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CARTOLARIZZAZIONI - Nuove agevolazioni per ReoCo e LeasCo

The Privy Council ruling in Investec v Glenalla is being welcomed as good news for Guernsey, by reassuring settlors that assets in a Guernsey or Jersey trust are protected from creditors even if the trustee unreasonably incurs a liability or acts in breach of trust and thus invalidates its indemnity. The decision will prove to be of huge importance to settlors, beneficiaries and trustees across the offshore world, said Nick Robison of Guernsey law firm Babbé, which represented the trustees. FATT

Further comment has appeared on the England and Wales Family Court's decision to pierce the corporate veil in the financial remedy case of Akhmedova v Akhmedov (2018 EWFC 23 Fam). The judge considered it necessary to go against the long-standing legal principle, in response to Farkhad Akhmedov's 'continuing campaign to defeat his ex-wife by concealing his assets in a web of offshore companies', and issued orders to aid her enforcement of the judgment in the Isle of Man and Dubai FATTO

EUROPEAN COMMISSION: Companies to be prevented from moving tax residency

The Privy Council has handed down judgment in Investec Trust (Guernsey) v Glenalla Properties (2018 UKPC 7), in which the former trustees of the Tchenguiz Discretionary Trust had made loans of over GBP200 million to various BVI companies.

TUTELA DEL PATRIMONIO - Pronte le regole OCSE contro l’occultamento di patrimoni all’estero tramite trust e altri schemi

INTERNATIONAL - UK - Nearly 100,000 properties in England and Wales owned by foreign entities

NETHERLANDS: Measures against 'letterbox companies' seek to improve country's reputation

INTERNATIONAL - UK: Foreign investors may be discouraged by capital gains tax on commercial property

INTERNATIONAL - FRANCE: Legal entities must comply with reporting obligations by April

PHILANTHROPY: Ikea's late founder structured business as three foundations

INTERNATIONAL - UK: Legislation this summer on register of foreign property-owners

INTERNATIONAL - FRANCE: Wealth property tax has significant effects for non-residents

The Japanese government's 2018 tax reform bill abolishes the recently introduced rule under which the heirs of a long-term resident foreigner who died outside Japan remain liable to Japanese inheritance tax (IHT) on estate assets anywhere in the world. The rule had threatened to derail the government's efforts to attract foreign talent to live and work in Japan, because it meant IHT liability could follow a foreign national for up to five years after leaving the country.

Limited partnership structures can be set up in the BVI from early 2018, in the hope of attracting private equity funds and joint venture vehicles, for which onshore tax transparency is required. They do not need to have a BVI-based general partner.

TRUST - LUXEMBOURG: Movement on beneficial ownership registers

INTERNATIONAL - UK: Alarm over extension of property taxes to non-residents

EUROPE: Commission publishes argument against UK's CFC exemption

INTERNATIONAL - FRANCE: Distribution tax refunds to be financed by new 'exceptional' corporation tax

INTERNATIONAL - JERSEY: Apple says relocation of Irish subsidiary does not reduce its tax liabilities

'Foundation company' vehicle established in Cayman Islands

INTERNATIONAL - UK, TRUSTS: online trusts register is delayed

INTERNATIONAL - MATRIMONIAL: Russian woman reportedly claims GBP11.6 billion from ex-husband

INTERNATIONAL - GERMANY: Restriction of loss relief declared unconstitutional

INTERNATIONAL - UK TRUSTS: Law implementing registers of trusts in force on 26 June 2017

INTERNATIONAL - EU: Court of Justice rules on dynamic IP addresses

US: Trump proposes territorial tax system

INTERNATIONAL - Cayman Islands: Beneficial ownership regime ready for launch

SOCIETA' - Corporate Governance

The italian Notary

Notaries and business

The notarial profession has always been, and continues to be, one that is more than ready to adopt new technology. It is sufficient to recall that from the 1960s on, any and all notaries' offices moved rapidly from traditional typewriters and duplicators to the most sophisticated photocopiers and PCs with large-capacity memories. The reason for notaries' particular attention to technological developments of this kind is evident. For over 2000 years the notary's job has been to create and con

The system grants access to all the data stored in the archives of the Land Registry, the technical offices of the Taxation Department, the Companies Registry, the Motor Registry and, in the near future, the Notarial Archives too.

