Category: Trustee

Wealthy Chinese Rushing to Establish Overseas Trusts

Consultants, private bankers and lawyers are seeing more business from PRC clients as they seek to shelter assets and income in overseas trusts ahead of new tax laws, which will be introduced in January. China’s tax law reforms that target high net worth individuals, set to come into force on… – Continue reading

NRIs can be appointed as Trustees of valid Indian Trusts under Income Tax Act: ITAT [Read Order]

The New Delhi bench of Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) in Global Academy of Emergency Medicine versus CIT(E), held that under the Income Tax Act appointing of NRIs as trustees of valid Indian trusts are permissible. The sole issue in the instant case was CIT (E) held that the owner… – Continue reading

FATF recommendations: Pakistan told to track transactions of $3,000 and above

ISLAMABAD: The Asia Pacific Group (APG) on Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has asked Pakistan for tracking down all financial transaction ranging from 3000 to 15,000 US dollars/Euro in cash through real estate agents, dealers in precious metals and stones, lawyers, notaries, other independent legal professional and accountants as well… – Continue reading

China’s new income tax laws to bring ‘profound implications’

In June this year, the Chinese government announced much-anticipated revisions to the country’s individual income tax laws. KPMG Partner and Senior Advisor Michael Olesnicky says that these new revisions will likely have ‘profound implications’ within the wealth management community in Asia. Hubbis CEO Michael Stanhope recently spoke with him about… – Continue reading

Thailand’s Private Trust Act

Baker McKenzie (Thailand) discuss how the proposed trust law aims to bring more wealth back to the country as both Thai and overseas assets (including real estate properties) can be used to set up a trust and promote Thai private banking business. Preserving a faily business for the next generation… – Continue reading

India’s sweeping anti money laundering agenda comes under scrutiny

Money laundering and abuse of sophisticated financial instruments have come under increasing scrutiny from regulators. However observers warn high-profile initiatives often act as a distraction from a lack of genuine political will to tackle global financial crime. For example, India’s leading stock exchange, the BSE, de-listed 222 dormant shell companies… – Continue reading

Keith Schembri Once Again Contradicts His Own Statements Regarding His Offshore Company Network

His story has changed somewhere along the line Keith Schembri’s latest explanation today of his network of offshore companies flies in the face of his original statement when the Panama scandal first broke out two years ago. Reacting to stories published today by German paper Süddeutsche Zeitung and the Times… – Continue reading

Slow UK aid for hurricane-hit islands linked to tax haven ties

Anguilla’s ex-attorney general says UK government may fear exposing its role in Caribbean territories’ tax arrangements Aid offered by the British government to its hurricane-battered territories in the Caribbean has been dismissed as “derisory” by a former attorney general of one of the worst-hit islands. Rupert Jones, who completed a… – Continue reading

Australia: Proposed changes to CGT main residence exemption for foreign residents

The Treasurer has recently released exposure draft legislation (Treasury Laws Amendment (Housing Tax Integrity) Bill 2017) in relation to removal of the CGT main residence exemption for foreign residents. The changes are part of the Commonwealth Government’s ‘housing affordability’ reforms announced in the 2017-18 Budget. This will affect both Australian… – Continue reading

Australia Changes Tax Stance on Employee Share Schemes

The Australian Taxation Office has reversed its stance on the tax treatment of trustee dividend-equivalent payments to participants in employee share schemes. The ATO’s June 8 draft guidance, Draft determination TD 2017/D2, deals with circumstances in which an employer establishes a trust to provide shares to employees under an employee… – Continue reading

Ontario Introduces the new Non-Resident Speculation Tax

Overview of the Tax As expected, the Government of Ontario has introduced a new non-resident speculation tax (“NRST”) that takes effect on April 21, 2017. The NRST is a 15% tax payable on the purchase of an interest in residential property located in the “Greater Golden Horseshoe” area (which includes… – Continue reading

What happens if you are from the UK or own assets in the UK?

