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Guide to Inheritance Tax in Catalonia

By Barry Davys
This article is published on: 16th December 2022

16.12.22

So, we have now managed to control the amount of wealth tax due (Wealth Tax in Catalunya). However, when we receive an inheritance or leave something to our family, we are taxed again. Inheritance tax or ‘impuestos de successiones’ feels even worse than Wealth Tax. At this point we have now paid savings tax, income tax AND wealth tax. Now there is IHT on top! Like Wealth Tax, though, it is possible to manage your liability.

Inheritance Tax in Catalunya – How it works
Perhaps the most important aspect is that tax is charged to the recipient of a bequest or property physically located in Spain. For UK nationals living in Catalunya, this is a surprise, as in the UK it is on the estate of the person who has passed away.

Tax is due on the value of the bequest but the rate of tax is dependent on your relationship with the person who has passed away. A spouse, child, sister, uncle or non-related all have different methods of calculating the tax due. Once the tax has been calculated, there may be discounts to be applied to reduce the amount. Indeed, it takes at least four different steps when working out the tax due to end up with the final figure. Fortunately, help is at hand in calculating the amount.

It is also very important to understand that the tax return has to be submitted within 6 months of the death and the tax has to be paid by the same day. A common situation we see is where a person is due to inherit a share of a property but the property has not been sold within 6 months. The forms still have to be submitted to the Hacienda and tax paid based on an estimated value. Failure to do so results in a fine and interest.

INHERITANCE TAX CATALONIA

How to Manage Your IHT
There are numerous strategies, but for British people, careful planning is required. In the UK it is the estate of the person who has passed away that is taxed, but in Catalunya it is the recipient; so we have two different systems with two sets of rules. Care is needed to ensure that planning in one system does not increase the liability in the other. Fortunately our qualifications and experience in the UK and in Catalunya mean we understand this issue.

Another issue specific to British people living in Catalunya is that they do not plan for RECEIVING a bequest. When asked to assist with planning for inheritance tax it is nearly always from a view of “what can I leave to my children?”. Yet before then people often receive bequests from their parents and family which triggers a tax charge. Planning for receiving a bequest can be as important as planning for leaving a bequest.

Certain assets are exempt from Inheritance Tax. Careful choice of where investments are kept can also help. Finally, dovetailing UK and Catalan Inheritance planning can also make a difference.

If you would like to discuss how to manage your Wealth Tax liability, please email me at barry.davys@spectrum-ifa.com, call me on 00 34 645 257 525, or use the contact form below.

How to build income from your investments

By Barry Davys
This article is published on: 5th October 2022

05.10.22

How do you pay for your Mistress?

An old Chinese proverb advises “Only pay for your mistress from your income, never from your capital” It is not known if it was a wise woman or a wise man who came up with the proverb but it was a person who certainly knew about money.

I admit as a young man, before I heard of the proverb, I got this wrong. I bought a second hand Porsche 911 SC. It was fun, fast and purred fantastically. I had the money to buy the car, especially with the part exchange of my old car.

As a young RAF officer what I did not have was the income to service it. Simple repairs such as when the indicator glass broke stretched my income and I really struggled with the cost of the insurance.

The indicator glass, for example, went in a semi circle around the wing. It cost me £68 for a new glass because of that bend in the glass. I still remember the price some 41 years later as back then £68 was much more significant than it is today.

How do you pay for your Mistress?

For those of us living here in Catalonia our mistress tends to come in the form of, for example,

  • A boat with mooring costs, winter storage etc
  • A car for touring on the continent. Often falls into the category of a big name brand of car or a vintage car with associated costs
  • The temptation to eat and drink out every night, every other other night etc
  • Swimming pool with maintenance
  • A bigger house with associated costs including security systems, insurance, watering of the garden etc

In nearly all cases when you hear couples talking about the purchase, you will hear the question “Can we afford it?”. The thought process to answer that question is do we have enough money in the bank to buy it. If the answer is yes, the item is bought. It is much less usual to hear “can we meet the ongoing costs?”.

