§ In addition, I intend to close a number of loopholes which have been exploited by people to avoid tax. First, from midnight last night I propose to exclude from the business expansion scheme all schemes which involve the provision of loans to BES investors. The BES was set up to encourage investment in small business—not to provide highly subsidised loans for top-rate taxpayers. Secondly, I intend to end the practice whereby group companies buy up other companies with capital losses simply in order to set those losses against their own capital gains. Thirdly, I intend to restrict the situations in which changes in company ownership can create scope to avoid advance corporation tax. Finally, I propose to tighten the rules for foreign companies under United Kingdom control.
§ Full details of these and other measures are provided in a series of Inland Revenue press notices being issued today. The revenue is not insignificant. Taken together, the measures should raise some £70 million in the first year, rising to over £460 million in the following year.