As set out in earlier posts, and with thanks to the Television Education Network, today’s post addresses the issue of ‘What are some of the advantages of a professional partnership incorporating?’. If you would like a link to the video please let me know.
As usual, a transcript of the presentation for those that cannot (or choose not) to view the presentation is below –
The biggest thing I guess with incorporation is that, if only from a perception perspective, but in reality from many other perspectives as well, the ability to facilitate the entry and exit is significantly easier.
Probably the greatest example of that is in relation to transaction costs. In most Australian states already - and in those that haven't done it, it's not very far away – there has been the abolishment of stamp duty on the transfer of shares in unlisted companies.
So what that means in a very practical sense is that shares can be moved without any immediate transaction costs between current owners and future owners. That obviously significantly simplifies and reduces the transaction costs that would otherwise be involved.
Conceptually as well, the ability to create employee share type arrangements or have partial sell downs is significantly easier in a corporate environment than it has historically been in a trust environment, or if there's individual partners involved.
In relation to the stamp duty side of things, it is an important consideration to take into account. Basically every Australian state now has abolished stamp duty. Victoria and Tasmania actually led the way originally by abolishing stamp duty on transfers of unlisted shares. The only major Australian state now that hasn’t done it is New South Wales and the government has released a timetable that would see the abolishment of that duty very soon.
Until next week.
