Dixon Wilson is one of the leading providers of taxation, accountancy and finance advisory services to rural and urban landed estates.  We act for well in excess of 100 estates throughout the UK.  This gives us a well-rounded experience of the landed estates sector.  Our success is built on our highly personalised, partner-led service.

We work closely with owners, trustees and other advisers to help maximise the commercial return on resources.  We have a particular expertise in helping families retain wealth.  We advise on tax incentives and the creation of structures to enable succession issues to be handled in a flexible and tax efficient manner.

We have a particular expertise in helping owners and trustees to retain wealth across the generations.  We also work closely with families and other advisers to maximise the return on available resources.

Many of our clients hold property in trust.  We advise on all aspects of the taxation of trusts, as well as preparing their accounts  providing administration support.  Our partners often act as professional trustees.  We also provide a tailored service for those who are looking to acquire a landed estate for the first time, helping with all the taxation and financial factors that need to be considered.

Here are some of the ways in which we help our landed estates clients:

Ownership Structures

We provide a tailored service to meet the client’s needs.  This can include partnerships, companies, sole traders and trusts.  As a result of recent changes in trust tax law and pressures on inheritance tax reliefs, we believe in a pro-active approach to developing ownership strategies.  This will include the review of existing trust arrangements.  Although the use of trusts for tax planning has been substantially curtailed, we understand the opportunities that still exist in this area.

We advise on:

• setting up structures for new acquisitions
• the relative merits of trusts, LLPs, corporate and personal ownership
• succession planning
• reviewing existing structures 
• assessing the taxation burden on existing trusts and advising on appropriate improvements
• preparing the ground for the most efficient means of passing down the wealth to the next generation

We help our clients preserve wealth, minimise the impact of taxation and keep their estate intact.  For those looking to acquire a landed estate for the first time, or for those non-domiciled owners, we can provide advice and insight into the unique opportunities and issues which will affect them.

House and Contents

We help many of our clients reduce their exposure to capital taxation by working with them to develop strategies such as:

• using the house and its contents within a business, thereby attracting up to 100% relief from inheritance tax
• assisting with claims for conditional exemption on property, especially chattels, which qualify as being “pre-eminent”
• maximising the benefit of the capital gains tax exemption for principal residences
• obtaining tax reductions on the cost of maintaining the property and its contents.

The key element of our role is to assist our clients in retaining their estate and to enable them to pass it on to the next generation in a better condition.

Farming

We advise on diversification strategies, loss relief and “hobby farming” rules.  We advise on the VAT and direct tax planning opportunities which arise from alternatives uses of redundant farmland and buildings.  We can also help with the tax implications of the farming activities and their implications for the availability of Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief.

Property and Shooting

The asset value of let property usually represents a significant proportion of the value of the total estate.  We help our landed estate clients maximise the return from such property by minimising the overall tax cost.  Some of the key ingredients in the process include:

• maximising the recovery of VAT
• ensuring that the lower rates of VAT are charged where appropriate
• maximising the extent of building work allowed against revenue
• advising on capital allowance claims in respect of fixtures and fittings and environmentally friendly plant.
• satisfying past commitments to retired employees in tied cottages

Many of our clients operate shooting activities on their estate.  We help clients adopt the most VAT and direct taxation-efficient structures for shooting, tailored to their individual needs

Diversification

We work with our clients, and their other advisers, to identify opportunities for diversification.  We develop tax efficient structures, help secure and structure financing and ensure that available tax benefits, including capital allowances, are maximised.  We have wide expertise in longer term planning for development land and the exploitation of mineral rights.