with a PUC of $100 and a redemption amount of $100,000.
How is the safe income allocated; and where Trust A is taxable on the $100 stock dividend and makes an immediate capital distribution of those preferred shares to Holdco A, what safe income will be attributable to those preferred shares received by Holdco A?
CRA first noted that for the purposes of inter alia ss. 55(2) to (2.4), s. 55(2.2) deems the amount of the stock dividend received by Holdco A and Holdco B and their s. 112(1) deductible amount to be $100,000. CRA then noted that since the accrued capital gain on the 25 common shares of OPCO held by Holdco A and B immediately before the stock dividend exceeded the $100,000 stock dividend amount and this $100,000 amount, in turn, did not exceed the amount of income earned or realized that could reasonably be considered to contribute to the capital gain that could be realized on the 25 common shares immediately before the stock dividend, then by virtue of s. 55(2.3)(a), the amount of the $100,000 stock dividend received by Holdco A and Holdco B would will be deemed to be a separate dividend for the purposes of subsection 55(2), and by virtue of s. 55(2.3)(b), OPCO's safe income that contributed to the capital gain on the 25 common shares of the capital stock of OPCO held respectively by Holdco A and Holdco B would be reduced by $100,000.
By virtue of s. 52(3)(a)(ii), the 100 high-low preferred shares of each of Holdco A and B (with a FMV of $100,000) will have an ACB of $100,000, their 25 common shares (with an FMV of $150,000) will have an ACB of $25; and those 25 shares would no longer have any safe income. By virtue of s. 52(3), the safe income of $100,000 contributing to the capital gain on the 25 common shares of the capital stock of OPCO held respectively by Holdco A and Holdco B before the payment of the stock dividend is now reflected in the ACB of the 100 high-low preferred shares received as a stock dividend by Holdco A and Holdco B.
As for Trust A and Trust B, immediately after the stock dividend, each of them will hold 100 high-low preferred shares having a redemption amount of $100,000 and, by virtue of s. 52(3)(a)(i) and para. (c) of s. 248(1) –amount, an ACB of $100. OPCO's safe income contributing to the capital gain on the 25 common shares held by Trust A and Trust B, respectively, will be reduced by only $100, being the stock dividend received by Trust A and Trust B. However, that amount of safe income will be split between the two classes of shares held by Trust A and Trust B based on the unrealized gain on each class.
The safe income reasonably contributing to the capital gain on the 25 common shares of the capital stock of OPCO held by Trust A and Trust B is $59,940 (149,975 / 249,875 X 99,900) and the safe income reasonably contributing to the capital gain on the 100 preferred shares held by Trust A and Trust B is $39,960 (99,900 / 249 875 X 99,900).
CRA then stated:
As for the high-low preferred shares distributed by Trust A to Holdco A as a capital distribution, and assuming that Trust A was able to make such a distribution with no tax consequences by virtue of subsection 107(2), the safe income contributing to the capital gain of those shares would be the same as that determined in Question 4(a), namely $39,960.