Patrick Cannon is one of the UK’s leading SDLT advisers, having advised on Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) and its predecessor, Stamp Duty, over the past 35 years as a solicitor and as a barrister.

Alongside being a professional Stamp Duty Land Tax adviser, Patrick has authored Tolley’s Stamp Taxes since 1986 and advises on all aspects of the tax and how to ensure compliance with the increasingly complex rules.

His services include reducing liability where legitimate savings are available, dealing with HMRC SDLT enquiries and representing clients in SDLT appeals before the tax tribunals.

Patrick advises on multiple dwellings relief or MDR, mixed residential and non-residential use, 3% additional or higher rates of SDLT, SDLT refunds and reclaims, main residence replacement relief, derelict dwellings, amending SDLT returns, SDLT refunds for mistakes over 12 months old, SDLT exemptions and reliefs, the GAAR in SDLT, section 75A issues, leases and SDLT, SDLT overlap relief, Prudential style purchase and building contracts, company restructuring and reorganisations and stamp duty and SDLT and VAT.

Notable Cases in which Patrick has appeared for taxpayers reflect the nature of Patrick’s work as a leading tax barrister advising on such areas as capital gains tax, SDLT, HMRC tax investigations and tax judicial reviews.

International Property Taxes

Patrick is a private client tax advisor and is able to give detailed private client tax advice in the context of international property tax including stamp duty for non-UK residents and commercial SDLT for non-UK resident private clients and corporates.

His private client advisory practice can advise on areas such as the remittance basis of taxation for non-domiciled individuals, the taxation effects of indirect ownership of UK property through offshore companies, non-resident landlords and UK tax, the annual tax on enveloped dwellings (ATED), inheritance tax for non-UK residents, partial closure notices in HMRC tax investigations and enquiries for non-UK resident or domiciled individuals, and the non-UK resident trading in and developing land tax charges plus the Finance Act 2016 transactions in UK land regime tax charge.

Corporate Acquisitions and Restructuring

Patrick advises on stamp duty group relief and the withdrawal and clawback of group relief, associated companies, demergers, disqualifying arrangements under section 77A, section 641 Companies Act 2006, reconstruction relief and acquisition relief, acquisitions by charities and seeding reliefs for PAIFs and COACs.

Residential Property

Patrick advises on the meaning of “residential property” including mixed-use cases and whether a dwelling can be regarded as derelict and as such non-residential property and also on the HMRC’s approach to the meaning of “dwelling” and when annexes are to be regarded as separate dwellings for MDR.

Property Development and Refinancing

Patrick offers advice and guidance on the SDLT aspects of property development projects and refinancing property and buy to let portfolios plus advice on VAT and the income tax, corporation tax and capital gains tax treatment of such projects. Tax issues around land pooling and the separation of property joint ventures and property partnerships and LLPs, SDLT on the transfer of property subject to a mortgage, exchanges of properties and transferring a property to a company is also available.

Litigation and tax investigations

Patrick Cannon is a leading London tax barrister representing clients being investigated by HMRC for civil tax enquiries and criminal tax investigations or who are facing accelerated payment notices or follower notices or penalties for a failure to correct.
Patrick can help you with COP 8 and 9 enquiries, challenging tax information notices and undertaking tax judicial reviews. Patrick can also provide advice and assistance, or legal representation if HMRC have opened a tax investigation into your tax affairs or are claiming that the GAAR applies or are seeking penalties.
Patrick specialises in criminal and civil tax investigations. If a civil tax enquiry by HMRC grows into a criminal tax investigation, then Patrick Cannon will be able to handle this transition.

How Patrick Cannon can help

Contact Patrick Cannon now if you need advice from a barrister on Private Client Tax, SDLT or stamp duty.

Patrick Cannon can also advise on:

Frequently Asked Questions

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For professional and insurance reasons Patrick is unable to offer any advice until he has been formally instructed.