Contact

News & Insights

Spain Axes Expat Mortgage Tax

Property should form part of a bigger investing strategy

Just as elsewhere in the globe, the key to successful wealth management in Spain is all about considering the impact and efficiency of expenses while balancing them against income and assets.

As such, the mortgage tax changes could have significant impact on the wealth management plans of some expat investors: prior to the change, the legal and tax costs of buying a property in Spain could easily be worth 10 percent or more of the sale price. This will now drop by around 2 percent, which is a considerable saving and has the potential to be especially valuable when applied to the purchase of higher value properties.

The move will almost certainly be welcomed by expats in Spain, and their financial advisers, as it should mean savings on property purchases which could be invested elsewhere – for example, into regular savings plans or into other aspects of expat retirement planning experience. It also slightly reduces Spain’s reputation for excessive property tax and administration charges.

Coming at a time when property purchase and rental prices are on the rise in Spain, the tax change may just mean that Spain’s wealth management options have been rescued. As we know, Spain is a top choice for Brits who want to move abroad, but in recent years the expense involved meant that other destinations began to look more attractive.

Help from Blacktower Today

Purchasing a property in Spain is not an easy process. Although the latest law changes regarding mortgage tax do lift some of the financial burden, there remains no substitute for a strong wealth management and tax planning strategy.

The wealth management advisers at Blacktower’s Spanish offices can help you review your investment assets and plan your financial future. For more information, contact us today.

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

Inflation begins to bite

On Thursday the Bank of England (BOE) rate committee met to discuss interest rates, and, even though inflation is growing, yet again they have decided to leave the base rate at 0.25%. They obviously feel this is the best option as they assess the extent of any consumer slowdown and while they continue to play the waiting game regarding how the EU Brexit divorce negotiations pan out. The BOE seems to be playing a deliberate wait and see game, and with economic news continuing to be negative in the last few weeks, it now seems likely that the base rate could stay at this level until at least 2019.

Read More

How to invest wisely during the Coronavirus meltdown

Mark HollingsworthAt time of writing, global stockmarkets have witnessed some of the largest daily fluctuations since the financial crisis; on the back of continued concerns with the virus and how long it will last and the impact on the global economy.

For new investors this can be extremely worrying times as you will not have been used to such short-term volatility. For seasoned investors who went through the financial crisis of 2008, the technology bubble of 2000 and even black Monday in 1987, the short term pain being witnessed is often seen as a confirmation that although stockmarkets can’t always go up, over the long term, they always have done so.   With this in mind, it is important to remain calm and not change your investment time horizon. If for example you are saving for your retirement ten years from now; then maintain that timescale and don’t panic sell on the back of a matter of weeks of market downturns. The reason for this is that the coronavirus is an unforeseen event as opposed to their being any change to market fundamentals. Parallels can be drawn with the SARS outbreak in 2003. Markets fell over 14% at that time, yet the year ended up 18% higher – a swing of over 30% from bottom to top.

Read More

Select your country

Please select your country of residence so we can provide you with the most relevant information: