Our stamp duty advisers are recognised leaders in their field with extensive experience in highly complex, structured transactions. They are regularly retained by both lenders and borrowers with the aim of structuring transactions, especially secured lending transactions, in a way that minimises the stamp duty cost for borrowers.

The team’s comprehensive range of advice and services in the area of stamp duty includes:

• stamp duty structuring of takeover offers for listed companies and trusts and of major property acquisitions
• developing stamp duty-effective financing structures for large-scale borrowings for both Australian and offshore borrowers
• restructuring of corporate groups upon merger/acquisition
• structuring of joint ventures/partnerships
• handling complex stamp duty audits and negotiating settlements.
  

Stamp duty advice provided by Freehills extends to all stamp duty implications of transactions and structuring transactions in the most efficient manner.

Our expertise includes providing stamp duty advice to:

• Investa Group in transferring assets as part of the acquisition of the Clarendon Group, to ensure the acquisition proceeded with an optimal stamp duty outcome.
• Investa Group in the creation and disposal of synthetic titles as part of the establishment of Investa’s Enhanced Fund, to ensure ‘movement’ of assets into the Fund at minimal stamp duty cost.
• DCA Group on its A$2.7 billion acquisition by CVC Asia Pacific and CVC Capital Partners, the largest private equity deal ever conducted in Australia and the largest public to private deal.
• Newbridge Capital on the A$1.4 billion leverage financing of the Myer retail store business and the Myer Melbourne freehold store.
• Transfield Services in the acquisition and financing of a 9.32 per cent interest in Loy Yang A for approximately A$115 million
• Deutsche Bank on a complex and far-reaching restructure and expansion of Deutsche’s real estate business and its listed property trust platform by way of a complex triple merger.
• Orica in relation to its A$900 million purchase of Dyno Nobel. The purchase was by a Macquarie Bank led consortium which simultaneously agreed to acquire 100 per cent of Dyno Nobel from Industri Kapital, a Scandinavian based venture capital firm, and other shareholders for US$1.7 billion.
• Burns Philp on the US$510 million high yield note buy-back facility and the $1.4 billion IPO facility in connection with the float of Goodman Fielder.
• Goldman Sachs Private Equity Funds on the acquisition financing of Pirelli Communications entities.
• Investec Bank on the acquisition of N.M. Rothschild & Sons.
• Lend Lease in relation to its shopping centre portfolio including Melbourne Central, Dandenong Plaza and Sunshine Regional Centre.
• MLC on various schemes under life insurance legislation for the restructure of MLC/Capita and the merging of the business of Australian Eagle with MLC and MLC Lifetime.
• GIC Real Estate on the structured acquisition of the Westin Hotel in Sydney.
  

Our clients benefit from a close working relationship with both our partners and solicitors, who are committed to being accessible. Importantly, we seek to add substantial value to the legal advice we give, drawing on many years of collaborative strategic and general commercial experience.