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Don’t delay… Pension/Future Savings for Expat workers Paris or elsewhere…

The longer you put off this planning the harder it will become later to meet your future objectives, as you will have less time to save and less time for investment to work for you. Unless you are very lucky, job security later could also be a question mark.

Likewise many expat workers in employers accommodation forget to consider to put aside funds for such things as for example future school fee requirements offshore and perhaps more importantly a paid home to come back to or buy later in life. Savings can be done on a regular or ad hoc basis but the key thing is to get things rolling.

In France there are many tax efficient ways of saving for the future and such things as tax free bank accounts and assurance vie (lump sums investments) can be used to great effect. As an example, surplus income can be saved into a tax free savings account at the bank and then transferred to an Assurance Vie (see my publication on Assurance Vie on Linkedin for more information) when sufficient funds are available. This will provide a safe place and a nest egg for your savings and allows some access to your money should the need arise. There are “offshore” Assurance vie companies that also offer flexible contracts that become efficient for different parts of the world as an example should you move from France to the UK you can keep the same investment and it will become UK friendly.

If you are sure that your future is not eventually in France then we can consider more international products at the outset and these can be started with lump sums and allow additional funds later.

As an alternative, many clients prefer to save on a regular monthly or half yearly basis and also prefer that their funds are kept secure for a specific date in the future, such as retirement. Theses plans typically span 10 to 20 years and can be extremely efficient if left to term although may be less flexible for withdrawals during the life of the plan. In general premiums can be varied subjects to a minimum with premium holidays available and the plan can travel with you wherever you land later, with payments being taken from a bank/currency of your choice or credit card.

Once you have decided on your savings goals and needs, it is easy today to calculate how much will need to be saved over time to hit this target. Regular reviews will also be required to keep things on track but one thing is clear, each month you delay is a month less you have to save!

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.

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More Taxing Times Ahead

From April 6th this year, individuals who do not spend sufficient time in the UK, or have insufficient ties with the UK to be resident there for tax purposes but who nonetheless own a home in the UK, may now need to pay capital gains tax (CGT) on any gains arising on the eventual sale of the property. 

How will the tax work?

Only gains made from 6th April 2015 are taxable in calculating the gain on the property disposal i.e. non-UK resident property owners will substitute the value of the property as at 6th April 2015 for its actual acquisition cost, thereby rebasing the value to its market value as at that date. Alternatively, property owners may elect to calculate the gain by using the actual acquisition cost but paying tax only on the time-apportioned post-5th April 2015 part of the gain.

If the non-resident usually files a UK self assessment tax return any gain must be included in the appropriate year’s return, otherwise any tax must be paid within 30 days of completion.  Non-residents will continue to be exempt from CGT on disposals of commercial property and other assets.

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Will Brexit provoke ‘travel tax’ for UK residents?

Plans have been released by Brussels to introduce a travel tax on post-Brexit UK travellers. British people will no longer be able to travel freely to Europe without paying a “travel tax” and being forced to fill out a form under plans unveiled by Brussels.  The US-style visa waiver scheme is one of the first concrete signs UK citizens will not be permitted the privileges they once had, to move across European borders unhindered.

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