Bonus shares issued where no amount is assessed as a dividend
Warning:
This information may not apply to the current year. Check the content carefully to ensure it is applicable to your circumstances.
End of attentionOriginal shares acquired on or after 20 September 1985
If your bonus shares relate to other shares that you acquired on or after 20 September 1985 (referred to as your original shares) your bonus shares are taken to have been acquired on the date you acquired your original shares. If you acquired your original shares at different times, you will have to work out how many of your bonus shares are taken to have been acquired at each of those times.
The cost base and reduced cost base of the bonus shares are calculated by apportioning the cost base and reduced cost base of the original shares over both the original and the bonus shares. Effectively, this results in a reduction of the cost base and reduced cost base of the original shares. Any calls paid on partly paid bonus shares are also included as part of the cost base and reduced cost base that is apportioned between the original and the bonus shares.
Original shares acquired before 20 September 1985
Your CGT obligations depend on when the bonus shares were issued and whether they are fully paid or partly paid. For more information see flowchart 1 in appendix 3.
Example – Fully paid bonus shares
Chris bought 100 shares in MAC Ltd for $1 each on 1 June 1985. He bought 300 more shares for $1 each on 27 May 1986. On 15 November 1986, MAC Ltd issued Chris with 400 bonus shares from its capital profits reserve, fully paid to $1. Chris did not pay anything to acquire the bonus shares and no part of the value of the bonus shares was assessed as a dividend.
For CGT purposes, the acquisition date of 100 of the bonus shares is 1 June 1985 (pre-CGT). Therefore, those bonus shares are not subject to CGT.
The acquisition date of the other 300 bonus shares is 27 May 1986. Their cost base is worked out by spreading the cost of the 300 shares Chris bought on that date over both those original shares and the remaining 300 bonus shares. As the 300 original shares cost $300, the cost base of each share will now be 50 cents.
End of example
Example – Partly paid bonus shares
Klaus owns 200 shares in MAC Ltd which he bought on 31 October 1984 and 200 shares in PUP Ltd bought on 31 January 1985.
On 1 January 1987, both MAC Ltd and PUP Ltd made their shareholders a one-for-one bonus share offer of $1 shares partly paid to 50 cents. Klaus elected to accept the offer and acquired 200 new partly paid shares in each company. No part of the value of the bonus shares was taxed as a dividend.
On 1 April 1989, PUP Ltd made a call for the balance of 50 cents outstanding on the partly paid shares, payable on 30 June 1989. Klaus paid the call payment on that date. MAC Ltd has not yet made any calls on its partly paid shares.
For CGT purposes, Klaus is treated as having acquired his bonus PUP Ltd shares on the date he became liable to pay the call (1 April 1989). The cost base of the bonus shares in PUP Ltd includes the amount of the call payment (50 cents) plus the market value of the shares immediately before the call was made.
The MAC Ltd bonus shares will continue to have the same acquisition date as the original shares (31 October 1984) and are therefore not subject to CGT. However, this will not be the case if Klaus makes any further payments to the company on calls made by the company for any part of the unpaid amount on the bonus shares. In this case, the acquisition date of the bonus shares will be when the liability to pay the call arises and the bonus shares will then be subject to CGT.
End of example