Press Room
UK businesses hit by 80% tax increase, another major blow
to struggling private equity industry
Tuesday 9 October 2007
There will be a rush on business sales before 6
April next year, as business owners are set to be hit with an 80%
increase on the tax they pay when disposing of their businesses,
according to leading tax expert Grant Thornton.
The abolition of taper relief and a new capital gains tax rate of
18%, up from 10%, announced in today's PBR is also set to put
massive pressure on the private equity industry, which is already
feeling the sharp end of the credit crunch.
Grant Thornton Corporate Tax Partner, Stephen Quest, said the
across the board increase in capital gains was in effect an 80%
rise in what is currently paid. It is also a major disincentive for
private equity executives to take the risks they were currently
taking, and a factor likely to negatively impact the industry's
recruitment and retention rates.
The next 12 months are already set to be extremely difficult for
buy-out firms, who have reported their most negative forward
looking expectations ever in a survey carried out by Grant Thornton
Corporate Finance last week, with the majority of private equity
executives (63%) predicting a downturn in deal values.
Quest said PE firms would now be reassessing their present models,
and even the competitiveness of remaining in the UK.
"This has certainly shifted the goal posts for private equity at a
time when it has been predicted by those in the industry that the
value of deals is set to fall considerably. Following this massive
increase, we can only hope private equity firms remain open to
taking the risks on underperforming businesses that they have done
in the past, given the likelihood of more UK corporates
experiencing financial pressure over the coming year as the credit
shortage filters through the economy.
"This is the most negative forecast we have ever seen from the
private equity sector and a huge drop in confidence from just three
months ago, and with the capital gains tax increase announced
today, it seems the light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming
train," concluded Quest.
Notes to editors:
*Grant Thornton Corporate Finance's Private Equity Barometer
surveyed 79 leading private equity fund directors and managers. In
this particular survey 11% were involved in deals under £5million,
54% were involved in deals £5 - £49, million, 23% in deals of £50 -
£99 million, 5% in deals of £100 - £20 million, and 8% making deals
worth more than £200 million.