In spite of the worldwide recession, globalisation continues within businesses, within families, and within and across tax regimes. Getting the right tax and other business and financial advice around the world has never been more important.

With offices in almost 100 countries around the world, Nexia International is currently the10th largest network in the world. Its member firms have representation in 520 offices worldwide, and the organisation is and one of the most flexible of similar independent ‘mid-tier’ global networks.

Saffery Champness’s membership of Nexia International means that whenever the interests of our clients acquire an international dimension, we are able to put them in touch with appropriate tax and business advisers to provide the local expertise that may be needed to progress their plans, whilst we continue to work with both the clients and these additional advisers in relation to UK taxation or other applicable issues arising from their overseas activities.

Differences in regional taxation treatment, reporting, culture and other factors particular to that jurisdiction can potentially impede international mobility and, in such circumstances, access to reliable sources of professional knowledge can be invaluable. Nexia International offers our clients a valuable resource that can help them “get things done” at reasonable cost and to timetable, whenever their plans acquire an international dimension.

Our firm also plays a highly visible role in the future development of the network, with partners of our firm serving on its International and European Boards of Directors, the International Tax Committee, and as Nexia’s Deputy Chairman.

If you feel that this might be of use, please do get in touch with your usual client partner or Saffery Champness contact for more information.

Changes brought in by the 2009 Finance Act to the taxation of Furnished Holiday Lettings (FHLs) create a number of opportunities and issues for anyone with qualifying holiday accommodation, whether in the UK or the EEA.

Furnished Holiday Lettings have for a number of years attracted a very favourable tax treatment. The income is treated not as rental income, but as trading income.

This means that the expenses of running the property and any associated capital allowances can be set-off against other personal income to reduce an individual’s tax liability. In addition FHL properties attract favourable capital gains tax rates and reliefs upon sale or other disposal.

Most of the beneficial aspects of this tax treatment will be abolished from 6 April 2010 but, in the meantime, the FHL rules are being extended to include qualifying properties not just in the UK, but anywhere within the European Economic Area (EEA, being the 27 EU Member States plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway).

This extension has retrospective effect, so that amended tax returns for the years 08/09 and 07/08, and potentially earlier years, can be submitted to treat any income and expenses from qualifying properties within the EEA under the same terms that have previously benefited UK properties.

This may result in a worthwhile tax refund for some people, especially where a property that now qualified has since been sold. The treatment can also be applied for the current tax year.

In order for a property to qualify as an FHL, a number of conditions need to be met: the property must be available to let as furnished holiday accommodation for a minimum of 140 days per year, and must actually be so let at commercial rates for at least 70 days.

In addition, the property must not normally be let to the same person for more than 31 days throughout a period of 7 months in each year.

This still means that there is a significant proportion of the year during which the owner (or anyone else) can use it for their own private, longer-term use without losing the property’s ‘FHL’ status.

The changes in the rules not only create a potential tax refund for past years in respect of EEA properties, but also present a window of opportunity for the immediate future in respect of properties both in the EEA and the UK.

This should encourage owners of furnished holiday accommodation to consider very carefully their future intentions with regard to their properties.

If they are holding the property with the intention of future resale then the removal of the significant Capital Gains Tax savings may encourage some to look to sell the property in this current tax year to benefit from the advantageous tax treatment whilst they can.

It is unlikely that the current depressed state of the property market in most countries would encourage a new decision to sell, but if the intention exists in any case, then an adjustment to the timetable could save a significant amount of tax.

On the other hand, if the property is being held as a long-term ‘family’ asset and the current owner’s intention is to pass it on to their children then the removal of the FHL rules means that the property will no longer qualify for CGT holdover relief after 5 April 2010.

It may well be worth considering gifting the property to a younger family member before the end of the current tax year, even if this was not something that was intended for another few years.

Although there has also recently been a tightening up on the rules that allow holiday accommodation to qualify for Business Property Relief from Inheritance Tax (distinct from the FHL rules), there is no indication as yet that this relief might also be in danger of being withdrawn.

This article first appeared in the September edition of Saffery Champness’s ‘Private Client’ newsletter

Offshore Funds

The expected detailed rules relating to “Reporting Fund status” for offshore funds which are to take effect from 6 April 2009 were not included within the details of the Pre Budget Report announcements.

Offshore centres

The Government announced that they will shortly commission an independent review of British offshore financial centres in response to the severe financial turbulence facing the global economy.

