This book focuses solely on ownership transfer processes in family businesses (from parents to children). It illustrates how the abolition of gift, inheritance and wealth taxes specifically influences ownership transfer in the studied family businesses. One important reason for this study is that there are no studies that describe and analyze the effect of the abolition of the mentioned taxes on ownership transfer processes. The book presents a number of issues, problems and solutions for the ownership transfer process in light of the abolition of the taxes. One aim of this book is thereby to provide support for outgoing and incoming owners and leaders, and family business advisors in ownership transfers in relation to the abolition of those taxes. It is also directed to policy makers dealing with ownership issues.

The book is based on a field study containing 30 telephone interviews with family business owners, and five in-depth case studies of ownership transfer processes in family businesses. All five cases describe ownership transfers from first to second generation. The studied organizations show 10 different types of ownership transfer solutions. These solutions combine different components e.g. sales within the family, external sales, gift and inheritance. Gift is the most important component of such solutions.

The book demonstrates that the abolition of gift, inheritance and wealth taxes motivate family businesses to work more actively and purposefully with their ownership transfer. This situation is particularly so in the cases in which companies had already started discussing ownership transfer within their family, and/or with friends or advisers before the abolition of taxes was made. The case studies show that the abolition of taxes stimulates families to go through an ownership transfer, partly because they can increase their wealth with significantly less tax consequences.