The mergers & acquisitions (“M&A”) market is currently extremely buoyant with both trade buyers and private equity houses having plenty of cash to spend and aggressively looking to invest in attractive investment opportunities.

When a company buys another company or business at a premium, historically the premium has been classed as goodwill, put on the balance sheet and amortised over its expected useful life. the full reality of the acquisition. For many acquirers, that extra worth could and should be thought of as distinct non physical assets and if you have paid for them why not value them and put them on the balance sheet – let the world know what that extra worth really is!

Payments in connection with the termination of an individual’s employment fall mainly into three categories: they are either ‘earnings from employment’, are ‘damages/compensation for the loss of rights’ or are ‘payments in lieu of notice’. The latter can be either earnings or damages depending on the exact circumstances. Problems still occur in dealing with the question of tax and often the £30,000 tax exemption is seen as a blanket exemption without proper consideration being given to the component parts of the termination package. Navigating

There is no minimum amount for a Gift Aid donation and all cash donations, of whatever size, made by a UK taxpayer are eligible for Gift Aid relief. Gift Aid declarations can be made in writing, on the telephone or over the internet and must contain the name and address of the donor, the name of the charity and a statement that the donor pays sufficient income or capital gains tax to cover the tax reclaimed by the charity. Company donations to charity are made gross. The company claims tax relief in its computation and the charity receives no additional tax reclaim.

In light of the current economic climate, the Government has recognised that cash flow shortages, together with problems in obtaining finance, could lead to many businesses experiencing difficulties paying their taxes on time.

There is no minimum amount for a Gift Aid donation and all cash donations, of whatever size, made by a UK taxpayer are eligible for Gift Aid relief. Gift Aid declarations can be made in writing, on the telephone or over the internet and must contain the name and address of the donor, the name of the charity and a statement that the donor pays sufficient income or Capital Gains Tax to cover the tax reclaimed by the charity. Company donations to charity are made gross. The company claims tax relief in its computation and the charity receives no additional tax reclaim.

There is no minimum amount for a Gift Aid donation and all cash donations, of whatever size, made by a UK taxpayer are eligible for Gift Aid relief. Gift Aid declarations can be made in writing, on the telephone or over the internet and must contain the name and address of the donor, the name of the charity and a statement that the donor pays sufficient income or capital gains tax to cover the tax reclaimed by the charity. Since 1 April 2000 company donations to charity are made gross. The company claims tax relief in its computation and

The Caspian region is thought to hold the world’s third-largest oil and gas reserves behind the Middle East and Russia. At an ever-increasing rate, companies are acknowledging the region’s significant potential for oil exploration and production. Opportunities abound for companies with the technical skill and business expertise to navigate the region’s unique governmental, cultural and financial landscape.

Anderson Anderson & Brown, Aberdeen’s largest independent firm of Chartered Accountants has announced the appointment of Graeme Allan as a Partner with effect from 30 April 2007. Graeme, a tax specialist for 12 years joins from Stephen Hay & Associates in Edinburgh and prior to that PwC. Graeme’s particular areas of expertise fall within the private client and owner managed business sector and include advising on the acquisition and disposal of businesses, capital gains tax planning on exit, corporate structuring and advising UK resident individuals on investing abroad.

We continue to scale the heights in the Scottish corporate finance arena due to our significant experience working on local, national and international transactions. Our highly skilled team has represented clients in over 100 deals in the last two years, principally in the Oil & Gas industry. The latest available market data confirms that in 2008, for the fourth year running, we were the top deal initiator in Scotland and again completed more deals than any other accountancy firm in Scotland.

The long-awaited decision in the tax case Jones v Garnett, better known as “The Arctic Systems Case”, raised temperatures this summer. But, what exactly does the House of Lords’ decision mean to typical “husband and wife” companies?

Many businesses in the energy industry find themselves in various locations around the globe and as new areas develop the territories in which they operate will continue to become more diverse. Strategically it is important to ensure that the right people with the right skills can be deployed to those locations whenever required. Owing to the pace of the industry, managers often find that they are forced to make snap decisions over the arrangements for internationally mobile employees without fully appreciating the steps and costs that

Before venturing into overseas markets, most companies will have looked carefully into the commercial aspects of doing business overseas, but often then financial and tax implications are either not considered at all or are left to the last minute”

Welcome to the August 2007 issue of the Anderson Anderson & Brown Corporate Finance (A2+B CF) newsletter, which hopefully you will find useful and informative. We have witnessed a record deal flow in 2007, having already successfully closed 25 transactions this year, and hopefully the positive deal flow will continue for the rest of the year. Details of some of the opportunities that we are currently working on are enclosed in this newsletter. As always, if you would like to discuss any of these projects, or indeed any other business opportunity, then please do not

The importance of securing and retaining appropriate funding, and matching a company’s debt structure to its business needs, has become increasingly important in the current financial climate. Being prepared for the volatility businesses are facing is paramount, especially as the markets are expected to remain uncertain in the near to medium term.

Amy, who plans on taking a gap year to travel through South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand and India, will commence her CA traineeship on her return in 2010.

Welcome to the Anderson Anderson & Brown LLP Audit and Accounting newsletter which we hope you will find useful and informative. This issue deals with the most interesting changes to company legislation introduced by the Companies Act 2006. Changes impact accounting periods commencing on or after 6 April 2008 unless otherwise noted.

Andrea Begg is appointed a Senior Manager in Taxation Services. Andrea joined the firm in September 1995 after graduation from The Robert Gordon University. She qualified as a CA in 1998 and was admitted to the Chartered Institute of Taxation in 2000. Andrea is responsible for managing the tax affairs of a large portfolio of owner managed corporate clients, providing advice on tax issues affecting companies, shareholders and directors.

Gordon Robertson, an employment tax specialist, joins from KPMG. Gordon's areas of expertise fall within both the private and public sectors where he has more than 20 years experience in advising on PAYE, NIC and construction industry compliance issues. In recent years his focus has been on minimising costs for employers through tax effective compensation and termination packages, advising on employment status issues and generally assisting businesses in proactively reducing their employment tax exposure.

In the current economic downturn, this is a time when streamlining your back-office is more important than ever. A time for focusing on what you’re good at, your core business and strengthening customer relationships. Being customer-focused is being process focused and they are two sides of the same coin. Get the back office right and the rest will follow.