Advantages of a partnership include that:
two heads (or more) are better than one
your business is easy to establish and start-up costs are low
more capital is available for the business
you’ll have greater borrowing capacity
high-calibre employees can be made partners
there is opportunity for income splitting, an advantage of particular importance due to resultant tax savings
partners’ business affairs are private
there is limited external regulation
it’s easy to change your legal structure later if circumstances change.
Disadvantages of a partnership include that:
the liability of the partners for the debts of the business is unlimited
each partner is ‘jointly and severally’ liable for the partnership’s debts; that is, each partner is liable for their share of the partnership debts as well as being liable for all the debts
there is a risk of disagreements and friction among partners and management
each partner is an agent of the partnership and is liable for actions by other partners
if partners join or leave, you will probably have to value all the partnership assets and this can be costly....
