LL4ED Half Unit
Taxation of Corporate Finance
This information is for the 2025/26 session.
Course Convenor
Eduardo Baistrocchi
Availability
This course is available on the LLM (extended part-time), LLM (full-time) and University of Pennsylvania Law School LLM Visiting Students. This course is freely available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. It does not require permission. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process.
First come first served basis, with a waitlist. LLM and MSc Law & Finance students given priority.
This course has a limited number of places and demand is typically high. This may mean that you’re not able to get a place on this course.
Course content
This course provides an in-depth examination of the taxation principles applicable to corporate finance transactions. Students will develop an understanding of the tax treatment of various financial instruments and corporate structures, equipping them with the analytical skills necessary to navigate complex tax issues in corporate finance.
Key topics include the taxation of debt versus equity financing, the tax implications of dividends and other distributions, and the taxation of share disposals. The course also explores the tax considerations of initial public offerings (IPOs), particularly underwriting arrangements, and corporate reorganizations such as share exchanges, takeovers, bonus issues, and rights issues.
Further, students will examine the taxation of collective investment vehicles, loan relationships, deemed loan relationships, stock loans, and derivative contracts. The course also covers group taxation principles, including group relief, group capital gains, and stamp duty land tax (SDLT) group relief.
By the end of the course, students will be proficient in assessing the tax consequences of corporate financial transactions and applying tax principles to real-world corporate finance scenarios.
Teaching
20 hours of classes in the Winter Term.
This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Winter Term.
Formative assessment
Essay
Indicative reading
- Richard Bramwell, QC; John Lindsay; Alun James; Julian Hickey; Michael Collins, Taxation of Companies and Company Reconstructions (Sweet & Maxwell, looseleaf, 3 volumes)
- Tolley's Yellow Tax Handbook 2024-25
- Myron S Scholes and others, Taxes & Business Strategy, Global Edition (Pearson Education 2015)
- Peter Harris, Corporate Tax Law: Structure, Policy and Practice (Cambridge University Press, 2013, second edition, 2024)
- Peter Holgate, Accounting Principles for Lawyers (Cambridge University Press, 2013)
- David Southern, Taxation of Loan Relationships and Derivative Contracts (Bloomsbury, 2024)
Assessment
Exam (100%), duration: 150 Minutes in the Spring exam period
Key facts
Department: LSE Law School
Course Study Period: Winter Term
Unit value: Half unit
FHEQ Level: Level 7
Total students 2024/25: Unavailable
Average class size 2024/25: Unavailable
Controlled access 2024/25: NoCourse selection videos
Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.
Personal development skills
- Leadership
- Self-management
- Team working
- Problem solving
- Application of information skills
- Communication
- Commercial awareness
- Specialist skills