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Income tax rise for British expats

The news adds further anxiety at an uncertain time for British expats following Britain’s decision to leave the EU.

Prime Minister Theresa May has recently attempted to create an amnesty deal for British expats living in EU countries whereby all EU migrants living in the UK (of which there are 3.3 million) would be able to remain here as long as British expats (1.2million) were able to stay in their respective countries. The deal was blocked by Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, and Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council.

Tusk’s response, which seemed to be an attack on the whole Brexit decision, was to state that the matter could only be resolved once Article 50 had been started. He added that “the decision about triggering Article 50 belongs only to the UK, which we fully respect”.

Mrs. Merkel voiced a similar stance, rejecting the Prime Minister’s attempts to instigate any kind of deal for expats before the formal commencing of Article 50.

It would appear, as Donald Tusk mentioned, that the quicker Article 50 is invoked, the quicker this time of worry will be resolved.

At such an unnerving time, professional wealth management advice has never been more valuable.

To stay up-to-date with all the current changes to QROPS and how British expats are being affected by Brexit, as well as to receive expert financial advice on your situation, contact the Blacktower team 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.

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Keeping the NHR Tax Regime Could Be Good for Portugal in 2018

Cave on beach in PortugalIn September 2017, it was announced that the Portuguese Government, following pressure from Sweden and a number of other European countries, was looking to water down the country’s non-habitual residency (NHR) tax regime, potentially bringing to an end a programme that has worked in the interests of expats since 2009. The uncertainty this proposed move provoked certainly threatened to put a dampener on the financial plans of quite a number of expats and would-be expats as they moved into 2018.

However, the budget proposal presented by the Portuguese government in November seemed to allay these fears. There was not a single mention of the scheme, which would have seen the introduction of a flat rate of tax of either 5% or 10% on income drawn from the pensions of NHRs.

In all probability any such move would have seen the pensions of existing expat NHRs unaffected; however, it would have presented a significant stumbling block to the retirement plans of many looking to move both their wealth and their residence status to the country.

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