Interestingly, even when we have accumulated significant wealth this proverb still stays true. With more capital we buy bigger things; house, super yacht, more expensive cars etc. and end up with bigger expenses.

How to build income from your investments

We need to ensure that we have sufficient net income to meet the running costs of the purchase. If we do we can

  • Enjoy our purchase without worry
  • Not damage our financial position by having to spend capital to pay for running costs
  • Still have capital left for our surviving spouse and/or our family
  • Not suffer from buyer’s regret

How do we get sufficient income to pay for our mistress? We use our existing wealth to build up an income that pays out regularly. Preferably in a tax efficient manner where possible.

Nowadays investing in the latest tech company or perhaps even a crypto currency is deemed to be the way to make money by some people. It may build your capital. However, neither generates much income and in some cases, no income.

If you would like to discuss how to build income from your investments so you can enjoy your purchases without worrying about the ongoing costs please feel welcome to get in touch, in the first instance, by email at barry.davys@spectrum-ifa.com

I cannot guarantee to help you meet all your running costs but as I am passionate about financial planning I anticipate I can improve your situation.

Wealth Tax in Catalonia

By Chris Burke
This article is published on: 7th April 2022

07.04.22

How to reduce it and know how it works

Catalonia is a great place to live for so many reasons. However, like the majority of places in the world, there are taxes to pay too. Although nobody likes to pay taxes, there is a societal need for them. They help fund the public health system, providing care for our families and for ourselves in later life, schools, so our children can receive a formal education and roads, so we can safely and effectively travel. However, in spite of this there are ways in which we can organise our taxes in an efficient manner to ensure that we are paying no more than the amount that we need to pay.

The Wealth Tax (known as ‘El Impuesto de Patrimonio’ in Spanish) is an example of a tax which is an additional tax in Catalonia that many people deem to perhaps be unfair. I mean, why should you pay tax just because you have done well in life, or your parents have and passed this wealth onto you? In summary, it is a tax that you pay on your net wealth (assets owned minus liabilities). The tax is paid on the assets that you hold which fall over a certain threshold. The threshold in Catalonia is €500,000 whilst the threshold throughout the rest of Spain is €700,000. There is a €300,000 exemption for your main residence, meaning that you will not pay tax on your main residence if it is valued under this amount. If your main residence is worth more, you can deduct €300,000 from the valuation and you will only be liable to wealth tax on the excess amount.

Here is a list of the assets that are and aren’t liable to Wealth Tax in Catalonia:

Assets that Wealth Tax
is applicable to
Assets that Wealth Tax
is not applicable to
Real estate Household contents (except for Art)
Savings Shareholdings in family companies
Shares Commercial Assets
Cars Intellectual Property and Pension Rights
Boats  
Jewellery  
Art  

The rate of wealth tax depends on the amount by which you are over the threshold. The general rule is that it ranges from 0.20% to 2.50% in Spain. However, in Catalonia the rate is slightly higher, ranging from 0.21% to 2.75%. You are required to declare your wealth as part of your annual declaration (in Spanish, ‘Declaración de la Renta’) on form 714 at the end of the calendar year, making any payment by 30th June the following year. The below tables display the Wealth Tax rates for Spain as a whole and the variation of the wealth tax to pay depending on the autonomous community (Communidad Autonomo) in which you reside. However, this is an overview to what is a complex calculation, so if you require personalised information, please get in contact with Chris.

