Tax

Every year Federal and State tax laws continue to grow in scope and complexity and touch every aspect of a business. While adjusting to the ever-changing tax landscape, businesses often face audit and tax reporting issues with the Internal Revenue Service or State Departments of Revenue. Our Tax Practice Group provides our clients with a broad range of services to handle any potential tax issue - whether tax-efficient planning or defending actions by taxing agencies. We assist our clients with all civil (non-criminal) aspects of federal and state taxation including tax planning, audit strategy and response, administrative appeal and litigation. The Tax Practice Group combines practical, creative solutions with the necessary experience and expertise to help you come to sound and reasonable tax resolutions that work with your business needs.

Our clients include both new and established businesses, which we advise on a wide variety of matters, including:

Taxable and tax-free mergers, acquisitions, sales, spin-offs, and similar transactions
Recapitalizations, and other forms of internal reorganization
C-Corporation, S-Corporation, Partnership and Limited Liability Companies
Entity Selection
Executive Compensation
State and local taxation
Tax-exempt and governmental organizations (see our Non-Profit Organizations Practice Group)

New Hampshire has a unique set of business and personal taxes that often prove difficult to navigate for out-of-state taxpayers. For instance, the audit division at the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration has been aggressive in challenging compensation for owners (regardless of form of entity), distributions from entities, real estate transfer taxes, nexus and combined reporting. To keep our clients and fellow tax professionals informed, the Tax Practice Group publishes TAX E-NEWS, an electronic newsletter discussing New Hampshire tax issues; general developments in taxation in statutory, regulatory, and case law; and other hot tax topics affecting businesses and individuals. The Tax Practice Group also offers seminars on New Hampshire tax matters.

With one of the largest tax practices in New Hampshire, we have the experience and depth of knowledge to assist your business in meeting its business and tax needs. Our Tax Practice Group includes a number of attorneys and tax professionals who are CPAs or have advanced degrees in taxation.

Tax Planning: Integrating a client's business objectives with the necessary tax planning tools to enable our clients to achieve those objectives while minimizing both federal and state taxes.
Transactional Tax Planning: Assisting clients in analyzing the federal and state tax effects of a proposed transaction such as a merger, business sale or joint venture.
Incentive Compensation Arrangements: Assisting clients in maximizing the tax benefits related to incentivizing employees through a variety of incentive compensation plans including stock option plans, restricted stock plans, phantom stock plans and creative bonus arrangements.
Entity Selection: Assisting clients with understanding the tax effect of business entity choices in order to maximize business flexibility while minimizing overall tax burden.
Reasonable Compensation: Representing clients before the State of New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration in defending challenges to compensation deductions under the New Hampshire Business Profits Tax and providing advice to clients on compensation planning for future years.
Business Profits Tax Matters: Assisting clients with planning to minimize the New Hampshire Business Profits Tax and representing clients before the State of New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration in nexus, unitary combined reporting cases, qualified investment company challenges and audits of business organizations and their owners.
Transfer Tax Matters: Assisting clients with planning to minimize the New Hampshire Real Estate Transfer Tax and defending audits of transactions involving the Real Estate Transfer Tax.
Audit and Appeal: Representing clients before the Internal Revenue Service and New Hampshire Department of Revenue in audits and administrative proceedings.
Tax Exempt Entities: Our Non-Profit Organizations Practice Group represents non-profit clients with respect to acquiring, maintaining and defending tax exempt status.
Estate Tax Planning: Our Trusts & Estates Practice Group regularly assists clients with the unique tax aspects of Federal and State estate and gift tax planning and compliance.
Pension and Employee Benefits: Our Employee Benefits Practice Group handles the tax aspects of pension, employee benefits and ERISA matters.