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Biography

I advise on every aspect of succession law, such as trusts and wills, and all associated taxes. I have a particular focus in planning for inheritance tax, capital gains tax, and all other taxes related to trusts and estates.

Many of my clients are family business owners: I guide them through structures that make the maximum use of available tax reliefs. I help many of them in balancing inheritances between those who are part of the family business and those who are not.

I give support to colleagues on unusual, novel and complex tax and legal issues in my field. Teaching is in my genes and has helped me convey my enthusiasm and some of my knowledge in lectures and workshops for more than 20 years. I take particular pleasure in helping younger colleagues develop their expertise.

What Inspired You To Get Into Law?

Because law affects everyone’s daily life, I wanted to understand how it works and use my knowledge to help others. In my teens I was a keen reader of both detective stories and Victorian novels, many of which involve wills. Becoming a professional adviser on wills seemed a natural step.

What Is The Most Rewarding Aspect Of Your Role?

Trust and succession law has centuries of history behind it, while the related tax rules are constantly changing. This satisfies both my interest in history and the wish constantly to grapple with new challenges.
Most fascinating of all are the people I meet, helping them find a way through a complex web of issues in order to arrive at the solution that is right for them and their families.

What Do You Do Away From The Office?

I enjoy singing in a number of choirs and have a passion for all kinds of classical music. I am an enthusiastic walker, particularly in the English Lake District. I am also an avid reader of fiction and history.

Testimonials

"Anthony Nixon is outstanding. He has the intellect to pick through the knottiest of problems and come up with an easy to follow solution. "Anthony Nixon for his wealth of knowledge and experience and total client satisfaction." - Legal 500, 2021

"Stands head and shoulders above any other tax lawyer" - Legal 500 2020

"Has a wealth of experience and can immediately grasp the issue at hand and provides clear and practical advice" - Legal 500 2018/19

Publications

Joint article with John Bunker in Solicitor's Journal on 5th April 2016 on the 2016 budget.
Other articles in Solicitor's Journal, Taxation and online at taxationweb.co.uk

Cases I've Been Involved With

Supreme Court Rules in Favour of Irwin Mitchell in HMRC Inheritance Tax Case

Read My Comments On The Latest News

29/01/2020
Cross-Party Group Proposes Radical Inheritance Tax Overhaul

“The suggested reforms from the APPG are, simply put, radical and would completely change the way inheritance tax works in this country if they were to be implemented. Every single person in the UK would be affected. “A revolutionary view of inheritance tax is exactly what is needed. For years the system has been needlessly complicated; a prime example is the introduction of the Residence Nil Rate Band (RNRB) which discriminates against those who do not own their own home, those who do not have children, and those who not married. Meanwhile, the current system is ripe for exploitation when it comes to tax avoidance and those who know what to look for. “Rising house prices have pushed more estates into the IHT threshold, meaning people who may have never dealt with or even thought of financial planning before are introduced to a bewildering and largely inaccessible tax system. The proposals, if implemented, will massively simplify the inheritance tax process; remove reliefs that encourage tax avoidance; and restore harmony to the so-called ‘intergenerational contract’. “It would take a bold government to accept and introduce these policies, but that is exactly what the country needs. Piecemeal reform is not enough and if the APPG has recommended these huge changes after years of work, then the government should stand up and pay attention.”
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16/10/2019
Supreme Court Rules That Gift To Charitable Trust In Jersey Is Exempt From Inheritance Tax

“We have finally, and successfully, reached the end of what has been a long story. “The executors of Mrs Coulter’s will challenged their liability for inheritance tax, because they believed that it constituted an unlawful and unjustifiable restriction on the free movement of capital between European Union member states and third countries, and that Jersey was a third country for these purposes. “The Jersey Government supported our argument. Mrs Coulter lived in Jersey and we considered that the inheritance tax exemption for trusts that are clearly charitable should apply in Jersey as it does in the UK. “HMRC has for many years interpreted the charity exemption for a gift to a trust for charitable purposes as requiring the trust to be subject to the jurisdiction of the UK courts. The Supreme Court has confirmed our view that HMRC were wrong. “So, after a long fight, Mrs Coulter’s estate is free of tax and can all be used for the elderly in her Jersey parish, exactly as she wished. We are grateful to the judges for hearing our clients’ case and pleased that they have now ruled in our favour.”
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08/11/2018
Consultation On Taxation Of Trusts Launched By Government

“We welcome HMRC’s willingness to review the taxation of trusts and very much hope that it will result in some real simplification. Sadly, this did not happen:
- when income tax and capital gains tax on trusts were last consulted on in the first part of the 2000s;
- when HMRC, without consultation, made fundamental changes to the inheritance tax rules on trusts in 2006; or
- in the highly disappointing review of inheritance tax on trusts between 2012 and 2014.
It is good to see the new consultation document stressing that any system of trust taxation must be fair and neutral, when compared with the same taxes on individuals. But it is disappointing that, in citing in the consultation document particular tax rules “that may constitute exceptions to the principle of fairness and neutrality” HMRC only produce examples of when they think trusts pay less tax than individuals. The reverse is true in many, many cases.”

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30/01/2018
Chancellor Asks For Inheritance Tax Review

“It is good to see the Chancellor of the Exchequer taking an interest in simplifying inheritance tax (IHT), which is well overdue. ‘Improving the customer journey’ is a major priority at HMRC, and so as a result changes are afoot.”
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SUPPORTING INFO

- Expertise In
- - Agricultural Sector
  - Estate Planning
  - Inheritance Tax Planning
  - Personal Legal Services
  - Probate
  - Tax
  - Trusts
  - Wealth Structuring
  - Wills
  - Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning
- Office Locations
- - Chichester
  - Southampton
- Awards
- Memberships
- - Chartered Institute of Taxation (formerly chairman Hampshire branch)
  - Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (committee member Central Southern branch Law Society’s Capital Taxes Committee)
  - The Association of Corporate Trustees Private Trust Committee

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Anthony Nixon

Biography

What Inspired You To Get Into Law?

What Is The Most Rewarding Aspect Of Your Role?

What Do You Do Away From The Office?

Testimonials

Publications

Cases I've Been Involved With

Read My Comments On The Latest News

Cross-Party Group Proposes Radical Inheritance Tax Overhaul

Supreme Court Rules That Gift To Charitable Trust In Jersey Is Exempt From Inheritance Tax

Consultation On Taxation Of Trusts Launched By Government

Chancellor Asks For Inheritance Tax Review

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Request A Callback