Investments News & Insights

Spanish newspaper ABC has reported that tax authorities in the country are cracking down on expats who fraudulently claim Gibraltar residency for the purposes of wealth management.

Apparently the measures have already led to the collection of €20 million from 160 high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) claiming residency in Gibraltar when in fact they lived in nearby Andalucía. This meant that, on average, €125,000 was collected from each HNWI.

Jorge Ramírez, a representative of the Tax Agency in Andalucía, told the newspaper, "A tracking system was used to collect verifiable documentary evidence, and we found some Gibraltarians whose primary financial interests were actually entirely situated in Spain."

Living in Germany brings a few challenges for the expat. Not only do you have to negotiate the language and the culture you also have to get to grips with the German insurance system, which to anyone whose experience of insurance has largely been confined to the UK can seem incredibly complicated.

Yet, once you overcome your unfamiliarity, and get your head around the innumerable syllables of all the various "komposita" involved, you may be able to take advantage of the system so that it works in your best interests. Finding an expat wealth management specialist who has familiarity with the system and the products on offer is likely to be part of the solution to finding the cover that is best suited to your needs.

For example, finding risikolebensversicherung (term life insurance) is about securing cover for all of life's eventualities so that your family and other dependents are properly looked after in the event you die before they do.

As I sit in my back garden, in "good ol' Blighty", I often watch the planes flying overhead. My house is on several major flight paths which cross the country and the Manchester to Marbella flights are a regular feature in the blue skies of June.

As the summer holidays kick in, I wonder how many passengers on these flights will fall so in love with their destination that they take a sneaky look at property for sale, and how many will dream of retirement in Spain or even make it a firm plan?

Rapid developments in IT systems, financial databases and data-sharing platforms over recent years now mean that it is easier than ever for nation states to share and exchange financial information relating to the investments, income, taxes, savings accounts, properties and pensions of individuals who have assets placed in multiple locations across the world.

Inevitably, this also means it now crucial to ensure you disclose your full list of assets whenever required.

As a British native you might be a little complacent in this regard. The UK has one of the most stringently and best-regulated financial advice sectors in the world, and in many cases if your adviser fails to disclose your full spectrum of assets and interests it is he or she, rather than you, who will be liable.

If you've moved overseas or have a second home in France, you may be used to calling several places home. After all, living in France won't always mean completely cutting ties with your country of origin as you may still have family living there or own other property.

But when you own property abroad, it's crucial to stay up to date with any tax legislation and law reforms in that country, or you could be in for a nasty shock. That’s why it’s so important to take charge of your wealth management to make the most of your second property in France.