These increases in total other income were partially offset by a loss from investments in notes from associates of $27.6 million primarily due to Gelesis ceasing operations in October 2023, for the year ended December 31, 2023, while no such loss occurred during the year ended December 31, 2022, as well as a decrease in other income of $9.0 million due to a gain of $7.6 million in respect of the Gelesis back-stop agreement recorded during the year ended December 31, 2022.
Net Finance Income/(Costs)
Net finance income was $5.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to net finance income of $138.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, reflecting a decrease of $133.8 million or 96 percent in net finance Income. The decrease was primarily attributable to the net change in fair value of subsidiaries’ financial instrument liabilities: during the year ended December 31, 2023, net change in fair value of subsidiaries’ preferred shares, warrant and convertible note liabilities was an income of $2.6 million, while for the year ended December 31, 2022, such change was an income of $137.1 million, primarily related to change in fair value of Vedanta preferred share liabilities, leading to decrease in income of $134.4 million. In addition, the decrease in net finance income is attributable to non-cash interest expenses in the amount of $10.2 million recorded on the sale of future royalties liability, during the year ended December 31, 2023, with no such corresponding expense, or liability, in the year ended December 31, 2022. This decrease in net finance income was partially offset by an increase in interest income in the amount of $10.2 million due to higher interest rates and yields earned on financial assets and a decrease of $0.5 million in contractual interest expense during the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022.
Share of Net Income/(loss) of Associates Accounted for Using the Equity Method
For the year ended December 31, 2023, the share in net loss of associates reported under the equity method was $6.1 million as compared to the share in net loss of associates of $27.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, resulting in a net decrease in loss of $21.7 million. The decrease was primarily attributable to a decrease in Gelesis losses incurred in the year ended December 31, 2023, due to the reduction in the carrying value of our investment to zero.
Gain/(Loss) on Dilution of Ownership Interest in Associates and Impairment of Investment in Associates
During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Group recorded a gain on dilution of its equity ownership interest in Gelesis of $28.2 million as a result of the completion of the merger with CapStar on January 13, 2022. In addition, during the year ended December 31, 2022, the Group recorded an impairment loss of $8.4 million in respect of its investment in Gelesis. No such gains or impairment was incurred in the year ended December 31, 2023.
Taxation
Income tax expense was an expense of $30.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to a benefit of $55.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, reflecting an increase in income tax expense of $86.2 million. The increase in the income tax expense in the year ended December 31, 2023, was primarily attributable to lower pre-tax loss in the tax consolidated U.S. group, the tax in respect of the sale of future royalties to Royalty Pharma and the impact of derecognizing previously recognized deferred tax assets that are no longer expected to be utilized. For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Group recorded an income tax benefit, primarily attributable to the increase in gains that are non-taxable. For a full reconciliation from the statutory tax rate to the effective tax rate, see Note 27. Taxation to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
For the comparison of 2022 to 2021, refer to Part I, Item 5 “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” of our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Material Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates
Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our financial statements, which we have prepared in accordance with UK-adopted International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRSs”). The Consolidated Financial Statements also comply fully with IFRSs as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”). In the preparation of these financial statements, we are required to make judgments, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.