A taxable asset purchase allows the buyer to "step up," or increase, the tax basis of the acquired assets to reflect the purchase price. Below is a general due diligence checklist with the first 8 of 16 items to cover your bases in a business or asset purchase transaction.A business usually has many assets. The return should include the tax due from business operations to the last day of business, as well as any tax collected on assets that you sell. Montgomery County's sheriff sales are conducted online via Bid4Assets. Businesses must use My Alabama Taxes to apply online for a tax account number for the following tax types. In an asset sale, the buyer has the option to choose which assets (and liabilities) they want to acquire (or assume) directly from the business.