Richard Ferguson
Legal Director – Corporate Tax
"I specialise in a wide range of tax matters, with a particular focus on helping owner-managers to successfully navigate key tax events in their personal and business lives.”
I am a Legal Director in our corporate tax team, having re-joined Higgs LLP in 2021 following 7 years with a national firm.
I work closely with clients and their other professional advisors to achieve their commercial and personal objectives in a tax efficient manner.
I also lead our property tax offering, advising a range of clients from individuals to large corporates on property tax issues including SDLT, VAT, capital allowances and related issues.
- Demergers – separating a trading business from a property investment portfolio to facilitate a sale of the trading business to a private equity fund.Acted for the buyer on the acquisition of a plumbing, electrical and heating business based in Wiltshire.
- Employee ownership trusts – advising on the sale of a regional manufacturing company to an EOT, established for the benefit of the company’s employees going forward.
- Employee incentives – designed and implemented a bespoke EMI and Growth Share scheme to help the client company retain and incentivise key employees ahead of a medium term sale.
- Employment taxes – provided complex advice to the shareholders of a company ahead of sale in order to meet their commercial objectives whilst achieving a c£400k tax saving (following HMRC clearance on the issue in point).
- SDLT (multiple dwellings relief ‘MDR’) – provided bespoke and complex advice to an individual client purchasing a new home, to support a claim for MDR and achieve a tax saving of c£50k. HMRC later enquired into the SDLT return and were satisfied that the analysis was correct.
- SDLT (mixed use properties) – advised a client on the purchase of a farmhouse and adjoining land, providing detailed advice to support mixed use treatment for SDLT purposes, realising an SDLT saving of c£110k.
- VAT – advising a large corporate on the implementation of a ‘build to rent’ scheme, structured to maximise VAT recover and avoid unnecessary tax leakage.
More about me
Proudest moment
My daughter leaving hospital a month after she was born.
Most used app
Google Maps (no point in being lost is there?)
Interests
Golf, Motorbikes, DIY
Favourite food
Indian (fairly hot)
Meet the team
Susheel Gupta
Partner and Head of Corporate Tax
Kia Starks
Trainee Solicitor - Corporate Tax
George Hinchmore
Senior Associate – Corporate Tax
Johnathan Hunter
Principal Associate – Corporate Tax
Sarah-Jane Goodswen
Associate - Corporate Tax