Settlement basis up to (euros) Fee (Euros) Other net base up to (euros) Applicable Rate %
0.00 0.00 167,129.45 0.20%
167,129.45 334.26 167,123.43 0.30%
334,252.88 835.63 334,246.87 0.50%
668,499.75 2,506.86 668,499.76 0.90%
1,336,999.51 8,523.36 1,336,999.50 1.30%
2,673,999.01 25,904.35 2,673,999.02 1.70%
5,347,998.03 71,362.33 5,347,998.03 2.10%
10,695,996.06 183,670.29 Thereafter 2.50%
Autonomous Community Wealth Tax % Variation
Catalonia Between 0.21% and 2.75%
Asturias Between 0.22% and 3%
Region of Murcia Between 0.24% and 3%
Adalusia Between 0.24% and 3.03%
Community of Valencia Between 0.25% and 3.12%
Balearics Between 0.28% and 3.45%
Extremadura Between 0.30% and 3.75%

There are ways in which you can mitigate the wealth tax you are required to pay, as noted in the above table, some assets are exempt. Therefore, if you transfer your wealth into these assets then they will not be included as part of your wealth tax calculation. For example, you may not be liable to wealth tax on assets that you transfer to shareholdings in family businesses or certain household or commercial assets.

However, this is not a straightforward process and certain criteria must be met. For example, if you transfer your capital to a ‘family business’, then there are strict regulations on what constitutes a family business, which assets qualify and how you do this. And if you were to utilise your capital to purchase household contents, certain items such as art are not exempt.

Another way to mitigate wealth tax is by relocating. There are a few countries in Europe in which you would not have to pay the wealth tax such as Sweden, Luxembourg, Denmark, Germany and Austria or France. In the UK, they are considering implementing a wealth tax. If you prefer to stay in Spain, then residents of Madrid are exempt from wealth tax so it may be beneficial relocating there.

TAX IN CATALONIA

Finally, you can effectively double your wealth tax exemption threshold by getting married! The wealth tax exemption threshold will then be increased as everyone person is entitled to it. This also counts for the main residence allowance; therefore you may not be liable on wealth tax on your main residence up to €600,000.

Being efficient with your monies/assets from a tax perspective is almost as important as making your money grow. If you would like to seek specialist advice, Chris Burke is able to review your pensions, investments and other assets and evaluate your current tax liabilities, with the potential to make them more tax effective moving forward. If you would like to find out more or to talk through your situation and receive expert, factual advice, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Chris via the form below, or make a direct virtual appointment here.

Disclaimer: Spectrum IFA do not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction.

Inheritance Tax in Catalonia

By Chris Burke
This article is published on: 27th January 2020

With all that has been happening this year, it could well have slipped many people by that significant changes have been made to the inheritance laws in Catalonia, particularly for those who are resident there and receiving an inheritance from someone outside of Catalonia.

Previously, spouses and descendants received great allowances in respect of tax due to be paid, starting from 99%. However, for those receiving inheritance as a descendant this has been reduced, at the worst to only a 60% reduction. This raises two main questions, firstly, what would the tax payable be for an inheritance, and secondly, is there a better way to receive this, for example, as a gift rather than an inheritance, which itself has different tax rates?

It is important to understand how an inheritance is taxed in Catalonia. Major factors are the relationship between the deceased and the inheritor, what asset is being received and where the money comes from, i.e. which country. In the UK it is fairly straightforward: if someone dies being resident in the UK and leaves you assets up to £325,000 there is usually no inheritance tax (paid by the estate); anything over this is taxed at 40%. However, in Catalonia it is not that simple (Surprise surprise, I hear you say!) and alongside what is declared and may be tax payable in the UK, you must also declare and pay the relevant tax in Catalonia. Any assets you already own can also be taken into the equation of what tax is payable.

Tax in Spain and the UK

Inheritance tax in Catalonia is paid for by the receiver, not the estate, and very importantly, you have 6 months to declare this inheritance, EVEN if you haven’t received it yet (this is from the date of decease) or you will be fined the following way on the amount of tax you are liable to pay:

  • 5% in the following 3 months (i.e. months 6-9 since death)
  • 10% from 3 months to 6 months
  • 15% from 6 months to 12 months
  • 20% plus interests after 12 months

But if you know that you will need more time you can ask for an extension of an additional 6 months during the first 5 months from the death. In this case, the surcharges described above will not be applicable and you will have an extra period of 6 months.

