The Act Part 2 – Key Concepts Chargeable interest Section 4 – Chargeable interest
18.Section 4 defines “chargeable interest”, the acquisition of which constitutes a land transaction under section 3. A chargeable interest is a real right or other interest, in or over land in Scotland or the benefit of any obligation, restriction or condition affecting the value of any such right or interest. In simple terms, a chargeable interest is an interest in land, so an interest in moveable property such as kitchen “white goods” or furniture falls outside the scope of LBTT. The definition is very broad and captures more than the real rights in land known to Scots law; accordingly options to buy or sell land, licences to occupy land and certain statutory rights are chargeable interests. In some cases, certain interests are treated as being interests in land for the purposes of LBTT (see, for example, Part 6 of schedule 17 (property investment partnerships)).
19.Chargeable interests do not include exempt interests (see section 5). Subsection (3) reflects that under Part 4A of the Scotland Act 1998 (c.46) (as inserted by section 28 of the 2012 Act), a tax on interests in land in Scotland may not be imposed on so much of a transaction as relates to land below mean low water mark - therefore interests in the seabed fall outside the scope of LBTT.