We are able to provide intelligent and practical advice in respect of all the financial aspects of art transactions including audit, tax advice and the structuring of trusts and other holding vehicles for the acquisition and long term ownership of art.

We also provide advice on international transactions involving international trade, complex VAT issues and duty and bond issues, such as bonded warehouses and free ports.  We undertake VAT mitigation work relating to the purchase/sale of works of art both within the EU and outside the EU.  Experience has shown that having an in-depth knowledge of the EU VAT rules relating to art, and an understanding our clients’ affairs, assists in tailoring transactions to meet the needs of the client.
 
We have unrivalled experience of advising on complex issues, which often involve a number of jurisdictions with their associated tax implications.  This has given us a unique understanding of the requirements of artists, dealers, private collectors, art institutions, auction houses, advisors, and galleries; with works ranging from old masters through to contemporary art.

Our approach has always been to provide the best technical expertise whilst delivering a friendly, confident and discreet service.

Key contacts:

• United Kingdom

Whilst audits are a statutory requirement in many of the jurisdictions in which we operate, in others, they are not.  We find many clients still request audits in those locations for a variety of purposes, such as to ensure that their affairs are correctly managed.

As a result, at Rawlinson & Hunter, we do not treat the audit merely as a statutory obligation.  We try to involve our client in the audit process and, like all of our services, our audits are partner-led, ensuring our clients benefit from our extensive business advisory experience.

Whether you require a statutory or non-statutory audit, whether for a listed company,an entrepreneurial start-up or a trust structure, we believe that the Rawlinson & Hunter personal approach to audit can bring value to your business.

Key contacts:

• United Kingdom
• British Virgin Islands
• New Zealand
• Switzerland - Geneva

We provide accounting services for companies ranging from small start-up operations to sophisticated multi-nationals.

We are able to receive and distribute information in electronic or paper form, allowing us to provide an efficient cost-effective service.  We are often required to produce management accounts to very tight timetables and have an enviable track-record for doing so.

We also provide accounting services to investment clients.  Our software can receive data and transactions directly from custodians.  It also allows us to monitor investment managers in terms of guidelines, benchmarks and performance.

We do not have a standard reporting package which we expect our clients to adopt.  Instead, we tailor our financial reporting to the particular needs of each individual client.

As well as accounting, we provide payroll and many of the other administration services which companies and businesses require.

Business Tax Group brochure PDF

Key contacts:

• United Kingdom
• Bermuda
• Cayman Islands
• Guernsey
• Jersey
• New Zealand
• Switzerland - Geneva

Captive insurance companies, generally, insure or reinsure the risks of parents and other related companies only, often using an onshore commercial insurer to cede the business to the captive.  The advantages are generally as follows:

• Retention in the captive of underwriting profits
• Retention in the captive of investment income
• Better use of loss control procedures when losses are retained
• Better access to the reinsurance market for retrocessions
• Centralised control of worldwide risk management
• Provision of insurance that is otherwise not available or prohibitively expensive

There may be numerous other advantages for the formation of a captive depending on a corporation’s structure and risk profile.  The captive movement continues to grow worldwide and there are now numerous jurisdictions offering facilities. Bermuda and Guernsey have for many years been the jurisdictions of choice for the establishment of captive insurance companies.

We manage a number of captive insurance companies and are licensed to form and seek regulatory approval for such companies in both Bermuda and Guernsey.

Key contacts:

• Bermuda
• Guernsey

Many of our private clients engage in charitable giving.  This will often be through donations directly to individual charities, but some of our clients seek our help and guidance in forming and running their own charities and charitable trusts.

We have extensive experience in advising on all aspects of regulatory audit and independent examination requirements of charities and can deliver a wide range of related services to those involved in charitable giving both in the UK and around the world. Our expertise derived from servicing this wide range of clients has enabled us to build a multi-skilled team, whose members understand the issues that matter to you.

Key contacts:

• United Kingdom
• Australia
• Cayman Islands
• Guernsey
• Jersey
• New Zealand

Companies and partnerships are flexible vehicles that can be used and integrated into a wide variety of asset management and asset protection structures and tax planning schemes.

They are sometimes used on their own but more commonly used together with other vehicles or structures. The combination with a trust, for example, often provides more effective protection as well as greater flexibility.

Many jurisdictions are introducing new legislation designed for international business needs and the types and nature of companies and partnerships available in those jurisdictions should be considered as well as other matters such as infrastructure and stability. With offices in many of the jurisdictions featuring specialised company and partnership laws, we are well placed to meet most client requirements.

We provide a comprehensive range of corporate and partnership services and are able to assist with all matters relating to the establishment, administration and management of companies and partnerships in all the major jurisdictions.