There are some discounts on inheritance tax in Catalonia. To start with, there is usually no tax to pay on the first €100,000 being received if you are a spouse or child of the deceased. For other descendants the allowance is €50,000. If you are an ascendant the allowance is €30,000 and for any other relation the reduction is €8,000.

From this point on, there are further reductions between 97-99% and there are also other factors to be taken into account, such as are the children under 21, disabled, or if you receive the main home (“vivienda habitual”), family business or shares in certain type of companies.

Wealth Tax in Catalunya

As you can see, the calculation is not straightforward. The quickest and simplest way, I feel, to give you an idea of what tax you would pay is if I give examples using the most typical scenario of people we help, which is of a parent resident in the UK leaving their child, who is living in Catalonia, an amount of money/assets not including property (as we said there would potentially be extra tax deductions for receiving this). The guidelines are shown below for someone tax resident in Catalonia, over 21 years old, owning assets themselves of less than €500,000. Note that the ‘domestic trousseau’ has also been included (the domestic trousseau is a tax on inherited household items, for example furniture, by default calculated as 3% the estate value):

Amount to be inherited Tax due in Catalonia
€100,000 €84
€250,000 €6,969
€500,000 €29,888
€750,000 €64,908
€1,000,000 €109,297

One possibility we would check for a client is whether it would it be better to plan the future inheritance and anticipate it, receiving the monies through a donation that is taxed between 5% and 9% between parents and their children (with some specific requirements). Additionally, please note that if a previous donation has been made, this must also be considered in order to calculate the effective inheritance tax rate. We always suggest getting in touch to confirm exactly what the amount would be, and for help declaring it. For the assets themselves, it is worth knowing that many assets overseas are not always efficient to have while living in Catalonia.

For example, investments or ISAs in the UK are declarable and tax is payable in Spain on any gain annually, EVEN if you do not take any of the money, unlike in the UK. It is possible to have these monies in a Spanish compliant structure, still in sterling if you prefer, where you can benefit from the money growing through compounding and potentially greatly mitigating tax. This is where we help our clients to get organised efficiently and can manage the assets if needed.

If you have any questions relating to this article, would like help planning for this eventuality, or anything similar, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Inheritance Tax in Catalonia

By Chris Burke
This article is published on: 11th October 2019

11.10.19

*There have been recent updates of 1st January 2020 – please click here for the new rates

In the circle of life, it’s an unfortunate occurrence that parents or relatives pass on from this world we live in and leave an inheritance, whether that is property, money, investments or other assets. The value of this inheritance may or may not be the kind you are used to having or looking after, and that is where we/ I come in, to make sure this your inheritance is safe and looked after, taking into account your life situation both now, and in the future.

How is this inheritance taxed in Catalonia though? I hear many stories or ideas among people I meet but no one seems to know for sure, or get it right anyway. One of the reasons for this is that it depends on where the money comes from, i.e. which country and what asset is being received. Many of my clients are from the UK, how does it also work there? In the UK it is usually very simple, if someone dies being resident in the UK and leaves you assets up to £325,000,there is usually no Inheritance Tax (Paid by the estate); anything over this is taxed at 40%. However, in Catalonia it is not that simple (Surprise surprise, I hear you say!) and alongside what is declared and maybe tax payable in the UK, you must also declare and pay the relevant tax here

Firstly, Inheritance tax in Catalunya is paid for by the receive, not the estate, and very importantly, you have 6 months to declare this inheritance, EVEN if you haven’t received it yet (this is from the date of decease) or you will be fined the following way, on the amount of tax you are liable to pay:

  • 5% in the following 3 months (i.e. months 6-9 since death)
  • 10% from 3 months to 6 months
  • 15% from 6 months to 12 months
  • 20% plus interests after 12 months

The good news is that there are discounts on inheritance tax in Catalonia, and most people are surprised by the amount of tax they have to pay, in a good way. To start with, there is usually no tax to pay on the first €100,000 being received if you are a child or spouse of the deceased. If you are a parent of the deceased, the allowance is €30,000 and any other relative receives a €50,000 nil tax amount including grandchildren.

