UK Tax

Through our robust UK Tax practice, Vinson & Elkins offers a sophisticated consultancy service, advising on all tax aspects of international and UK corporate and finance transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, restructurings, and capital markets issues. We routinely represent companies of all sizes in relation to their UK activities, as well as private equity and family funds investing around the world.

V&E offers extensive experience advising on tax issues relevant to energy industry clients. From structuring international investments to drafting tax-related risk allocation provisions for companies conducting transactions in challenging political climates, we are known for translating complex issues into clear, straightforward advice. Additionally, V&E’s Tax professionals are active members of the United Kingdom Oil Industry Taxation Committee (UKOITC) and Oil & Gas UK, where we help analyze problems and facilitate discussions between the oil and gas industry and the UK government on relevant tax developments.

Riding the North Sea Downturn

As the economic climate for North Sea activities becomes harsher and the oil and gas industry and government work out ways to prolong the basin’s productive life, companies face substantial changes not only in their businesses, but also in the regulatory and fiscal environment. V&E’s UK Tax lawyers are skilled in counseling clients as they navigate the legal and tax landscape affecting acquisitions and disposals of fields, new developments and financing techniques, efficient use of infrastructure and final decommissioning of fields. We are leaders in developing comprehensive legal strategies to minimize risk so that proper tax relief is achieved.

Experience Highlights

Riverstone, a leading energy-focused private equity house, on the tax aspects of a line of equity investment in Origo Exploration AS, a new oil exploration and production company that will probe the Norwegian and UK continental shelves
Oman Oil Company on the tax aspects in relation to its acquisition of OXEA, the world’s largest supplier of Oxo chemical products
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, a U.S. energy company, on tax issues in connection with the $1.075 billion disposal of its Chinese subsidiary to a wholly owned subsidiary of Brightoil Petroleum (Holdings) Limited
Höegh LNG Partners LP, a leading liquefied natural gas service provider on its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange
A publicly−held Brazilian independent oil company on the acquisition of a 60% operating interest in the Polvo field and on the sale of its interest in the Solimoes oil basin
African telecom companies on the tax aspects of joint ventures and acquisitions in various African countries (including Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, and Chad)
An international oil major on the restructuring, from a tax and company law perspective, of the financing structure for its UK subgroup
An oil major on a pre-sale reorganisation and then, the sale of a substantial North Sea operating subgroup
Structured and negotiated the tax aspects of the acquisition of a substantial UK distressed debt portfolio from a UK bank by a U.S. private equity group
A UK industry body on the tax implications of decommissioning security arrangements

UK Tax

Riding the North Sea Downturn

Experience Highlights

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