Individuals

There are many situations where individuals and families may need help on cross border tax issues.

For example, if you work outside your home country you may have to pay tax in two countries on your earnings. Tax efficient investments, such as pensions, might not be tax efficient if you move to another country.  If you own a property in a different country you can face a wide range of taxes on that property.  Many families today have members living in different countries, and that can affect family wealth. 

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Tax Advice

Winter International Tax Services can help you structure your and your family’s affairs in a tax efficient manner compatible with your personal objectives.

Going to work or moving to live outside the UK

If you’re leaving the UK to work or live overseas, then you may continue to have UK tax issues, whether income tax, capital gains tax or inheritance tax, on, for example, UK property.  At the same time you may well have tax to consider in the country you are moving to.  You may need to think about tax on investments you have made; UK pensions and ISAs may not be tax efficient in other countries.   We work with you so that you are aware of the tax issues, and we can help you plan round those.  Some of the ways we help are:-

  • Dealing with your UK tax in the year you leave and in later years if continue to have income and assets in the UK.
  • Helping you with your tax obligations in the country you are going to
  • Looking at your investments to see how these may be taxed in the country you are going to and considering whether there are tax efficient investments for you to consider in that country
  • If you are planning to leave the UK permanently and want to change your UK domicile so that you are not subject to UK inheritance tax on your worldwide assets we will discuss with you what actions need to be taken to achieve that.
  • Depending on your plans there may be tax efficient structures that could be put in place to either before or after you leave the UK, and we can help implement those.
  • On non tax matters we have a variety of contacts in many different countries who may be able to help with matters such as relocation services, legal assistance, property etc.

Coming to work inside the UK

The UK still offers some tax benefits for those coming to the UK to live and work here.  This is the UK’s non UK domicile regime.  We help you understand the UK tax position, and we can help you plan your affairs tax efficiently.  Some planning is best undertaken before you move to the UK and become tax resident here.  Some of the ways we help include:-

  • Explaining the benefits of the UK’s non domiciled regime.  Some planning is best put in place before you move to the UK so we prefer to talk with you before you become resident here.
  • Helping you structure your investments and other assets and income outside the UK so that they are not subject to UK tax if you wish to claim the benefit of the non UK domicile regime
  • Dealing with your UK tax obligations
  • Explaining the UK rules on tax residence so that you know whether you will be treated as tax resident in the UK.

Non UK residents holding real estate and other assets in the UK

You may not be moving to the UK but may wish to hold assets here, real estate for example.  We can advise on what the UK tax position could be, and can work with you to ensure that you pay no more tax than necessary.  This includes:-

  • Dealing with any UK tax filings you may need to submit
  • Advising on the UK tax position on real estate and other assets here
  • Helping you structure ownership of those assets in a tax efficient manner.
  • Keeping you up to date with any UK tax developments that could affect your position

UK residents holding real estate and other assets outside the UK

In addition to any possible UK tax exposure on these assets, there will potentially be tax in the country the property or assets are located in.  We can help plan for and minimise that taxation.  This might include:-

  • Helping you understand the tax position, both in and outside the UK, before you make a purchase
  • Structuring the ownership of the asset in a tax efficient manner
  • Dealing with any local tax filing obligations
  • Advising on tax issues on a possible disposal or transfer of asset to another family member
  • Through our legal contacts we can also look at non tax issues

Protecting your family’s wealth

Trusts, foundations and other entities can play a part in protecting a family’s wealth, and also its privacy. Protection in this context can mean not simply protection from excessive or double taxation, but also from non tax issues such as marriage breakdowns, family disputes, and even irresponsible behaviour by some family members.  Some of the ways we help are:-

  • Advising on tax efficient structures for the family that can cope with family members being in different countries
  • Working with our legal contacts we can make sure that structures are robust for non tax asset protection issues including privacy and confidentiality
  • In some cases, families may wish to use structures for charitable purposes and we can assist with that
  • Dealing with ongoing tax compliance for structures

How we have helped some clients

Some recent examples of where we have helped clients include:

  • A New Zealand citizen resident in the UK for many years, wanted to return to New Zealand. In his time in the UK he had built up substantial UK pension funds. New Zealand is introducing new legislation on the taxation of foreign superannuation funds. He wanted to know what he should do. We were able to advise on a course of action that meant he escaped unnecessary New Zealand taxation.
  • A UK citizen had been living in the US for many years and was a green card holder there. He had built up significant property investments in the US and held them through US LLCs (tax transparent in the US but treated as a company in the UK). Family circumstances forced him back to the UK. We were able to help him deal with the taxation of the LLCs in the UK, and helping minimise unnecessary UK tax.
  • A Hong Kong citizen and resident was looking to buy a residential property for £10m in the UK. We helped by advising on the ownership structure of the asset, and helped to minimise ATED and capital gains tax.

How Winter International Tax Services can help you

We invest our time to understand your personal needs.  We develop with you an overall plan and then help implement that.  Our aim is to give you clear, commercial, practical and cost effective advice with clear recommendations.  We then make sure that your tax compliance obligations are all covered.

We combine our understanding of international markets, culture and business differences round the world, with in depth technical knowledge to help you.