Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

purchaser definition

What does purchaser mean? In legal practice, a purchaser is the person who acquires, or agrees/intends to acquire, an estate, interest or charge in property for value (money or money’s worth)—for example a buyer, lessee or mortgagee. The term is widely used in conveyancing, land registration and secured lending. In England & Wales and Northern Ireland, legislation defines purchaser broadly to include anyone taking an interest for valuable consideration, with purchase covering the grant of a lease, mortgage or charge. Irish conveyancing legislation adopts a materially similar meaning. In Scotland, purchaser commonly describes the acquirer (grantee/disponee) under a registrable deed; for land registration and advance...

Acquiring a UK business: tax structuring for overseas purchasers—transaction taxes, share or asset choice, funding, profit repatriation, loss use, VAT/withholding, UK acquisition company, exit planning

Published by a LexisNexis Tax expert

Practice notes

A non-UK buyer of a UK business (or one headquartered in the UK) should consider the following tax matters:

the UK Costs linked to the Acquisition
the tax-efficient return of Profits to the non-UK buyer
maximising the target’s UK tax efficiency
a tax-efficient exit
common structuring options to mitigate acquisition tax costs and optimise tax efficiency

This Practice Note addresses each point in turn. For a summary of the principal non-UK tax issues in this context, see question 18 in the jurisdictional guide: Lexology Panoramic: Private M&A and Lexology Panoramic: Public M&A. Local tax advice will be required to consider those issues.

UK costs associated with the acquisition of a UK business

There are several potential UK tax costs to assess when a non-UK corporate buyer acquires a UK business.

Stamp duty and stamp duty reserve tax

On a transfer of shares in a UK company, the purchaser will usually be liable for stamp duty at 0.5% of the consideration paid. For more details, see Practice Note: What does stamp duty apply to?...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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