It is likely that the review will in part focus on tax practices in the offshore centres and comes at a time when the US are considering targeted measures as regards the 2007 “ Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act”.

The Government have however made it clear that the review will not consider changes to the UK’s constitutional relationship with the crown dependencies.

Offshore disclosure facility

There will be a further opportunity in 2009 for holders of offshore accounts on which UK tax is due but has not been paid, to make a full disclosure of details to HMRC. It is likely that a reduced penalty of 10% on unpaid tax will apply but further details will be announced next year.

EU Savings Directive

The EU commission has recently published details that it is to extend the EU Savings Directive so as to widen both the scope of exchange of information control and the with-holding of tax at source on certain types of investments where an EU paying agent makes a payment to an individual in a member state.

The new proposals will affect:

• Offshore Trusts/ Foundations and other arrangements where the EU paying agent is able to identify and determine that the beneficial owner is a resident of a member state. This is therefore likely to catch nominee type structures.

• Securities where at least 95% of an investor’s capital is guaranteed.

• Life insurance contracts which are performance linked and where the mortality risk covered is less than 5% of the capital amount.

• Investment funds that have invested in certain structured products issued by an EU paying agent.

Property Authorised Investment Funds (“PAIFS”)

A range of measures have been introduced which will have effect from 1 January 2009 which include stamp duty reserve tax exemption for feeder funds to PAIFS. In addition a change will be made so as to allow a PAIF to pay net distributions to feeder funds which will reduce the administrative burden on shareholders.

UK Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITS”)

Legislation will be introduced in Finance Bill 2009 which will make changes to the REIT regime. Broadly the conditions to be met by a company or group so at to obtain exemption from tax on both income and gains on property will be amended so as to ensure that they cannot be circumvented by the artificial creation of new group structures.

Qualified Investor Schemes (“QIS”)

A QIS is a type of Authorised Investment Fund. A new measure will be introduced which will have effect from 1 January 2009 onwards which will amend regulations so as to remove the current specific tax charge on substantial investors (those with a 10% or greater holding). This will however be subject to meeting a condition that investment in the QIS will not be limited to specific individuals or companies i.e. a genuine diversity test will be introduced.

Disclosure of tax avoidance Schemes

The current rules will be amended so as to simplify and improve the reporting of schemes. In addition changes will be made to the reporting date of such schemes to the tax year of the implementation and this will now apply in all cases. The changes will have effect for tax return periods beginning on or after 1 April 2009.

Employment Related Securities

As part of a simplification review, legislation will be introduced in Finance Bill 2009 to simplify certain tax rules that apply to employment-related securities or shares. It is proposed that there will be no tax charge in the following circumstances:

• where an employee receives shares which are payable by instalments and the shares are then sold before all of the instalments have been paid. This will not apply if the employee is released from payment.

• a sale by an employee of nil or partly-paid shares.

• where an employee receives new shares in proportion to their existing shareholding as a result of a scrip or bonus issue.

Principles based approach to financial products avoidance

Two new anti avoidance rules are introduced in the Government’s new “principles based” format, which appears to be a synonym for “widely drawn”, the intention being to counter tax avoidance by legislation with general application rather than drafting rules applying to particular situations. The risk is of course that “innocent” transactions in which avoidance is not a motive can be caught.

The first issue to be dealt with is “disguised interest”, where an arrangement is entered into by companies which is economically similar to a loan (involving an advance of capital with a subsequent repayment and reward based on the time value of money). There is existing legislation which deals with various types of disguised loans already and the intention is to replace this with a set of general rules, via amendments to the forthcoming Corporation Tax Act 2009, so that the time value of money return is charged to corporation tax where the arrangement is structured with the intention of producing a return that is not income.

The second issue is the sale of income streams. The proposed anti avoidance legislation is again intended to replace a patchwork of earlier rules that cover specific schemes with an overriding rule for both individuals and companies that the sale of income, as separate from the sale of an income-producing asset, will give rise to an income return and be taxed as such.

Leasing

With effect from 13 November 2008 the government has taken steps to prevent a loss of tax in respect of:

• Transactions involving the leasing of plant or machinery under long funding leases;

This will affect businesses leasing plant and machinery and has been introduced to counter avoidance involving a leaseback following the sale or lease of plant and machinery where excess relief may have been obtained.