As we are completely independent and we are not tied to any other service provider, we are able to offer our clients unfettered choice in selecting third party providers and working with other professional advisers.

We aim to offer the highest level of personal service as our culture is all about building long term relationships.  Many of our clients have been with us, not just for years, but for generations.

Key contacts:

• United Kingdom
• Bermuda
• British Virgin Islands
• Cayman Islands
• Guernsey
• Jersey
• New Zealand
• Switzerland - Geneva
• Switzerland - Zurich

Our experience in serving entrepreneurial clients, combined with our unique international network, has resulted in Rawlinson & Hunter developing specialisations in relation to a number of niche company types, these include:

University spin-out companies

Like most intellectual property exploitation companies, UK university spin-out companies need to ensure that they are structured in a tax-efficient way, can take advantage of the cashflow benefits represented by Research and Development tax credits and that key employees are sufficiently incentivised.  Furthermore, they often need to do this outside the security and convenience of an existing corporate structure.  

Not only can Rawlinson & Hunter UK advise on each of the above matters, we also offer an outsourced solution for the financial and administration functions that an early stage company needs but can seldom afford on a full-time basis.

Special purpose vehicles   

Modern financing structures often result in the use of a combination of special purpose companies and trusts.  Rawlinson & Hunter’s international network is well placed to advise on the creation of such structures, as well as provide the necessary formation, administration, trustee, director and registered office services.

Shipping companies     

We arrange registration of all types of luxury yachts in a number of jurisdictions. Often the most effective and confidential vehicle is to establish a company that is recorded as the registered owner of the yacht. We can incorporate such companies in most offshore jurisdictions, especially those jurisdictions offering the advantage of an international ship registry operating as a British Port of Registry. We can also assist with:

Yacht ownership should be a pleasure not an administrative burden. We can take care of administration on your behalf- from arranging insurance cover to crew payroll, yacht expenses, bunkering and monthly accounting.

Key contacts:

• United Kingdom
• Australia
• Cayman Islands
• Guernsey
• New Zealand
• Switzerland - Geneva

Our corporate finance team acts for publicly quoted and private companies as well as entrepreneurs to offer an extensive range of advisory and transactional services.

Our bespoke approach provides timely and succinct reports to directors, shareholders and finance providers and has given us a reputation for delivering real value at a cost effective price.

Advisory services

We act in an advisory capacity for private companies looking to start up, raise capital, make an acquisition, demerge or sell.

With senior investment banking experience in our team, we also often act as an independent financial adviser to public companies on Takeover Code transactions.

Due diligence/Transaction support

Our approach to due diligence is to ensure that our partners and senior staff fully participate in the project.  This ensures that our subsequent advice focuses on the key issues that we see facing the transaction and is provided by those with sufficient experience to give such advice.

We have acted in a transaction support capacity for many of the UK’s main lending and investment banks as well as for private entrepreneurs.

Key contacts:

• United Kingdom
• Australia

Our corporate recovery teams in the BVI, Bermuda and Cayman undertake the full range of formal insolvency appointments and offer advice and services in respect of businesses and individuals in financial difficulties.  These services include:

• Pre-lending reviews
• Independent business and solvency reviews
• Preparation and implementation of turnaround rescue and disposal strategies
• Fraud investigations
• Provision of lectures/seminars on relevant topics
• Advice to directors on their duties and responsibilities
• Asset tracing and enforcement of personal guarantees
  

Key contacts:

• United Kingdom
• Australia
• Bermuda
• British Virgin Islands
• Cayman Islands

We offer specialist corporate tax advice in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate.  Furthermore, because of the international nature of the Rawlinson & Hunter network, our specialists are able to advise on complex cross-border structures to allow companies to operate in a way which is tax efficient to the individual circumstances of their shareholders.

Our specialists can offer advice on all aspects of business taxation, from partnership changes and incorporation to acquisitions and remuneration packages for employees and directors.

Key contacts:

• United Kingdom
• Australia
• Guernsey
• Jersey
• New Zealand
• Switzerland - Geneva

Whether you are moving into or out of the UK or any of the other jurisdictions in which we operate, we can advise you as to how to achieve your relocation in a tax efficient manner.

Ideally we would like to be involved before your relocation takes place, enabling us to explore the opportunities and issues that your relocation may present at a time when issues can most easily be addressed.

Our unrivalled experience of trusts and international tax planning ensures that we are ideally placed to advise you on your relocation.

Key contacts:

• United Kingdom
• Australia
• Bermuda
• Guernsey
• Jersey
• New Zealand
• Switzerland - Geneva
• Switzerland - Zurich

For UK connected clients, the inheritance regime provides excellent opportunities to plan estates and protect family wealth through the use of lifetime gifts, trusts, family limited partnerships and careful consideration of wills.  