The rules governing this matter are extremely complex and may be schematically simplified by looking at a subjective profile and an objective profile. As regards the former, there are two main types of tax linked to real estate conveyances: stamp duty (imposta di registro) (and the related mortgage and cadastral taxes) and VAT. Whether one tax or the other is applied depends mainly but not exclusively on the nature of the vendor. Stamp duty is applicable in all cases where the vendo

Notartel S.p.A. was set up in 1997 in a partnership between the Consiglio Nazionale del Notariato (National Council of Notaries) and the Cassa Nazionale del Notariato (National Notaries' Fund) with the aim of creating and managing information and communications services for Italian notaries. Notartel links all Italian notaries by way of an intranet called Rete Unitaria del Notariato (RUN, or Unified Notarial Network), offering the services typical of an internet provider, such as access t

The new law that is discussed below, and in particular the duty to take out a surety bond, applies to all types of real estate negotiations and hence it applies to purchases, exchanges, divisions, allotments by cooperative companies …, also and in particular to all forms of agreement that are made before the purchase and actual delivery of the property, such as preliminary agreements, promises to sell, leasing contracts, unilateral promises, advance payments, …. (article 1, paragraph 1, lett

A company has a life of its own which is independent from that of its partners: it will go on living even after its partners die or it can be dissolved and wound up even if its partners are alive.All companies have a legal status and as such they have assets that are distinct from those of the partners that constitute the company. They have a name, a registered office and, hence are legal entities that are quite distinct from the individuals making up the company.They are non-personified col

If the parties wish to set up an general partnership, they must respect the specific rules laid down in this regard by the Civil Code, bearing in mind, in any case that, for many aspects, the law refers the reader to the provisions regulating informal partnerships, which consequently apply equally to general partnerships. So that, in the light the foregoing, the present file foresees multiple referrals to the subjects already dealt with and developed with regard to the informal partners

Sales must be subject to stamp duty (so sales subject to VAT are excluded) and the purchasers must be physical persons who are not acting in the interests of a commercial, artistic or professional business activity. So the price-value system also applies to sales made by companies, businesses or entities, so long as the purchasers are "physical persons" and the transaction is subject to stamp duty (not VAT). In other words, in addition to all sales where both parties are “private”, the price-val

A foreigner may set up a company in Italy, create an association, or undertake any other operation on the same conditions mentioned for the purchase of a house. With one caveat: reciprocity may exist only with regard to certain matters. If, for example, in a particular country an Italian may set up a company but not buy a house, a foreigner from that country (not officially resident in Italy) may set up a company in Italy but not buy a house.

These make it possible to record transactions on-line with both the Territorial Offices (Land Registry) and the Taxation Department, as well as with the Chambers of Commerce (Companies Registry). It is also possible to provide input on-line for the publication of notices in the Official Gazette.

The Decree does not apply in general to all real estate transactions but only to those negotiations of buildings where the seller (called “builder”) sells a building that he or others have built (Article 1, paragraph 1, letter b). Hence the law applies not only to purchases from a builder (an individual or a firm), but also to the person or firm that sells a building built by a third party. According to the Decree a “purchaser” is an individual who purchases a building or who, even though

When does one need a notary? The areas covered by Italian notaries are mainly:a) the purchase of a house or other real property;b) the formalization of a mortgage contract with a Bank;c) the preparation of powers of attorney so as to be represented by a third party;d) changes to property arrangements between spouses;e) applications to a court for authorizations regarding minor children;f) donation of assets;g) setting up of and changes to companies, and all relevant legal documents;h) acceptance

Only legal security in business and private relationships allow for economic development; therefore a constitutional state must guarantee  legal security to its citizens. To this goal: 1) lawsuits  must be prevented, for as much as possible; 2) the citizens must have access  to public registers whose records are reliable and legally trustworthy. Clearly the reliability of the findings depends entirely upon the trustworthiness of the deeds entered. An authentic deed, drawn by a

A joint-stock company must be set up through a public deed which must clearly indicate who the parties to the contract are. Such parties may be individuals but also legal entities (as for instance other joint-stock companies, partnerships, cooperatives or other bodies).The Memorandum of Association must indicate the Municipality in which the company has its registered office, which is where it operates, and the name of the company which must contain the wording “"società per azioni" or "s.p.

