Update 11 August 2020: It remains unclear exactly when the proposed Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 will come into force as this is being created by way of a Statutory Instrument, which is subject to the sifting procedure in Parliament. This is a special procedure for EU legislation, and the date on which the regulations will come into force will only become clear once the procedure has been completed.
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has confirmed that the date from which new business relationships and acquisitions of land have to be considered as part of the registration requirements under the regulations will be 21 days after the Statutory Instrument has been laid (see para 1(2) of the regulations).
The UK Parliament website shows the regulations as ‘laid’ on 15 July for the purpose of the sifting procedure, however this does not mean they have been ‘laid’ for the purposes of the commencement provisions in para 1(2) of the regulations. This can only happen after the sifting procedure has been completed. We will keep members updated once it is clear when the regulations will come into force.
Original blog: HMRC and HM Treasury (HMT) have published a response to the technical consultation ‘Fifth Money Laundering Directive and Trust Registration Service’. The consultation ran from January to February 2020 and sought views on how the Fifth Money Laundering Directive (5AMLD) should be transposed, and how certain processes could work for the expanded Trust Registration Service (TRS).
STEP submitted a consultation response and has held numerous meetings with HMRC and HMT over the last 18 months, on various issues related to the implementation of 5AMLD.
One of STEP’s outstanding concerns has been in relation to the interpretation of the business relationship point, which could have had an incredibly damaging effect on the use of UK professional service providers if interpreted in the same way as 4AMLD. We have been advising the government on the negative impact that a wide interpretation of the directive could have on the industry, and we are delighted to see that our recommendation has been accepted.
Para 2.15 of the consultation confirms that, ‘the government has opted to take a measured approach and will only require non-UK trusts to register on entering a business relationship with a UK obliged entity if the trust has at least one UK resident trustee. This means that non-UK trusts will not be required to register if their only link to the UK is through a business relationship with a UK based adviser.’
There is also a significant expansion of the categories of trust that will not need to be reported, which will ease the reporting burden on our members, although we were disappointed to note that bare trusts have not been exempted from registration as we would have liked. The government has also recognised that it would not be appropriate to require trusts created by will to register on the TRS if they are wound up within two years of death.
STEP also had concerns over the ‘legitimate interest’ application process, and the consultation confirms that it will aim to ensure that each request will be reviewed on its own merits, and access will be given only where there is evidence of money laundering or terrorist activity. We will continue to engage with the government on this issue.
The government has set a deadline of 10 March 2022 for existing trusts to register on the TRS, or to update their records if they have already done so. A 30-day deadline will be imposed for new trust registrations and updates. The regulations to implement the provisions have now been laid before Parliament for consideration.
We are very pleased that our discussions and papers have been taken into consideration so comprehensively, and we will continue to engage with the government on the remaining policy issues and assist with the development of the guidance.
Emily Deane TEP, STEP Technical Counsel
The STEP Blog 