Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1970

2 (1) Subject to paragraph 21 of this Schedule, a person acquiring a right under a subsisting contract to acquire or dispose of an asset shall be treated as thereby acquiring or disposing of the asset to the like extent as if he had then entered into a new contract conferring that right (his undertaking the obligations under the subsisting contract not being treated as consideration given by him for the acquisition of the right, but any consideration so given being treated, in relation to his acquisition and disposal of the asset, as an expense of acquiring or disposing of it).

(2) Notwithstanding anything in section 162(1) of this Act, a person disposing of the right under a subsisting contract to acquire or dispose of an asset shall not be treated as thereby disposing of the asset nor, in a case not within sub-paragraph (3) below, as having acquired or disposed of it by that contract.

(3) Subject to paragraph 21 of this Schedule, where a person disposes of an asset to another subject to and with the benefit of any subsisting contract for its disposal to a third person, then, if the contract is not conditional or the condition is satisfied at the time of the later disposal—

(a) he shall not be treated as thereby making any new disposal of the asset except to the extent to which it was not disposed of by that contract, and so much of the consideration for the later disposal as is attributable to the right to receive the consideration under that contract shall be disregarded, and

(b) he shall be treated as thereby completing the disposal by that contract, and that disposal shall not under paragraph 1 above be treated as affected by any subsequent discharge of or default under the contract or abatement of the consideration.

(4) A person's right under a contract entered into by him to acquire or dispose of an asset shall, in relation to any disposal by him of that right, be treated as having been acquired by him on the making of the contract for any consideration given by him for having that right (other than his agreement to acquire or dispose of the asset); and where a person gives any consideration to be discharged from a contract to acquire or dispose of an asset, the person to whom it is given shall be treated as disposing for that consideration of his right under the contract to dispose of or acquire the asset.

(5) Where a person dies after entering into a conditional contract for the acquisition or disposal of an asset (the condition not being satisfied at the time of his death), then—

(a) in the case of a contract to acquire the asset, nothing in this paragraph shall apply so as to treat any other person as acquiring the asset by reason of that contract on the condition being satisfied, except that sub-paragraph (1) shall apply in relation to any person acquiring from the personal representatives or legatee the right under the contract to acquire the asset, and

(b) in the case of a contract to dispose of the asset, nothing in this paragraph or paragraph 1 above shall apply so as to treat him as disposing of the asset under the contract on the condition being satisfied.