Estate planning demands a detailed appreciation of the circumstances of each client and the flexibility to respond to their wishes.  Our emphasis on client relationships has enabled us to build a considerable reputation in this area.

Regular reviews of the estate and detailed illustrative calculations of potential liabilities keep our clients aware of opportunities available to them.  Frequent discussions with the client and the client’s family ensure that we are aware of their wishes as they develop and can act in their best interests.

Our expertise in tax planning means that we are an excellent choice for clients wishing to draft their wills in a tax efficient manner.  Our partners are also experienced in acting as executors, alone or with family members or lawyers.  We have all the necessary experience to deal with the administration of the estate, from the initial application for probate to the final distribution.  The close relationships we build up with our clients mean that we can deal effectively with any sensitive family issues that arise.

Key contacts:

• United Kingdom
• Australia
• Bermuda
• Guernsey
• Jersey
• New Zealand
• Switzerland - Geneva
• Switzerland - Zurich

Outsourcing fund administration can be a cost-effective and efficient way to set up and operate funds in offshore jurisdictions.

We can provide a comprehensive management and administration service to a broad range of fund structures.  These include all types of funds such as retail open-ended public funds, quoted closed ended funds, private equity limited partnerships and sophisticated institutional funds.  

Our services are tailored to meet clients’ specific needs.  A partner has overall responsibility for the fund, supported by an experienced manager and administration team.

It is of the utmost importance that clients are provided with a consistently superior, seamless administration service. Therefore, we have developed many of our software systems  in-house.  We provide the ability to link our fund administration and accounting software to clients’ applications in order that processing is not duplicated and to provide appropriate reporting.

We also provide an investor services facility through our fund website to enable agents and clients to view investments, valuations, and transactional and dividend information.

As we are not tied to any one financial institution, we have developed an extensive range of contacts with a wide selection of professional services providers, particularly in the accountancy and legal sectors.  We also have excellent relations with the major global custodians and close relationships with the regulators.

Key contacts:

• Jersey

Rawlinson & Hunter has extensive experience in the area of IT consultancy.  We have developed, through our own internal systems, a strong and leading-edge capability in all areas of IT.

The firm has been involved in many implementation projects ranging from small owner-managed businesses through to a SAP installation requiring complex communication solutions.

Our role is very much determined by our clients’ needs, varying from the supply of simple support facilities through to the management of complex IT projects.  One of the most important issues in any implementation is the ability to control costs and manage projects effectively – an area in which Rawlinson & Hunter has proven experience.


 

Key contacts:

• United Kingdom
• Guernsey

Our specialist matrimonial team undertakes:

• Tax and trust advice
• Valuation & expert witness services
• Assistance with asset scheduling, including Form E

Tax and Trust advice

Tax issues are often of fundamental importance in structuring a financial settlement on divorce.  This is particularly so when one or both of the parties is resident but not domiciled in the UK for tax purposes.

Our approach is to ensure pertinent tax issues are identified at the outset and not on the steps of the Court.  Our aim is to find solutions to tax problems which will prove robust in the face of potential HMRC challenge and which are tailored to the particular needs of our clients.

Valuation and expert witness services

Members of our team have acted as experts in relation to matrimonial proceedings of all sizes and routinely give evidence in Court.  They act both as independent or single joint experts and have experience in contentious and collaborative proceedings as well as in mediation cases.

Our valuation and forensic skills, when linked with our trust and international tax structuring expertise, are particularly effective in matrimonial proceedings with international or offshore dimensions.

Assistance with asset scheduling, including Form E

Compiling the necessary forms and supporting schedules in relation to a divorce can be a time consuming process and comes at a point when the parties to the divorce will inevitably be concentrating on other matters. 

We can assist in collating information, carry out initial valuations of business assets and, if requested, assist in the completion of the necessary paperwork.

Key contacts:

• United Kingdom
• Bermuda

Modern companies are learning that running their own finance function is not always the right option. The best finance departments demand a wide variety of skills and experience, from accounting and payroll professionals to tax specialists. Finding and keeping the right mix of professionals to ensure that your finance department runs smoothly is an expensive business.

Companies that outsource their finance function to Rawlinson & Hunter are able to concentrate on the key areas of their business, safe in the knowledge that key financial tasks are in the hands of trained professional staff, leaving them to concentrate on their core business.

We have years of experience working with companies of all sizes, from sophisticated multi-national groups to embryonic owner managed businesses, and have particularly close links with several overseas listed companies which have established operations in the UK.

We also provide accounting services to investment clients.  Our software can receive data and transactions directly from custodians.  It also allows us to monitor investment managers in terms of guidelines, benchmarks and performance.