Any change, even only a purely formal change, in the clauses of the by-laws of a company is considered to be an amendment to the by-laws.  As a rule this competence belongs to the extraordinary shareholders’ meeting and the relevant decision must be written in the minutes by a notary public and then registered with the Register of Companies.The decision must be taken by a majority vote, any clause in the bylaws setting forth that unanimity is required to change the Memorandum of Association

The limited liability company is intended for smaller companies than joint-stock companies, and the equity participation in the company has a personal connotation which is absent in the s.p.a.  In fact, it has a limited number of shareholders who are not personally responsible for the social security liabilities, even if they have acted in the name and on behalf of the company.The legislation in place as of 1 January 2004 has had a major impact on the limited liability company, which is an e

The board of statutory auditors is the audit body of the joint-stock companies that adopt the traditional system:  it has the task of monitoring the company’s compliance with the law and the Memorandum of Association and has a supervisory function with regard to the actions of management. The Board of Auditors only exceptionally exercise accountancy control  and they do so only in closed companies, that is, companies which do not have recourse to the venture capital market, and only if envis

With the provisions that entered into force as of 1 January 2004, the dissolution of companies with share capital is governed by new rules.A company may be dissolved because: its term of duration has expired,  the corporate aims have been achieved or circumstances have set in that make it impossible to achieve them, the shareholders’ meeting cannot or will not function, the share capital has dropped to values below the minimum legal requirements (but the company may decide to reconstitute th

Following approval of the final settlement accounts, the liquidators must draw up a request to cancel the company from the Register of Companies, submit the cancellation request to the Office of the Register of Companies c/o the Chamber of Commerce of the province where the company is based. As a result of cancellation the company ceases to exist.

In early 2003 the Italian legislator issued a law decree (n° 6 of 17 January 2003) which thoroughly reformed companies limited by shares.  The declared aim was to simplify, where appropriate, and enrich, wherever possible, the rules governing such companies, with a view to increasing their competitiveness on both domestic and international markets.Many changes were made and the following results have been achieved:  a better, though still not complete, co-ordination between the rules governi

The consortium company is a particular form of consortium which operates under the same rules as those that govern the consortium that carries out external activities, set up for carrying out activities jointly with third parties. So this type of entity is organised like a company but it also has the function of a consortium.There are also mixed consortium companies, where some members are not  entrepreneurs but their presence in the enterprise is deemed instrumental for achieving the purpos

It has already been said that the unlimited partners are by right members of the management body of the company (directors or management board in the ordinary and in the two-tier system respectively).For all other aspects, please refer to the joint-stock companies (please refer to the related paragraph).

The functioning of the company with share capital, in its traditional model, is based on the necessary simultaneous presence of three bodies:  the shareholders’ meeting, the board of directors and the board of statutory auditors, each of which has its own distinct sphere of competence. Accounts are audited by an auditor or by an audit firm, except for closed companies where this is decided in the By-laws.The shareholders’ meeting, which is a sovereign body since it is empowered to decide on

From the historic and regulatory point of view, the joint-stock company is the prototype of the company with share capital whose body of rules apply to the limited partnerships with share capital (s.a.p.a.), with which it is compatible, and in some respects they are very close to the rules that govern the limited liability company, which however makes little reference to the rules on joint-stock companies, which consequently do not directly apply. The joint-stock company (s.p.a.) differs fro

Limited partnerships with share capital is a modified form of a company with share capital in which permanent directors manage the company who have unlimited liability, also contingent liability, for  social security liabilities. The provisions that are specific for this type of company are reduced to a few which concern above all the management of the company by the unlimited partners.    The peculiar characteristic of this type of company consists in the co-existence of two different group

The dissolution and liquidation of an s.a.p.a. is governed in general by the rules put forth for companies with share capital and joint-stock companies, to which the reader is referred (please refer to the related paragraph).Besides the ordinary reasons for winding up a company with share capital, there is an additional reason which holds only for limited partnerships with share capital, i.e. the case in which all the unlimited partners step down from office and they are not replaced within

