Whatever the context, providing you with clear advice - and understanding risk - are key.
Mergers & acquisitions: tax and restructuring
Helping you navigate the tax aspects of selling, acquiring or restructuring a business.
Ownership is fundamental to the way a business operates. We provide the expert advice needed to ensure that tax and tax risk are dealt with appropriately through all changes of ownership. That might involve helping founders with the life-changing decision to sell, advising a corporate buyer on a strategic acquisition, or assisting a group which needs to restructure.
Our services
M&A tax for buyers
When it comes to acquisitions and investments, our focus is on assessing what’s really important.
We can help you structure your transactions and also negotiate the commercial terms around tax (such as tax indemnities on M&A). Our tax and corporate lawyers will find the right tax and risk solutions for your business, and ensure that these are implemented as smoothly as possible.
If tax issues come up during a deal, we minimise friction on the process, balance risk and keep the deal moving forward.
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M&A tax for sellers
Tax is a fundamental part of any deal for sellers, whether you are exiting your business or taking part in a transaction which involves reinvesting in the buyer’s structure. We start by establishing your key tax objectives and putting together structuring proposals to achieve them. Our extensive experience of acting for buyers helps us pre-empt any buyer concerns and ensures that we only put forward realistic proposals.
When it comes to deal tax structuring, we can advise you on mitigating any related tax risks and on maximising the overall efficiency of the structure. We can also identify any tax assets within your business (such as the corporation tax deduction often available on exercise of employee options, or R&D tax relief) and help you realise their value.
Our tax team and corporate experts collaborate seamlessly to ensure all structuring aligns with the overall commercial deal.
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Shareholder restructuring
Not all founders and employee shareholders stay with a business until exit. Sometimes challenging discussions need to be had about whether a shareholder’s equity should be bought back and redeployed in some form. Tax is one of the tools available in a negotiation; sensible tax planning makes the available money go further.
Our expertise and experience can help smooth negotiations. We can advise on whether a company buyback or setting up a new holding company would best suit everyone’s objectives, what the available options are for structuring the buy-out price, and flag key tax issues in advance, so that everyone is clear on what they are signing up to.
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Group restructuring
Whether you’re streamlining your operations, demerging parts of your business that no longer belong together or preparing for a sale, we provide the clear and practical advice needed to achieve the best tax outcomes.
After analysing your current setup and helping you identify the commercial and tax opportunities, we can then advise on the implementation of your chosen solution.
Where multiple jurisdictions are involved, we draw on our network of advisers around the world to project manage delivery, leaving you to concentrate on other business matters as far as possible.
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