Tax & incentives

With one of the longest tax codes in the world, the need for expert UK tax advice has never been greater.

We advise on a full range of business tax matters, particularly in the context of public and private M&A transactions, private equity and venture capital investment and corporate restructuring. We also have significant expertise in the context of employee taxation, employee share schemes and other management incentive arrangements.

Our team advises UK and overseas clients including listed companies, mid-tier corporates, owner-managed businesses, partnerships and LLPs and individuals in a wide range of business sectors, in particular financial services, travel and leisure, publishing and digital media and technology.

Working closely with our colleagues in corporate, employment and other departments within the firm, we tailor our advice to a client’s individual needs, combining excellent technical skills with a personable and user-friendly approach.

Tax & incentives experience

• Advised the selling shareholders in a number of owner managed businesses on the tax issues arising in the context of the disposal of their shares, whether for cash, loan notes, an earn-out or equity participation in the acquiring entity.

• Advised a Toronto Stock Exchange listed client and other divisions within the wider multinational group on the tax and employee incentive issues arising in the context of a large number of UK target company acquisitions.

• Advised a UK bank in the context of IR35 issues arising in relation to the use of consultants.

• Advised both employers and UK individuals on the tax treatment of settlement payments made on, or in respect of, the termination of their employment, both where negotiations are consensual and in the context of a dispute.

• Advised a US private equity fund on the tax and share scheme implications of its acquisition of a significant publishing company from two discretionary employee benefit trusts, a SIP Trustee and over 300 individual employee shareholders.

• Advised companies seeking investment from UK individual investors on eligibility for Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Venture Capital (VC) treatment and making appropriate advance assurance applications to HMRC.

• Advised a number of non-UK headquartered businesses on the UK tax and share scheme aspects of extending their global share plans to UK employees.

• Advised employing companies on the tax issues arising in the context of seconding UK employees overseas or bringing non-UK employees to work in the UK.

• Advised a number of non-UK headquartered businesses on the permanent establishment and other tax issues arising in the context of their inward investment into, and the taking on of employees or consultants, in the UK.