Premier FX collapse – What to do next for customers

It’s hardly a new revelation to state that Brexit has caused uncertainty for British expats. Until the EU and British government reach a final agreement in Brussels, the lives of many expatriates are certainly in a state of limbo.

Depending on how negotiations unfold, Britons who are living abroad may need to move back to their home country. But trends in the housing market, in both the UK and EU countries, suggest they could run into financial difficulty if they haven’t made sufficient wealth management plans for the future.

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.

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.