Clarification - Self Assessment on DRIP shares

I purchased shares in my US based employer's company with my dividends reinvested under the company's DRIP agreement over 20 years. Could you clarify what the rules are regarding declaration of dividends and/or declaration of Capital Gains for the sale of the shares in 4 lots (in 2022, 2023 and 2024). To date I have declared the shares as income in relevant tax year and declared a capital gain report in the years where shares were sold... I see some responses which indicate that there is no tax liability until they are sold, yet others which say the dividends are taxed as income in the year of distribution, See - https://community.hmrc.gov.uk/customerforums/sa/45fcd676-de03-ef11-a81c-6045bd0d7324#3d260676-de03-ef11-9f8a-6045bd127e0b https://community.hmrc.gov.uk/customerforums/sa/c58448ba-6659-ef11-b4ac-6045bd0abb27#d4b70bf9-7661-ef11-bfe3-6045bdd018b1

to clarify my question... Over 20 years I have received dividends in the form of shares from a US company. In most of those years, the dividend value has been within the exemption limit for share dividends and therefore have not appeared on my Self Assessment returns for those years. In the last three tax years (i.e. 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25) I have sold those shares in three transactions - one for each year, My question is whether I will now be liable for income tax for those 20 years (i.e. deferred tax), despite those individual years being exempted at the time of purchase). Of course I understand that they need to be taken into account in terms of Capital Gains tax. Thanks for any advice you can give me...

Hi,
We can only provide general information / guidance in this forum. For an answer to a detailed question of this nature, you would need to contact our Self Assessment team.
Self Assessment: general enquiries
Thank you