Business tax

As the owner of a business or the shares in a private company, you will face a number of issues in relation to the disposal of your business or shares, either in the short term or longer term.

Ultimately, you may wish to either sell the business or company or otherwise pass it on to other members of your family. In the meantime, you may want to offer shares to employees.

In each of these cases, there will be tax considerations and, with planning, you will be able to structure the relevant transaction in a way which will reduce a tax liability. This may often require that you take steps two or more years before the sale or other disposal of your shares or business.

How can we help?

Our commercially minded tax experts are here to help, often working with clients' accountants to assist with tax planning. We also have expertise in the creation and management of trusts and in many cases, tour advice may be that shares should be transferred into a trust for family members (or others) in order to achieve both a tax saving but also the correct allocation of shares.

Our tax advice is primarily to the owners and managers of the company or business, rather than providing advice to the company itself, but in many cases there is not a clear distinction between the two, for example where we act for the shareholders in a company to divide the company and its separate businesses into two or more other companies, for tax saving purposes.

In a sale to a third party buyer, our tax lawyers will work alongside our corporate lawyers in reducing your risks on the sale as far as possible.

Our business tax services

• Advising on the tax implications of acquisitions and disposals of shares or an interest in a business
• Drafting and negotiating the terms of the tax related documents on an acquisition and disposal agreement
• Advising on the possible reconstruction of a company to divide different businesses carried on by the company into separate companies, without any charge to tax, or in some cases a small charge to tax, which will ultimately result in a significant tax saving
• Advising on employee share options to ensure the most tax efficient means of providing shares for an employee is achieved. We will also draft the share option documentation and advise you on your obligations to HM Revenue & Customs
• Advice to investors - including advising on the requirements of the Enterprise Incentive Scheme
• Advice on a management buyout to the managers to ensure tax relief on the investment
• Compliance - we can deal with all H M Revenue & Customs administrative matters, such as personal or trust tax returns