As part of the UK’s Spring Budget 2024, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, has announced the abolition of the remittance basis for income tax and capital gains tax for non-UK domiciled, UK resident individuals (the “Non-Dom Regime”) with effect from 6 April 2025. It is proposed
Robert E. Gaut
Robert Gaut is a tax partner and head of our UK tax practice in London.
Robert provides advice on a full range of UK and international tax issues relating to fund formation, private equity deals, finance transactions and private equity real estate matters, including experience with non-traditional equity transactions, such as debt-like preferred equity and co-investments for private credit investors.
Robert is highly-regarded for his ability to provide sophisticated tax advice to many of the world’s preeminent multinational companies, sovereign wealth funds, investment banks and private equity and credit funds. Clients have commented to legal directories that Robert is “really technical and knows his stuff,” and “has a very strong knowledge of the various tax laws, but also presents more innovative techniques and strategies."
He is consistently recognized by Chambers UK and The Legal 500 United Kingdom, and has been recognized by Chambers Global as a leading individual in tax. The Legal 500 comments that Robert has “vast experience in a range of matters, including corporate tax structuring, real estate tax and fund formation.”
HMRC updates guidance on UK tax status of non-UK entities and US LLCs post Anson
On 6 December, HMRC updated the section in its International Manual discussing the UK tax characterisation of overseas entities, and of Delaware (and other US) limited liability companies (LLCs) in particular (in INTM180000 and INTM180050).
This part of the International Manual sets out HMRC’s views on whether certain foreign…
Upcoming changes to the company share options plan regime
Company share option plans (CSOP) and enterprise management incentives (EMI) are two statutory share option regimes that can be used to incentivise employees in a tax-efficient way. Broadly, where the relevant qualifying criteria have been met, both the CSOP and EMI schemes allow employees to acquire shares in their employer…
Massive U-Turn on Mini Budget
As has been widely reported, a number of the Mini Budget proposals (summarised in our recent Tax Blog) have been scrapped. The new Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt announced these measures claiming that they are estimated to raise £32 billion in taxes every year. More tax rises and…
UK Mini Budget 2022
UK Mini Budget 2022
The Chancellor today unveiled the UK’s 2022 Growth Plan which has been described as being “the biggest package of tax cuts in generations”. We have summarised here the tax changes that we think will be of interest to our client base.
- UK corporation tax: the main
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BlueCrest FTT Decision – Salaried Member Rules and Asset Managers
The recent decision of the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) in BlueCrest Capital Management (UK) LLP v HMRC (29 June 2022) is the first time the UK’s salaried member rules (the Rules) have been considered in the context of an asset management limited liability partnership (LLP). BlueCrest is engaged in providing hedge fund investment management services. In summary, the FTT found that certain of BlueCrest’s members who were responsible for managing significant investment portfolios had ‘significant influence’ over the affairs of the LLP, irrespective of whether that influence on a financial level amounted to managerial influence over the whole of the LLP’s affairs, such that those members were not salaried members (but that other members who were not engaged in portfolio management did not have significant influence for these purposes, as explained below).
The decision in respect of the significant influence condition for portfolio managers will be welcomed by asset management LLPs. However, it is generally expected that HMRC will appeal the decision, particularly given that it appears to be at odds with HMRC’s approach, as set out in the HMRC Partnership Manual, that only members involved in the top level management of an LLP should treated as having significant influence over its affairs.
HMRC Clarifies Application of QAHC Regime to Corporate Lending Vehicles
HMRC has recently updated the guidance relating to the UK’s new qualifying asset holding company (QAHC) tax regime which was introduced from 1 April 2022. The new guidance clarifies HMRC’s approach to whether corporate lending vehicles used by credit funds should be treated as carrying on an investment…
EU Commission publishes draft directive to remove tax driven debt-equity bias
Summary and Background
On 11 May 2022, the European Commission (the “Commission”) published its draft proposal for a debt-equity bias reduction allowance (“DEBRA” or, the “Directive”), which forms part of the Commission’s Communication on Business Taxation reforms which were first outlined on 18 May 2021. The Directive seeks to remove tax as a weighted factor in the choice of funding for companies and encourage the use of equity investments. The perceived view of the Commission is that debt is usually favoured over equity due to the fact that most tax systems allow for the deduction of interest on debt, while costs relating to equity financing are usually non-tax deductible.
130 countries join the OECD’s framework for international tax reform
Significant progress has been made in the efforts of the OECD to reach international consensus on the BEPS 2.0 proposals. Broadly, the proposals are aimed at addressing challenges relating to taxation of the modern digital economy. The 139 country OECD Inclusive Framework meeting concluded on 1 July 2021, with 130…
COVID-19: UK Chancellor announces significant extension of support packages
The UK Chancellor has today announced that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (the furlough scheme) and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will be extended against “a worsening economic backdrop”.
Earlier this week we reported on the UK Prime Minister’s reintroduction of the furlough scheme until 2 December 2020 (the…