Book an appointment with us, or search the directory to find the right lawyer for you directly through the app.
Find out moreThe first Law Update of 2024 is here, and our first focus of the year spotlights Healthcare and Lifesciences, a sector that is undergoing significant growth and development across the MENA region.
Our focus provides an insight into some of the most important regulatory updates across the region, such as the UAE’s groundbreaking law on the use of human genome, Kuwait’s resolution on nuclear and radioactive materials, the new regulations for healthcare services in Qatar, Egypt’s healthcare regulatory framework, and the impact of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law on the healthcare and life sciences sector … and there is so much more!
Beyond the healthcare pages our lawyers share with you multi-sector insights where you will discover articles on Dubai’s DIFC regulatory framework for startups, Bahrain’s commercial agencies law, and we also shed light on Kuwaiti civil code and the advantages of setting up a joint stock company in Saudi Arabia.
Read the full editionDipali Maldonado - Senior Counsel - Private Client Services / Family Business
Ruksana Ellahi - Senior Associate - Private Client Services / Family Business / Tax
There have been a number of significant developments in the UK tax regime, which affect non-residents who hold UK real estate via a corporate structure. It is important to understand these changes and what they mean for non-UK residents. Below is a summary note for non-residents holding real estate in the UK through holding companies:
In order to make corporate structures, through which non-resident individuals own high value residential property unappealing, AETD was introduced as an annual tax payable on properties valued at more than £500,000 (US$ 650,000).
The annual tax amount increases with the increasing value of the property and tax returns must be filed to reflect this. Certain reliefs and exemptions are available where the property is let on a commercial basis.
With the Finance Act 2019, more favourable options for ‘de-enveloping’ and owning the property outright in an individual’s personal name were introduced, without the payment of AETD on an annual basis.
The two new regimes for non-residents who hold UK investment property to consider are as follows:
This regime applies to non-resident individuals, in respect of their residential property gains on the sale of property in the UK. Individuals can benefit from:
This regime applies to non-resident companies which are currently subject to corporate tax at a rate of 19 per cent on the disposal of their UK property.
From April 2020, any rental income generated by non-UK resident companies will also be subject to corporate tax, which is considerably lower than personal UK income tax rates and therefore more attractive.
UK Inheritance Tax is applicable on all chargeable estates above £325,000 (US$ 425,000) at a rate of 40 per cent. Following tax changes in April 2017, the value of the shares of a property holding company will now be included in an individual’s estate (on death) for inheritance tax purposes, irrespective of the fact that the individual is a non-domiciled individual. Previously, this was not the case and a non-domiciled individual would not be subject to inheritance tax on UK residential property held via an offshore company, as long as they were still non-UK domiciled at the time of their passing.
In 2021, it is anticipated that the UK will introduce a register to detail the ultimate beneficial owners of some property holding companies, which will be easily accessible to the public on the UK Companies House website. With this newly proposed register, onerous filing requirements will also be introduced, thus making it more undesirable to hold UK property through such structures.
This is a complex area of taxation and it is important to understand the impact of the recent developments. Al Tamimi & Company is the first law firm to establish an international tax practice focused on the Middle East region. We can offer advice and assistance, in collaboration with our expert lawyers in the UK.
Al Tamimi & Company’s Private Client Services team regularly advises on succession planning. For further information, please contact Dipali Maldonado (d.maldonado@tamimi.com).
To learn more about our services and get the latest legal insights from across the Middle East and North Africa region, click on the link below.