• The sale of a company that is an intermediate lessor of plant or machinery;

This will affect companies carrying on a business of leasing plant or machinery. The measure is to counteract an avoidance scheme that uses a sale and leaseback arrangement.

• Rents payable on long funding leases of films.

This will affect lessors of films, including partnerships and other businesses. Legislation will be introduced in Finance Bill 2009 to counter aggressive avoidance involving businesses leasing films to others under a long funding lease by providing that rents under the lease are taxable in full.

Corporation tax small companies’ rate

The increase in the small companies’ corporation tax rate from 21% to 22% will be deferred until April 2010.

Extension of carry back of trading losses

A company may normally carry back any trading loss arising in an accounting period for 12 months, and set that loss against its profits from any source. New rules apply to losses of accounting periods ending in the period 24 November 2008 to 23 November 2009 to allow trading losses to be carried back for more than one year in some circumstances.

If a company’s trading losses for an accounting period ending in the year to 23 November 2009 cannot be fully relieved by carrying back one year, then up to £50,000 the unrelieved excess may be carried back against trading profits only for a further two years, on a LIFO basis. This means that, for example, where a company’s trading results are as follows:

Year ended 31 December 2008    (£150,000)
Year ended 31 December 2007    £40,000
Year ended 31 December 2006    £40,000
Year ended 31 December 2005    £40,000

the company can offset £40,000 of the 2008 loss against any income of 2007 as normal. A further £50,000 is carried back to the two earlier years, £40,000 of which is offset against the 2006 trading profits before £10,000 is carried back against the 2005 trading profits. The unrelieved loss of £60,000 is carried forward against future profits of the same trade as normal.

There are a number of computational rules to ensure that companies do not abuse the relief by altering their accounting year end dates. If the accounting period ending in the year to 23 November 2009 is less than 12 months long, the £50,000 limit will be reduced proportionally. In addition, if two accounting periods end in the year to 23 November 2009, the £50,000 limit applies to both periods.

Loan relationships

Two changes will be introduced in Finance Bill 2009 to amend the loan relationship rules affecting connected companies and it is proposed that the changes will have effect for company accounting periods beginning on or after 1 April 2009.

The first change means that a debtor company would no longer be taxable on the release of a trade debt from a connected creditor. Previously where a creditor formally released a connected debtor from a trade debt, the creditor would have been denied a deduction for the loss on the debt but the debtor may have been taxed on its ‘profit’.

The second proposed change is still under consultation however the change concerns the rule that allows a debtor company a deduction for interest payable to a connected creditor that is outside the loan relationships rules only on a paid basis, rather than on an accruals basis that normally applies. It is proposed that the rule should be amended to provide certainty about its operation.

Taxation of foreign profits

The Government will bring forward a package of reforms to the taxation of foreign profits in Finance Bill 2009 which will include:

• An exemption from tax for most foreign dividends received by medium and large companies regardless of level of shareholding.

• A Targeted Anti- Avoidance Rule to avoid the dividend exemption being exploited.

• Worldwide debt cap on interest.

• Changes to the Controlled Foreign Company (CFC) rules.

• Reform of the existing Treasury consent rules.

Pension schemes – the annual and lifetime allowances

The annual (AA) and lifetime allowances (LTA) for pensions tax relief were set in the Finance Act 2004 for the period 2006/07 until 2010/11. The LTA will rise to £1.75m in 2009/10 and then to £1.8m in 2010/11; the AA will at the same time be increased to £245,000 and then £255,000.

Thereafter, both the LTA and AA will be frozen at their 2010/11 rates for a period of five years, up to and including 2015/16.

Enterprise Investment Scheme (”EIS”) investments

Two technical amendments were announced to the EIS to be introduced in Finance Bill 2009. Firstly the “use of money” requirement will be amended, so that EIS companies have two years to employ the funds raised, rather than having to use 80% in year one with the remainder the following year.

Secondly the rules for the carry back of income tax relief will be changed so that any relief attaching to an investment made in a tax year can be carried back to the previous tax year (previously the investment had to be made in the first six months of the year for relief to be carried back). The carry back limit will be removed and replaced by the normal annual EIS income tax limit.