From this point on, there are further reductions between 97-99% and there are also other factors to be taken into account, such as are the children under 21, disabled or if from a family business. The quickest and simplest way, I feel, to give you an idea of what tax you would pay is if I use the most common example, of a parent living outside of Spain, leaving their child whom is living in Catalonia an amount of money/asset not including property (there would potentially be extra tax deductions for receiving this):

Example (guideline) of someone tax resident in Catalonia, inheriting from a parent in the UK:

Amount to be inherited Tax due in Catalonia
€100,000 €0
€250,000 €383.82
€500,000 €4,300.05
€750,000 €16,866.68
€1,000,000 €40,473.29

These are approximate and we always suggest getting in touch to confirm exactly what the amount would be, and for help declaring it. For the assets themselves, it is worth knowing that many assets overseas are not always efficient to have while living in Catalonia. For example, investments or Isas in the UK are declarable and tax payable on any gain in Spain annually, EVEN if you do not take any of the money, unlike in the UK. This is where we help our clients to get organised efficiently and manage the assets if needed.

If you have any questions relating to any of these points, or anything similar, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Click here to receive important Financial/Tax related updates

Inheritance Tax in Catalunya

By Barry Davys
This article is published on: 28th April 2019

28.04.19

Inheritance Tax in Catalunya

So, we have now managed to control the amount of wealth tax due (Wealth Tax in Catalunya). However, when we receive an inheritance or leave something to our family, we are taxed again. Inheritance tax or ‘impuestos de successiones’ feels even worse than Wealth Tax. At this point we have now paid savings tax, income tax AND wealth tax. Now there is IHT on top! Like Wealth Tax, though, it is possible to manage your liability.

Inheritance Tax in Catalunya – How it works
Perhaps the most important aspect is that tax is charged to the recipient of a bequest or property physically located in Spain. For UK nationals living in Catalunya, this is a surprise, as in the UK it is on the estate of the person who has passed away.

Tax is due on the value of the bequest but the rate of tax is dependent on your relationship with the person who has passed away. A spouse, child, sister, uncle or non-related all have different methods of calculating the tax due. Once the tax has been calculated, there may be discounts to be applied to reduce the amount. Indeed, it takes at least four different steps when working out the tax due to end up with the final figure. Fortunately, help is at hand in calculating the amount.

It is also very important to understand that the tax return has to be submitted within 6 months of the death and the tax has to be paid by the same day. A common situation we see is where a person is due to inherit a share of a property but the property has not been sold within 6 months. The forms still have to be submitted to the Hacienda and tax paid based on an estimated value. Failure to do so results in a fine and interest.

How to Manage Your IHT
There are numerous strategies, but for British people, careful planning is required. In the UK it is the estate of the person who has passed away that is taxed, but in Catalunya it is the recipient; so we have two different systems with two sets of rules. Care is needed to ensure that planning in one system does not increase the liability in the other. Fortunately our qualifications and experience in the UK and in Catalunya mean we understand this issue.

Another issue specific to British people living in Catalunya is that they do not plan for RECEIVING a bequest. When asked to assist with planning for inheritance tax it is nearly always from a view of “what can I leave to my children?”. Yet before then people often receive bequests from their parents and family which triggers a tax charge. Planning for receiving a bequest can be as important as planning for leaving a bequest.

Certain assets are exempt from Inheritance Tax. Careful choice of where investments are kept can also help. Finally, dovetailing UK and Catalan Inheritance planning can also make a difference.