Beware of the dreaded inheritance tax and changes to it from April 2017! Approximately 1.3 million Britons now live in Australia and Brexit may only increase this number! Many think that moving to Australia means they no longer need to worry about UK tax, but often they are not fully… – Continue reading

HMRC guidance clarifies fit and proper persons test

It says anyone who has been involved in designing or overseeing tax-avoidance schemes using charities would be unlikely to pass the test People who have been involved in designing or overseeing schemes to avoid tax using charities are likely to be prevented from taking up senior roles in charities, according… – Continue reading

New Zealand: New Zealand To Enact Tighter Foreign Trust Disclosure Rules

The New Zealand Parliament has passed a Bill which, following royal assent, will meaningfully increase disclosure obligations for NZ resident trustees of NZ foreign trusts. The Taxation (Business Tax, Exchange of Information, and Remedial Matters) Bill, was passed by Parliament on 14 February 2017. The Bill contains important provisions relating… – Continue reading

Inheritance tax Residence Nil Rate Band: why it won’t benefit everyone

The new Residence Nil Rate Band will allow people to pass on property to their descendants tax free. But some people need to take action now or risk missing out. In April, a major change to inheritance tax (IHT) law comes into effect with the launch of the Residence Nil… – Continue reading

New tax measure takes aim at Offshore Trusts

A bombshell hidden in the detail of the 2017 Budget review relates to the taxation of offshore trusts. It refers to the 2015 Budget review in which it was announced that measures would be introduced to the tax treatment of foreign companies held by interposed trusts. No specific countermeasures were… – Continue reading

SARS trust rules may put lid on asset disclosure

Tax experts believe significant sums of undeclared assets have been hoarded offshore by South African taxpayers but they might be reluctant to declare them under the special voluntary disclosure programme because of the way it deals with trusts. The Rates and Monetary Amounts and Amendment of Revenue Laws (Administration) Bill… – Continue reading

Final Response to Non-Dom Consultation Published

In Depth There is mixed news for affected individuals, including far-reaching changes relating to offshore trusts and a further wait (possibly until March 2017) for the rest of the draft legislation. The following are highlights from the government’s response and the draft legislation. Deeming Provisions Deemed Domiciled: Non-doms will become… – Continue reading

Planning for the Use of the United States as a Financial Haven: Part One

The United States has not agreed to participate in the Common Reporting Standard (CRS), relying instead on the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) regime enacted in 2010 and initiated in 2014. United States participation in CRS is highly unlikely. Even with a change in control of Congress, CRS may… – Continue reading

Implementation of Common Reporting Standard in Hong Kong – Implications for Family Trust with a Private Trust Company as Trustee

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) issued the Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial Information in Tax Matters (Standard for AEOI) in July 2014, which aims to prevent offshore tax evasion and maintain the integrity of tax systems. Over 100 jurisdictions have committed to comply with the Standard… – Continue reading

Tens of millions of dollars of revenue lost through dodgy trust structures

Just a handful of dodgy tax structures being used by Australians cost tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue, according to the Australian Taxation Office. That could mean many millions more are missing, and is why the ATO is cracking down on people misusing trusts. The agency has long… – Continue reading

Anti-terrorism tactics should be applied to tax havens, report says

The same aggressive and uncompromising international effort used to combat terrorism must be employed to eliminate tax havens, says Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz in a report being released Tuesday. In a copy of the report, obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and shared with the Star, Stiglitz… – Continue reading

Here’s the latest on the non-dom reform

What will happen to clean capital, tainted trusts and enveloped assets under the new tax regime? John Goodchild reports. The UK government has at last disclosed further details of the tax changes for UK resident non-domiciled individuals first announced in July 2015. The government remains determined to implement all the… – Continue reading

U.S. Citizens Retiring Abroad: “Tax Trigger” Situations and Related Disclosure Forms

The following is a bolded checklist of important situations that may “trigger” a tax review by a skilled United States tax professional. Many of these situations also require a simultaneous review by a foreign tax professional. It is generally best practice for these tax professionals to work together to minimize… – Continue reading

Guilty by association

All involved in tax avoidance schemes will be penalised HMRC has recently published a consultation document, ‘Strengthening Tax Avoidance Sanctions and Deterrents: A discussion document’ which proposes sanctions aimed at everyone involved in the birth of tax avoidance schemes which are defeated by HMRC. This follows the government’s announcement at… – Continue reading

