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.
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In 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.