We do not have a standard reporting package which we expect our clients to adopt.  Instead, we tailor our financial reporting to the particular needs of each individual client.

As well as accounting services, we provide payroll and many of the other finance functions and other administration services which companies and businesses require.

We are able to receive and distribute information in electronic or paper form, allowing us to provide an efficient cost-effective service.  We are often required to produce management accounts and other finance function services to very tight timetables and have an enviable track-record for doing so.

Our expert knowledge and experience in this field allows us to offer a flexible, fast and reliable outsourcing service to our clients.

Key contacts:

• United Kingdom

No one likes to pay tax.

There are many ways of deferring or alleviating the burden of tax, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.  We can guide you towards a solution best suited to your own particular situation.

We do not seek to promote tax schemes or other quick fixes.  Instead, we seek to find long term solutions which minimise our clients’ tax burdens whilst allowing the flexibility to meet their current and likely future needs.

Our international network of offices probably has a greater concentration of international private client expertise than any other firm. Our reputation has brought us family and corporate clients in every continent, almost entirely by personal recommendation.

Key contacts:

• United Kingdom
• Australia
• Guernsey
• Jersey
• New Zealand
• Switzerland - Geneva
• Switzerland - Zurich

Great care must be taken with any tax enquiry, however innocent the initial approach.  Tax investigations can put significant pressure on an individual or company and expert professional help can keep these pressures to a minimum.

We have an enviable reputation in this field with both private and corporate clients and Revenue Authorities.  Our experience ranges from ad hoc factual enquiries at local level to full scale investigations. We appreciate the difficulties faced by clients under investigation and know how to minimise them.  We are used to working with lawyers, where necessary, and can provide forensic accounting skills.  We are used to negotiating with Revenue Authorities up to the highest levels. 

We can ensure that a client’s exposure to liabilities, interest and penalties are kept to a minimum and that any investigation is dealt with quickly and efficiently.

Key contacts:

• United Kingdom
• Australia
• Jersey
• New Zealand
• Switzerland - Zurich

Trusts and foundations, which are frequently used in conjunction with companies, can play a key role in the wealth management needs of individuals, families and corporates.

Carefully planned and structured, they can enable clients to preserve, protect and accumulate wealth, whilst minimising or deferring exposure to tax.  

Various types of trusts and foundations have been developed and the most suitable structure will depend upon each client’s unique circumstances.  With offices in many of the jurisdictions featuring trust and foundation laws, we are well placed to meet most client requirements.

We assist our clients (in conjunction with their own professional advisers) on the formation, administration and management of trusts, foundations, partnerships and companies.  Our private clients range from the small family trust to large complex international family offices, while our corporate clients range from small family businesses to top 100 international public companies.

The provision of trust and foundation services is one of our core lines of business and has been for so many years. We take the time at the outset to understand our clients’ requirements and expectations to ensure that we develop the right relationship and the optimal solution.  

As we are completely independent, we are not tied to any other service provider which allows us to offer our clients unfettered choice in selecting and working with third party service providers and professional advisers.

We aim to offer the highest level of personal service as our culture is all about building long term relationships.  Many of our clients have been with us not just for years, but for generations.

Key contacts:

• United Kingdom
• Australia
• Bermuda
• British Virgin Islands
• Cayman Islands
• Guernsey
• Jersey
• New Zealand
• Switzerland - Geneva
• Switzerland - Zurich

Our specialist valuation and forensic team undertakes valuation work in relation to both companies’ and individuals’ net worth.

We have acted as experts in relation to matrimonial and general litigation, including loss of profit and similar claims.

We have undertaken corporate valuations for a variety of purposes, including minority share sales, internal reorganisations, tax planning initiatives and tax clearance applications.

Key contacts:

• United Kingdom
• Australia
• Bermuda
• Guernsey
• New Zealand
• Switzerland - Geneva

Key contacts:

• United Kingdom
• Australia
• Jersey
• New Zealand
• Switzerland - Geneva

As investment products become more diverse, keeping track of the financially successful family’s assets and their value is becoming increasingly difficult.  This can make monitoring the family’s wealth, at best, more time consuming and, at worst, almost impossible for the family administrator or trustee.

We have developed our own systems and procedures for monitoring the composition and performance of a family’s investments and other assets.  Our systems enable us to present the family or its advisers with comprehensive and timely reports consolidating the family’s entire asset base.  The asset and performance analyses within our reports are tailored to the individual family’s needs in a way that we believe is unique in the marketplace.

We consider that our independence from the investment process means that we can concentrate on our client’s needs and monitor objectively any investment adviser’s performance.

Key contacts:

• United Kingdom
• Guernsey
• Jersey
• New Zealand