8(1)For the purposes of section 179 of the Gains Act (company ceasing to be a member of a group), where any company (“the degrouped company”) ceases, by virtue of a qualifying transaction, to be a member of a group of companies, the degrouped company shall not, by virtue of that qualifying transaction, be treated under that section as having sold, and immediately reacquired, any asset acquired from a company which was at the time of acquisition a member of that group.U.K.
(2)Where sub-paragraph (1) above applies in relation to any asset, section 179 of the Gains Act shall have effect on the first subsequent occasion on which the degrouped company ceases to be a member of a group of companies (the “subsequent group”), otherwise than by virtue of a qualifying transaction, as if both the degrouped company and the company from which the asset was acquired had been members of the subsequent group at the time of acquisition.
(3)Where, disregarding any preparatory transactions, a company would be regarded for the purposes of section 179 of the Gains Act (and, accordingly, of this paragraph) as ceasing to be, or becoming, a member of a group of companies by virtue of a qualifying transaction, it shall be regarded for those purposes as so doing by virtue of the qualifying transaction and not by virtue of any preparatory transactions.
(4)In this paragraph—
“preparatory transaction” means anything done under or by virtue of Part II of the Railways Act 1993 for the purpose of initiating, advancing or facilitating the qualifying transaction in question;
“qualifying transaction” means—
a relevant transfer;
any other transfer or disposal under or by virtue of section 85, 88(6) or (7) or 89 of the Railways Act 1993.
(5)Expressions used in this paragraph and in section 179 of the Gains Act have the same meaning in this paragraph as they have in that section.