Offshore jurisdictions unshaken by Brexit

The UK’s crown dependencies and overseas territories are unlikely to suffer following the Brexit vote, and may even be a model for a post-EU UK says Richard Wilson QC Even before the UK’s decision to leave the EU, offshore jurisdictions faced a number of significant challenges: increased pressure to provide… – Continue reading

Practically Untouchable: Going Offshore Still Has Benefits

THE RECENT LEAK of millions of documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca served as a reminder of what wealthy Americans should already know: Hiding assets offshore can be risky and hiding them from Uncle Sam is a crime. Yet law-abiding folks continue to stash money offshore for reasons that… – Continue reading

U.S. non-participation in the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) will be a challenge

The U.S. is under international criticism because under its Intergovernmental Agreement (known as IGA) reciprocal exchange accords, the U.S. has already transmitted information on those who are tax residents outside the U.S. to respective national tax authorities under the IGA. The spotlight is on the U.S. because the U.S. has… – Continue reading

FATCA documentation for US-based trusts

Introduction Even though a trust may be established under the laws of a US state and have a US trust company serving as trustee (hereinafter a ‘US-based trust’), this does not mean that it is a US domestic trust for income tax purposes. If non-US persons make substantial decisions for… – Continue reading

Private Eyes They’re Watching You – Offshore Planning after the Panama Papers

Overview If you have been reading my articles on JD Supra for a while, you will know that I love Afro-Cuban and Brazilian music. Nevertheless, the Hall and Oates song Private Eyes, is a more fitting song to describe the state of offshore planning in Tax Havens than “Oye Como… – Continue reading

Major banks deny helping clients avoid tax offshore

HSBC, Credit Suisse and the Royal Bank of Scotland-owned bank Coutts Trustees have denied claims they are helping clients avoid tax by using complex offshore structures following the leak of the Panama papers. The banks were named in a list of 500 lenders who investigative journalists said had helped to… – Continue reading

Vijay Mallya’s secrets buried in offshore tax havens

It’s not just the Indian banks that business tycoon Vijay Mallya has taken for a ride. The chairman of United Breweries (UB) group and promoter of now defunct Kingfisher Airlines also concealed in his election affidavit, filed before the Rajya Sabha, his business interests in offshore tax havens elsewhere. dna… – Continue reading

No double taxation agreement with Panama; Maltese domicile subject to tax on worldwide income

Maltese individuals resident and domiciled for tax purposes, that is people whose permanent residence is in Malta, are required to pay tax in Malta on their worldwide income, according to the Income Tax Act. This essentially means that Minister Konrad Mizzi is required to pay tax on foreign earnings. However… – Continue reading

Expat eyes drift offshore

Offshore Financial Centres (OFCs) are jurisdictions, usually self-governing, which because of their low tax regimes, have specialized in providing commercial services to corporations and individuals, whether or not they are normally resident in that jurisdiction. The better-known offshore financial centres are small and sparsely populated countries or islands, and are… – Continue reading

Offshore companies used in bid ‘to hide McFeely’s ownership’ of London apartments

A web of offshore companies was used to shield controversial builder Tom McFeely’s ownership of an apartment building close to London’s Olympic stadium, an Insolvency Service official has claimed. The allegation was one of several levelled against the Priory Hall developer as part of proceedings issued by official assignee Christopher… – Continue reading

The end of financial privacy?

Over 90 jurisdictions have committed to the OECD’s Common Reporting Standard (CRS), creating comprehensive global automatic information exchange for financial assets and the entities through which such assets may be held. Over 70 jurisdictions have signed the OECD’s Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement, which implements the CRS. The CRS is scheduled… – Continue reading

UK releases Finance Bill clauses and consultation documents

Executive summary On 9 December 2015, the UK released draft clauses for Finance Bill 2016 as well as consultation documents. The key items released include: A new requirement for large businesses to publish their tax strategies as they relate to or affect UK taxation. This sits alongside new ‘special measures’… – Continue reading

The UK’s Registry of Beneficial Ownership

According to Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the United Kingdom “is at the forefront of a dramatic increase in transparency about company ownership” in developed countries. However, it is the UK which is going to provide the testing ground for… – Continue reading