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Pensions Update – by Laura Mann, Regional Manager Canary Islands

For expats who are not resident in the Canary Islands and intend on drawing down income benefits in the coming months, and wish to avoid being subject to emergency tax, we recommend you contact HMRC in advance, in order to obtain a personal tax code and thereby automatically claim any personal allowances due. Please note that this process can take some time. 

Malta:

At the moment, if your Pension Fund is held under the jurisdiction of Malta there is no flexibility available with regards to accessing your Pension Funds early (at the age of 55 years), however, new primary legislation has already been passed to mirror the aforementioned developments in the UK. Following discussions with the Malta Financial Services Authority, further updates and guidance are expected later this year.  It is expected that most Maltese Schemes will be offering flexibility no later than 1st January 2016.

Gibraltar:

If your Pension Fund is held under the jurisdiction of Gibraltar, flexible access is currently under discussion with HMRC.  At this stage the 70 / 30 rule still applies, with drawdown subject to capped income of 150% of GAD rates.  

Isle of Man:

Currently, the Isle of Man is looking to add flexi-access to its legislation. This will be debated in the Manx Parliament this Autumn. In the meantime the 70 / 30 rule still applies, with drawdown subject to 150% of GAD rates.

Flexi-drawdown plans set to impact delisted QROPS in Guernsey

If, on the other hand, your Pension Funds come under the jurisdiction of Guernsey, your ability to access flexi-drawndown may be affected by new legislation, especially if your scheme has been delisted QROPS.  If you are unsure about this, please contact us NOW so that we can review your circumstances and advise how this will affect you.

This communication is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice, investment recommendations or investment research. You should seek advice from a professional adviser before embarking on any financial planning activity. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information contained in this communication is correct, we are not responsible for any errors or omissions.

Other News

Go Dutch?

French FlagBritish expats in the Netherlands are experiencing a difficult time at the moment. Not only do they have to deal with continued uncertainties over Brexit as well as government plans to overhaul the 30% expat tax break, they are also now having to digest news that the Dutch government is readying itself to publish new legislation regarding dual nationality.

However, early news suggests that developments on this final matter could prove to be rather more encouraging – albeit with a number of qualifications – with initial statements indicating that preparations are being made to reduce some of the restrictions on dual-nationality in the Netherlands.

As it stands, expats who wish to remain in the Netherlands and embrace Dutch citizenship are, in the majority of cases, obliged to renounce their nationality of origin. The choice is stark and onerous: go Dutch or stay as you are. This, of course, will prompt a number of British and Netherlands wealth management considerations and must be considered very carefully.

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Banks competing for ex-pat money

I had a little laugh to myself this week reading some news from the UK. It appears that the banks may have developed a bit of a conscience.

Despite base rate remaining stagnant, there are signs that banks are competing for savers’ money by trumping deals offered by rivals. I have outlined some of the offerings below, read it and weep.  We at Blacktower would be ashamed if we were only offering the sadly low returns that the Banks are.

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