The England & Wales Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) published an update in September 2015 providing guidance on financial lasting powers of attorney (LPAs) and how attorneys can delegate investment management decisions to a discretionary investment manager. Under this guidance an attorney can appoint a bank or an IFA to act on their behalf to… Read More Invitation to members – LPA discretionary investment clauses
There have been a number of recent press articles about the role of STEP, a leading professional body, in the wealth management industry. Some of these articles have presented a highly distorted view of STEP and the activities of our members. STEP members, known as TEPs, spend their professional lives helping families plan for their… Read More STEP – the reality
The UK’s International Tax Compliance (Client Notification) Regulations have been amended and will come into force on 30 September 2016. The regulations create an obligation on financial institutions (banks, building societies, insurers, fund managers, wealth managers and professionals that offer tax or financial advice or services) to notify their clients about the tax information that… Read More International Tax Compliance (Client Notification) Regulations
On 18 August, I attended the latest Charities CRS Working Group meeting, hosted by HMRC. The main issues discussed were as follows: HMRC confirmed that CIOs (charitable incorporated organisations) will be treated in the same way under CRS as other corporate bodies and this will be incorporated into the new guidance. HMRC confirmed that collection of Taxpayer Identification Number… Read More CRS and charities continued…
Taking a global view, the period since 2008 has been marked by unprecedented activity aimed at improving tax transparency. First of all we had tax information exchange on request. More recently the move has begun to automatic exchange of tax information. The same period has also seen enormous emphasis internationally on improving the availability of… Read More Why do people go offshore?
The UK’s historic vote on 23 June to leave the European Union has caused huge uncertainty, particularly for the three million EU citizens currently living in the UK, and the two million or so British people who live in other EU countries. Brexit has huge implications for cross-border families, both in the UK and in… Read More Brexit: Focus must be on cross-border families
The answer, in two words: ‘it doesn’t’! The new Financial Reporting Standard FRS102 is applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland and replaces all the UK Financial Reporting Standards and UITF Abstracts in issue prior to the new UK financial reporting regime. It sets the standard for financial reporting and applies primarily to corporate… Read More How does FRS102 affect the preparation of trust and estate accounts?
Earlier this spring STEP hosted the Tax, Trusts & Estates Conference at a number of venues around the UK. Speakers included Stephen Lawson TEP, Chris Whitehouse TEP, Caroline Bielanska TEP, Steven Kempster TEP, Professor Lesley King TEP, and Lucy Obrey TEP. Stephen Lawson provided a much needed update on the Inheritance (Provision for Family and… Read More Controversial will? Advise your clients on ‘statements of reason’
Transparency has been in the forefront of many people’s minds since news broke of the leak from Mossack Fonseca in Panama. But those in the know will be aware that the UK government has already taken steps to tackle the issue with the creation of a public register of company beneficial ownership: the PSC (People… Read More The UK PSC Register: what you need to know
STEP members Richard Frimston TEP and Anneke Vrenegoor TEP attended the European Parliament (EP) on 20 April to hear expert presentations on vulnerable adults across Member States (MS) by Dr Ian Curry Summer and Pietro Franzina (see presentations below). The occasion followed continued debate in the EP regarding the difficulty that MS are encountering to… Read More STEP attends European Parliament meeting on vulnerable adults across Member States
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