On the basis of the provisions in force as of 1 January 2004, the administration of joint-stock companies may be organised according to three separate models:  the traditional model, the monistic model (of Anglo-Saxon origin) and the two-tier model (of German origin).In the traditional model, the directors have the task of running the company, and are accordingly provided with the power of being pro-active i.e. promoting the decision-making activity of the meeting (power of initiative), of i

Special rules are laid down for the appointment and revocation of auditors and of the members of the supervisory board and, for the s.a.p.a. that are listed or subject to compulsory auditing, there are special rules for assigning or revoking the assignment to an audit firm.For all other aspects, please refer to the joint-stock companies (please refer to the related paragraph).

In general partnerships too it may happen that, in the course of the company’s existence, the partners may wish to amend the partnership deed.Unless otherwise agreed, such changes must be adopted unanimously (except for when the company is turned into a company with share capital, or when mergers or demergers are carried out),  and must be written in a public deed or in an authenticated private contract, just like the partnership deed, since the law prescribes that also these amendments must

The rules described for the s.n.c. also apply to the establishment of an s.a.s.The Memorandum of Association must comply with the same requirements, in form and content, as those laid down for the s.n.c.An additional requirement is that the unlimited partners and the limited partners be distinctly indicated.The Memorandum of Association of the s.a.s. are to be entered in the Register of Companies. If this is not done the partnership is irregular and the provisions that shall apply are less favou

Consortiums are formed between entrepreneurs who decide to set up a common enterprise for regulating and carrying different phases of their respective businesses. The consortiums too are of a mutual character, since the consortium’s activity is carried out in the interest of its member enterprises. “Regulating” given steps of the members’ enterprises is a typical function of internal consortiums, and may be non-competitive in nature, while the “carrying out” of given steps in the respecti

In particular, it is pointed out that there are different rules as compared with the s.p.a. for the adoption of certain decisions (amendments to the Memorandum of Association, revocation and replacement of directors, appointment and revocation of the members of the supervision board). Hence the need to seek the advice of a notary public.For all other aspects, please refer to the joint-stock companies (please refer to the related paragraph).

Amendments to the Memorandum of Association must be approved not only by the extraordinary meeting but also by all the unlimited partners. The advice of the notary public may be useful in deciding on issues related to this mode of approval. For all other aspects, please refer to the joint-stock companies (please refer to the related paragraph).

Once upon a time it was enough to say that a foreigner was someone who was not an Italian citizen. This definition – to be clear – is still valid. Except that Article 17 of the EC Treaty institutes a citizenship of the European Union which is attributed to anyone who is a citizen of a Member State. Belonging to the European Union brings with it various consequences, some of which are very important, like the prohibition on

Co-operatives are associations of persons which are protected in the Italian Constitution:  in fact Article 45 of the Italian Constitution states: “the Constitution recognises the social function of co-operative societies that are based on the values of solidarity and that do not pursue goals of private profit”.In co-operatives predominant importance is ascribed to the social function, which consists in implementing a democratic decentralisation of the power of organisation and management of

Informal partnerships are the most elementary form of enterprise.The fundamental characteristic of an informal partnership is that the scope of its activities is limited to non-commercial profit-making economic activities.The scope of an informal partnership may therefore include:- agricultural activities, with certain limitations because:   the purpose of the enterprise cannot be merely that of using assets, but must consist in the joint operation of a business activity;  taci

Take the case in which the company has lost capital. What is the company allowed to do?In this connection the law envisages that, in case of losses, the company cannot distribute profits among the partners until the capital has been reduced or replenished by the corresponding amount.However, unlike what happens for companies with share capital, there is no obligation to reduce the capital whatever the amount of the losses incurred, even if the latter are such as to wipe out the  entire capit

Solo dall’inizio degli anni ’90, prima assi timidamente, poi in modo sempre più effettivo, il trust ha fatto la sua “comparsa” nel nostro ordinamento. In precedenza il trust era considerato come una “stranezza” inglese o americana, a noi per lo più incomprensibile e comunque estranea; da quando la ratifica italiana della Convenzione dell’Aja l’ha alfine sdoganato, una parte di coloro che vi si sono avvicinati è stata attirata, se non da un fenomeno “alla moda”, dal miraggio di poterne fare u

