Rainmakers

Rainmakers

Employee Ownership Trusts still in play despite tax changes

Rob Buckland weighs up the evidence of a viable alternative to a more traditional sale

TheBusinessDesk.com's avatar
TheBusinessDesk.com
Aug 05, 2026
∙ Paid

Hello Rainmakers,

Selling to an employee ownership trust (EOT) has become a popular and effective method of succession planning since they were introduced 16 years ago.

But a change to their Capital Gains Tax (CGT) treatment introduced last November has pushed down the number of inquiries about EOTs received by advisors, resulting in a fall in deals completed.

Rainmakers subscribers get two unique pieces a week (one in summer), but also full access to our back catalogue of investigations, scoops, and sector insights like this one, also The Secret Investor, interviews with entrepreneurs, and the leaders from other VC and PE investors like Endless, BGF and WestBridge.

Rainmakers is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Sheffield engineering business Eldon Tool & Engineering did an EOT

So are EOTs still a viable alternative to a more traditional sale?

If the business owners are motivated purely by maximum tax avoidance, then it’s time to ditch any thought of an EOT and stick to a traditional trade sale.

User's avatar

Continue reading this post for free, courtesy of TheBusinessDesk.com.

Or purchase a paid subscription.
© 2026 TheBusinessDesk.com · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture