Antonio Flores’ Blog

The above proverb often implies that details might cause failure, and failure is what occurred to the three real test-cases (below) who thought that, by having a tax-residence-of-convenience status (Andorra and Switzerland) and spending a short time there, they would be shielded from the action of the AEAT (Spanish Tax Office).

TEST CASE 1: A self-defined Swiss tax resident lost an interesting case brought by the Spanish Tax Office who deemed him a resident of Spain. The tax payer had argued that, according to the DTA (Double Taxation Agreement) Spain-Switzerland, he could be classed as a resident of both country. Indeed, the man had properties in Switzerland and Spain, and had one daughter in each country; according to the Spanish Supreme Court, these facts alone would not conclusively establish where his connections were stronger. The devil in this case was he had signed up to the Spanish Automobile Club as well as Maritime Clubs in Ibiza and Marbella, without analogous memberships in Switzerland (attempts to convince the Taxman that there was no sea in this country were to no avail…).

TEST CASE 2: A Spanish Andorra-based taxpayer could not successfully argue against the evidence that was stacked up against him, notwithstanding his marriage to an Andorra citizen. The AEAT challenged his status by arguing that he had a company in Barcelona, his apartments in Spain were being regularly used (utilities were up and running), yet there was no proof of rental activity, he had a daily subscription to a local paper and had hired domestic employees. In upholding the Tax Office’s case, the Catalonia Supreme Court (1254/2013) deemed a tax residency certificate from the Andorran authorities not relevant.

TEST CASE 3: Similar to the above case, the Spanish Tax Office successfully proved that the Andorra resident was in fact in Barcelona-based because his medical insurance broker was based in the city and, more conclusively, a local hospital had reported frequent visits inconsistent with living in Andorra.

On a next issue, we will discuss those who were able to successfully challenge the AEAT who, we should not forget, has no influence over a Court decision (contrary to popular belief).

Antonio Flores Litigation, Tax Law Andorra Tax Evasion, Double TAxation Agreements Spain, Switzerland Tax Evasion Spain, tax avoidance Spain, Tax Residency Spain

It comes as no surprise that 30% of the enquiries we receive during a month relate to inheritance tax (IHT): there is an almost absolute ignorance about how much it is, when and where is it payable and how does one go about not paying, if at all possible.

IHT tax in Spain can span from nothing, if you inherit under a certain sum and are a Spanish resident to a whopping 81,6% if you inherit loads of money, you are also very well-off and you have no family ties with the testator. This is why it is important to know more or less what would the tax liability be for our inheritors should we pop our clogs within say 12 months (it makes a difference if one dies tomorrow as opposed to dying in say 20 years, particulary if you have a 20 year mortgage which by then would have been repaid).

To calculate quickly how much tax would our inheritors have to pay we could do with an IHT calculator and hopefully this will soon be an application on our website but meanwhile see below some examples on the tax liability if we were to inherit different value net assets (after mortgages, debts etc.):

(We are assuming, for the purposes of the above calculations, that the net values have already been reduced with the average legal allowance, approximately 15.000 Euros)

The following list is by no means complete, but mentios a few of the most common mistakes made by non-resident testators with regards to their Spanish property. I always recommend that people:

1. If you have already bought, don’t just transfer the property to your children (or designated inheritors)!: This seems quite obvious but still today many property owners believe they can do it lawfully and don’t realize that logic and common sense are up against them: how can children buy when they don’t have money?
2. Don’t panic and jump into equity realease programmes, foreign company incorporation scheme or other miraculous option. The reason for this is very simple: the suppliers of these products/services do this for a living which means that they will not wish that you opt for another IHT avoidance scheme, but only theirs. In short, they are not able to give you impartial advice. If you are not sure, try asking them…
3. Over a certain value, don’t buy in your own name: How much will have to be paid will depend on the value, whether you have a mortgage, the number of designated inheritors and the relationship with them or if these are residents for tax purposes.
4. Don’t reciprocally will the property between the spouses, if the ultimate heirs will be the children. This can raise the tax bill dramatically.
5. Don’t pass away without a will or just a foreign will and think a Spanish will is not needed. Any asset proprietor in Spain should arrange his post-death affairs in a neat way, inasmuch as the heirs would otherwise be involved in consuming and expensive legal procedures which would attract different legal jurisdictions. An experience not recommended by those who have experienced it.
6. Don’t use the services of the so called tax experts to draft a will.
7. Don’t attempt tax-evading tricks, especially if you don’t know the risks!

In the following days I will elaborate more on each of these points.

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For those of you interested, on Tuesday September the 28th, I will be in the The Hannah Murray Show on Talk Radio Europe, discussing the inheritance issues that affect foreigners in Spain. You can tune in directly through their website (internet stream), or through the FM frequency assigned in your area.

Antonio Flores Inheritance, Taxes inheritance tax spain, Spain taxes, Spanish will, tax avoidance Spain