Ever since April 2002 when a limited company acquires the trade and assets of another business it has been possible to obtain a tax deduction for the goodwill and other intangible assets of the acquired business, generally in line with the accounting treatment.
So, if the goodwill of the acquired business was worth say £500,000 and the directors assess the useful economic life as 5 years there would be an allowable tax deduction of £100,000 a year over the 5 year period.
The Summer Budget has blocked this deduction where the goodwill is acquired on or after 8 July 2015, although where the acquisition was prior to that date relief continues to be available. Note that the new restriction applies to goodwill and “customer-related assets” which would include client lists and customer databases.
The restriction does not apply to other intangibles such as patents and manufacturing “know –how” so the allocation of the purchase price of assets in the sale and purchase agreement may have an impact on the availability of tax relief.
What about Capital Allowances?
Another important consideration when buying a business is tax relief for the plant and machinery of the target company.
Where the shares of the target company are acquired, the new owners will inherit the tax written down value in the target company’s capital allowances pool which will normally be a lot lower than the market value of the machinery.
This is another reason why a trade and asset purchase would be preferable for the buyer, as they would acquire the plant and machinery at the agreed market value.
Where fixtures and fittings within buildings are acquired it is even possible, by agreement with the vendors, to acquire those items at the original purchase price. Remember that the current Annual Investment Allowance that gives 100% relief on plant and machinery reduces to just £200,000 from 1 January 2016.
Please contact us if you are planning to buy another business as we can help you maximise tax relief on the assets acquired.