Furthermore, the Treasury will review the following areas to determine whether changes are needed:

• the rules concerning mergers and takeovers, with a view to relaxing the rules on the withdrawal of relief where all companies involved are EIS companies;
• the definition of non-qualifying activities, particularly the definition of relevant intangible fixed assets, the exclusion of lessee companies who develop IP, and the eligibility of online retailers for the scheme; and
• the definition of “qualifying subsidiary” with a view to facilitating joint venture arrangements.

In addition, the Treasury clarified that in its view payments in advance for shares are not considered to be “loans” which would prevent EIS relief on the subsequent issue of the shares. This was found by the Courts in a recent case, but it is helpful to have confirmation that HMRC accept the point.

Income shifting

The Government considers that it is unfair to allow a minority of individuals to benefit financially from shifting part of their income to someone else who is subject to a lower rate of tax – known as income shifting. The Government has consulted on this issue, but given the current economic challenges is deferring action on income shifting and will not bring forward legislation at Finance Bill 2009. The Government will instead keep this issue under review.

Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs)

With effect from 16 December 2008 the list of investments that can qualify for the ISA regime will be extended to include bonds which are issued by Multilateral Institutions. The original regulations meant that the only eligible securities had to have been issued by the UK or a European Government or by a company which has a share capital.

Income tax rates and allowances

The income tax personal allowance is set for 2009/10 at £6,475. This is an increase of £440. The basic personal allowance for 2008/09 was increased from £5,435 to £6,035 in May 2008 and therefore the further increase reflects a rise above inflation.

It was also announced that from 6 April 2010 the basic personal allowance for income tax for individuals whose gross income is more than £100,000 will be reduced by £1 for every £2 above £100,000 up to a maximum of 50% of the personal allowance. For individuals with gross income of more than £140,000 the personal allowance will be further reduced by £1 for every £2 above £140,000 until the personal allowance is extinguished.

From 6 April 2011 there will also be a new 45% rate of income tax which will apply to taxable non-savings and savings income above £150,000.

Tax rate on dividends

From 6 April 2011 there will also be a new higher rate of tax for dividend income. The new rate of tax of 37.5% will apply to dividends which would otherwise be taxable at the new rate of 45%. There will therefore be three rates of tax for dividends, the 10% basic rate, the 32.5% upper rate and the 37.5% higher rate.

The rate applicable to trusts

Also from 6 April 2011, the trust rate will be increased. The dividend trust rate will be increased from 32.5% to 37.5% and the trust rate of tax will be increased from 40% to 45%. This will affect discretionary trusts and some specific capital receipts by all trusts.

National Insurance contributions

From April 2011 there will be a 0.5% increase in the employer, employee and self employed rates of national insurance together with an increase in the point at which people pay national insurance to align this with the income tax personal allowance. This will make the overall rate (tax and national insurance) of 46.5% on earnings above £150,000.

Extension of carry back of trading losses

An individual carrying on a trade, whether on his own account or in partnership may normally set the loss against general income in the same year or the previous year (referred to as “sideways loss relief”). New rules apply to allow trading losses of 2008/09 to be carried back to 2005/06 and 2006/07.

If an individual’s trading losses for 2008/09 are not fully relieved by making sideways loss relief claims for the same year or the previous year, then up to £50,000 of the unrelieved excess may be carried back against trading losses only to 2005/06 and 2006/07, on a LIFO basis.

The Treasury states that all the rules which restrict loss relief claims will also apply to the new relief, which is not entirely clear but could conceivably include the “inactive partner” rules that restrict loss relief claims to £25,000 per year and to the amount of capital contributed in some circumstances. We will need to wait for legislation to determine whether this is likely to be an issue.

The rules allow only trading losses to be carried back further, but professions, vocations and certain furnished holiday lettings losses are treated as trading losses for this purpose.

The new relief will also apply for the purposes of calculating Class 4 NIC liability, and could therefore conceivably lead to NIC repayments.

Tim Gregory, a Partner in the Private Wealth Group at Saffery Champness comments on the potential impact of the measures announced for private clients (more…)

What will be included in next week’s Pre-Budget Report when it is presented to Parliament?

It has been announced that the Pre-Budget Report will be announced to the Houses of Parliament by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on Monday 24th November at 3.30 pm.

Against a worsening economic backdrop, there has been speculation about the measures that could be taken to mitigate some of the effects of the economic slowdown.

Ronnie Ludwig, a Partner in the Private Wealth Group at Saffery Champness, gives his thoughts on three measures that could provide a boost to the UK economy: (more…)