In The Leeds Cricket Football & Athletic Company v HMRC [2019] UKFTT 568 (6 September 2019) the FTT found that a business had been conducted at a cricket ground so that the disposal of the ground was a business sale.
The appellant (LCFA) owned the freehold to a cricket ground which it leased to Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC). LCFA retained the right to carry on hospitality catering and advertising at the property. For instance it sold corporate hospitality packages and advertising on the boards at the ground. LCFA then sold the ground to YCCC. After the sale LCFA provided assistance to YCCC to ensure a smooth handover which included the transfer of client details and the benefit of agreements of third parties. The issue was whether the sale was a disposal of a business with attached goodwill or whether it was a disposal of...