If you would like to discuss how to manage your Wealth Tax liability, please email me at barry.davys@spectrum-ifa.com, call me on 00 34 645 257 525, or use the contact form below.

The EU – a Financial success or not?

By Chris Burke
This article is published on: 31st October 2017

31.10.17
Chris Burke | Spectrum IFA Barcelona

What better subject to discuss, than one closest to the heart of someone living and studying in Europe.

Geneva Business School (GBS) in Barcelona, is a leading Business School providing cutting edge, innovative, Swiss quality education on a global scale. Part of their curriculum is to invite guest speakers along to hold a forum/debate on a topical subject, to enhance their knowledge, practice what they are learning and increase their debating skills.

So, where better to format the debate on discussing what the original reasons were for the EU being formed. Easy I hear you say. Ok, well we started discussing putting all the countries together and how that could make them stronger under one currency, against other economies. It was soon apparent that although this seems a sensible idea, did this work for everyone? Greece was debated as already being financially in trouble before it joined the EU, and has continued down that path, but why? When we looked at the Government debt of each country before joining the EU and present day, it’s clear many of the country’s debt has doubled; The UK, Greece, Italy, France to name but a few, but why haven’t others? No one was surprised Germany’s hadn’t, but why hadn’t it? We discussed Germany’s manufacturing capability compared to the other countries; this could well be a valid reason. There was mention of ‘black’ money still prevalent in certain countries, mainly Italy and Greece where in some places you still couldn’t pay by card, only cash. It was well known a few years back the Greek underground had been losing money hand over fist due to passengers not paying. Was there a cultural issue here that was denying the government, in those countries, of more revenue from tax?

Freedom of movement was on everyone’s lips as another good reason for the EU being born. Freedom to move elsewhere, find work, perhaps a new life, career. It was quickly pointed out this didn’t work for everyone, an Italian farmer (highlighted by an Italian student) would not agree this had worked well for him. Of course, you cannot please everyone and there are countries in the EU whose farmers receive subsidies to help.

Access to the common market, so trading made easier for countries in the EU, cheaper and more direct for them to sell within. This making them potentially more competitive than those outside it. This was a strong reason for the EU to be formed.

So there was one more, major reason, that after we discussed what it was, agreed that perhaps this could be the biggest reason for the EU being formed, but is hardly ever brought up. We discussed that during the Brexit negotiations this was hardly ever mentioned as a reason to remain, if it was its press headlines were minimal. When you are part of a team, whether it be a sports team or any other, you have a common reason/goal to make it work. You may have disagreements, but because you all want the same outcome, which benefits you all, you work hard to find a solution. Differences can be put aside, or debated, and there may be a skirmish occasionally but in general, conflict is usually avoided or at least minimal. Stopping wars and keeping the peace was one of the founding reasons for forming the EU, yet it hardly ever gets the status it should deserve.

So, taking all this into account, did we think the EU has been a financial success? Certainly not to everyone, but if you were a consultant brought in to investigate and make a decision, the debaters at Geneva Business School voted marginally it had. Wars cost money, however they can also generate it……

Other key questions asked were:

Where are we economically in the world?
We are in the second longest Bull Run in the history of the stock markets, we certainly aren’t on the bottom run of the ladder in terms of its upward curve, probably not in the middle, how long there is to go is anyone’s guess, but we are probably in the final third.

Government debt are at the highest rates ever, can it be repaid?
No. Even if we had ten more fantastic years on the stock markets, which is highly unlikely, it’s my belief it’s almost impossible to repay these. Looking at debt clocks is frightening and best not to be done!

Bitcoin, good investment or not?

The jury is still out on this, it continues to provide itself as an investment choice. Will it last? Do the bank’s want it to last? Will it be here tomorrow? For the high risk takers it’s a choice, for everyone else it’s too early to tell.

Property, a good investment in Barcelona?
Simply, if you are intending on holding it for a decade or so, and being able to fix the mortgage interest rate for life, it’s hard to advise against it. For anything less, you wouldn’t want all your investments in one asset class.

