Share takeovers and buybacks, tax

[dancecaller]

I have some Ladbroke/ Hilton shares. Recently they sold the Hotel part of the buisness and I received a "special dividend" which had had tax paid on it, so I have a tax credit which I can not reclaim. So I now have less shares. But if I had had shares in a Hotel company and that had been taken over my payment would have come under capital gains rules and I would have had nothing to pay.

Is this fair?