This is a great opportunity for early stage growth companies. Under the old law, if you wanted to change the form of your existing business entity to make it more attractive for potential investors, you had to wind down the business affairs of your existing company by satisfying all existing obligations, dissolve the company and then form a new company.
This long delay would hurt principals of the early stage companies who, for example, may have originally formed their venture as a LLC for tax reasons but now need to convert to a corporation to satisfy requirements of potential investors. As a result of this rigid approach, PA businesses would flee to Delaware where its statutory scheme afforded business entities the flexibility to change its form; be it through merger, conversion or any other manner set forth above without the need to dissolve. With the enactment of this new Entity Transaction Law, this is no longer the case and makes Pennsylvania a more attractive option.
It is important to note that this new law has no effect on how the transaction will be treated from a tax perspective. Some transactions may be tax free exchanges whereas other transactions may trigger immediate tax recognition. It is important to meet with tax counsel to structure these changes properly before you make any of these fundamental business changes. If you have any questions regarding this or any other aspect affecting your business, please feel free to contact us at Danziger Shapiro.
This entry is presented for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.