So, our final thoughts were, on Maslow’s Conscious Competence Model, where did we rate the EU? And the overwhelming answer was:

Conscious Incompetent – that is to say, the EU knows it isn’t working, and is arguably trying to fix it although isn’t sure how. But how much we wonder…….

Potential Catalan Issues

By Chris Burke
This article is published on: 5th October 2017

05.10.17

It seems Catalonia and Spain are continuing their loggerheads and head jutting, but what most people are starting to consider are their OWN assets and issues being a resident here, particularly if you are not Catalan. I have received many emails this week from worried clients and contacts, about having their money here and what they can/shouldn’t do.

See below my 5 TOP FINANCE TIPS for the current predicament and indeed some of the areas we help people with.

Spain’s stock market has taken a severe hit this week, with two of the Catalan banks, Banco Sabadell and Caixabank down 6.3% and 6.7% respectively. Indeed today Banco Sabadell is holding an emergency meeting, Thursday the 5th October, to approve relocating their headquarters out of Catalonia.

Therefore, as an emergency communication to my clients and contacts I thought it would be useful to know what you should be thinking about and the main questions that have arisen this week:

1. Personal Money in banks
Any money in a bank, unless used to live on a day by day, is devaluing in real terms. If Spain reacts to Catalonia declaring independence, we have no idea what might happen. In the last crisis, banks made it difficult to move and even limited the money you could take from your bank account. If you have ‘excess funds’ in accounts in banks, you may want to consider other options so you still have full control of your money and no worries.

2. Business Bank Accounts
If your business account is with a Catalan bank, but you have a personal one that is not, you CAN move money into this. However, you have to be careful and follow these guidelines:

‘In order to avoid problems with the consideration of dividends it would be preferable to do a loan agreement between you and your company and to file a form through la Generalitat, in order to demonstrate the date of the loan and the content of the agreement. There is no stamp duty to be applied and it is not necessary to go to a Notary, but it is better to have this document done, just in case, if in the future somebody asks about this amount.
Source: Silvia Gabarro, GM Tax.

3. Currency
Anyone with sterling Money will have felt the pain of the currency weakening since the Brexit vote. Analysts have been saying for months that this is very undervalued, and built on worries about the UK leaving the EU. However, there are still fundamental issues within the EU, including the real major problems of the Italian banks, the fragile Spanish economy and a few members who are heavily in debt and unlikely to ever be able to repay this. Now we also have the Catalan Independence problems coming to a head within Spain, this could be compounded. Then in May next year we have the Italian elections which could be interesting to say the least.

Therefore, it could be argued before the Euro weakens any further, a good time to transfer money into sterling from Euros.

4. Existing/Investments
Many Catalan/Spanish banks whose client’s money is invested have more of an emphasis on their own funds or Spanish funds, than a non Spanish bank/investment would. We call this being more ‘Spanish Centric’. If the Spanish stocks are booming then this is fine, however if not the case this could be very dangerous to your investments, whether personal or corporate.

The larger the stock market, the closer correlation (it does the same as) to other large stock markets. Therefore, if your money is invested with a truly global bank/investment firm you will not put your money so much at risk to this.

5. Relocation
Believe or not, some businesses and people are relocating due to the current predicament, and some companies share prices have even gone up by 20% on revealing this news to the press!

You may or may not want to consider this, or be in a position to, but your personal and corporate finances do not need to worry if you have them set up correctly. Companies’ savings and your personal money can be with a ‘Portable bank/institution’ that acts like a balloon. Wherever you go, you pull your balloon along with you happily. Then, when you want to access some of the money, you let some ‘air’ (money) out and adhere to the local rules of where you are. No need to open up bank accounts in different countries, or go through the extensive administration. Just tell us you want your money and after some due diligence you shall receive it, wherever you are and knowing the process is legal and compliant.