Selling a business - how to portion up the sale advice neede
Selling a business - how to portion up the sale advice neede
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sfrances

Original Poster:

3 posts

103 months

Monday 26th March 2018
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hi - i am selling my shop which has been in business for over 33 years due to my ill health
the buyer now wants me to portion up the sale into stock , fixtures and fittings and good will of the sale for her tax reason
i was just wondering the best way to do it for my own tax reason - at present the sale is £55,000 and i am leaving her £11,000 worth of stock in the shop at retail value ----- after 5 months of negotiations she has hit me hard and wanted a £10,000 reduction at the last minute i just want the sale completed and agreed to a £5,000 reduction - any help on this matter would be great - thanks

sgrimshaw

7,587 posts

280 months

Monday 26th March 2018
quotequote all
You should discuss this with your accountant.

sfrances

Original Poster:

3 posts

103 months

Monday 26th March 2018
quotequote all
Hi thanks for your reply I have asked my accountant and am waiting on his response but as with anything I was just wondering if anyone had similar dealings on the matter - as for the past 5 months dealing with solictor’s and council legal teams it has been a complete learning curve and stressful time with my illness as well

Frimley111R

19,321 posts

264 months

Tuesday 27th March 2018
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sfrances said:
h after 5 months of negotiations she has hit me hard and wanted a £10,000 reduction at the last minute i just want the sale completed and agreed to a £5,000 reduction
Classic issue here sadly. With one buyer she has all the power. You're not the first to be hit like this.

madmover

1,785 posts

214 months

Thursday 29th March 2018
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Find a new buyer or negotiate further i think is what it will ultimately boil down to. Good luck with the sale!

jas xjr

11,309 posts

269 months

Thursday 29th March 2018
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My first reaction would be to withdraw from the sale.
If the breakdown of the sale price is for the buyers benefit , let her do all the work and liase with her accountant and tell you what she needs the breakdown to be

Eric Mc

125,770 posts

295 months

Thursday 29th March 2018
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You should know what the stock figure is - you do take a stock count on a regular basis I assume?

It is important for a buyer (whoever it is) to know the split between the various types of assets that are being purchased.
It is important, for instance, to have a good idea how much of the purchase price is related to plant and machinery and fixtures and fittings as the cost of these will be the basis for future Capital Allowance claims.

The portion related to land and buildings is important for Stamp Duty calculations and Capital Gains Tax calculations in the future.

The portion related to Stock for Resale is important because the business' gross profit and net trading profit (and ultimately its taxable business profits) will be dependent on that figure.

The suggestion that the buyer should work these figures out is a bit disingenuous. The seller should have most of this information readily available and it is only fair that they provide the details to a potential buyer.

Indeed, you should be working these figures out for yourself because your final VAT return, your own Capital Gains Tax calculations and your final Capital Allowance claims will need them too.

sfrances

Original Poster:

3 posts

103 months

Thursday 29th March 2018
quotequote all
Thank you all for your wonderful replies and great advice