I trust dei quali si ha notizia (non esiste per essi alcuna forma di registrazione) possono essere divisi in due grandi categorie: quelli di interesse familiare e quelli di interesse imprenditoriale o finanziario, con una netta prevalenza numerica dei primi. Tra i primi vanno compresi quelli destinati ad assistere soggetti deboli e quelli che preordinano una successione ereditaria, forse i più frequenti. Tra i secondi, la tipologia sembra più varia: garanzia di un prestito obbligazionario, i

Duration is not an essential element for the establishment of partnerships. The parties may also expressly agree on indefinite duration.When a date of termination is envisaged, then on that date the company can be dissolved.The termination date may be modified or eliminated by the partners via:- express extension. In this case all the partners expressly decide on a new date of termination or on continuing the company’s life indefinitely;- tacit extension. If, after the date of termination th

The management of a company is the activity of running the corporate enterprise. The power of management is the power of carrying out any activity that falls within the scope of the corporate purpose.When the management of the company falls on more than one partner (all or some), and the partnership contract makes no provision on how the power of management is to be exercised, then the notion of  separate management shall apply:  each partner is a director, that is, he has the power of manag

In  share capital companies the financial autonomy is perfect in that the shareholders are accountable for the debts of the company only in proportion to the share they hold.This means:- that the personal creditors of a shareholder can never receive payment from the company;- that creditors of the company, in turn, can never expect the members to use their personal assets to pay for the company’s debts.The financial circumstances of the shareholder of a company with share capital will never

Carrying out an economic activity jointly in the form of a company is aimed at making a profit (objective profit) subsequently to be shared among the shareholders (subjective profit).  The companies that pursue this aim are called profit-making companies (partnerships and companies with share capital).There are however other types of companies (cooperatives) which by law pursue a mutual aim that is different from profit-making.Their typical aim is to provide the members with direct advantage

Contributions are the assets that the partners are obliged to provide under the partnership deed.In other terms, the contributions are the resources that the partners contribute to create the initial assets of the company.It is their function to provide the company with the initial capital required to carry out the company’s activity.Through the contribution each partner allocates a part of his personal assets to the common activity throughout the lifetime of the company and takes on the ent

In setting up a company, it is desirable to be assisted by a notary who will help you choose the form of company that, from the organizational standpoint, is best suited to achieving the corporate purpose.From the organizational point of view, companies can be distinguished into the following types:a. PartnershipsThese include:- informal partnerships;- general partnerships;- limited partnerships. b. Companies limited by shares These comprise:- joint-stoc

The company is of Italian nationality when the incorporation procedures have been completed in Italy and the company has been registered with the Register of Companies.As such an Italian company is subject to the organizational and tax regulations set forth in Italian Law.

It is extremely simple to set up an informal partnership:- the contract needs not be of any special type, except where special types of assets are involved (and except for evidentiary limitations);- all that is needed to set up an informal partnership is the mutual engagement by the partners to jointly carry out a non-commercial profit-making activity;- informal partnerships must be entered into the register of companies. Such registration takes place in a special section and does not imply

Individuals interested in becoming partners, whether they be natural persons, companies, associations or in general, entities, must have the legal capacity to act, i.e. carry out transactions that are valid from a legal standpoint.Can joint-stock companies  be members of a partnership? The issue was a matter for debate up to recently, but an affirmative solution was provided by the law that entered into force as of January 1 2004.Participation by other entities in companies can give rise to

Parties wishing to set up a company must enter into a contract: company agreement (Memorandum of Association) under which two or more persons transfer assets or services for doing business jointly with the aim of sharing the ensuing profits.The legal system also envisages the establishment of a business entity by a single person through a unilateral deed: for instance a stock company with a single shareholder, a one-man limited responsibility company, or a spin-off decided by the shareholder

Individuals who set up a company do so because they want to carry out a given economic activity together with other individuals.  This activity is the corporate purpose and must be indicated in the Memorandum of Association.  It may be changed during the life-time of the company only in accordance with the amendment rules envisaged in the Memorandum of Association.The activity must be a productive activity, i.e. a business aimed at producing or trading goods or providing services, while it c