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ESTATE DISPUTES: Some important judgments from last month

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.

Trustees cannot simply brush aside beneficiaries' request for information

INTERNATIONAL - SPAIN: Foreign nationals can sue government over inheritance tax discrimination, following Supreme Court ruling

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

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

INTERNATIONAL - AUSTRALIA: Consequences of using foreign trusts for capital gains

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.

COMPRAVENDITA - NEW ZEALAND: Government tightens ban on foreigners' land purchases

GERMANY: Expat businessman challenges exit tax for move to Switzerland

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

INTERNATIONAL - UK: Doubts cast on non-dom reforms' commencement date

INTERNATIONAL - European Union: Taxation at source must take into account non-resident taxpayer's domestic costs

It often happens that, after a prospective property has been inspected and chosen, substantial agreement is reached with the other party even if this is not yet formalized in written form. It is advisable to contact a notary at this early stage before signing the preliminary contract (the so-called “compromesso”). In the preliminary contract, both signatories undertake to stipulate the definitive sale contract by a certain date and on given conditions. The preliminary agreement (even i

Il arrive fréquemment que, après avoir vu et choisi le bien immobilier à acheter, on se mette d’accord en grandes lignes avec la contrepartie, même si rien n’a encore été formalisé noir sur blanc. Il convient alors absolument dès ce moment de s’adresser au notaire, même avant la signature de l’avant-contrat d’achat/vente (qu’on appelle compromis). En effet, par l’avant-contrat les deux parties s’engagent à conclure avant une certaine date et à des conditions précises le contrat définit

Notaries have as their essential mission to confer authenticity on the legal instruments and contracts they establish for their clients in various areas of law

Since 12 September 2002, the Consiglio Nazionale del Notariato has been registered in the public list of certifiers of digital signatures held by AIPA, as the certification authority for Italian notaries. The digital signatures of Italian notaries may be verified on the site http://ca.notariato.it. Based on the rules and the certification authority's operations manual, CNN certifies notaries' digital signatures in the exercise of their functions and so guarantees to third parties not only

Having broached subjects from the vendor's point of view as well, it is useful to recall that the burdensome INVIM (a tax originally levied on the vendor consequent upon his sale of a property) has been definitively abolished, to the great relief of the notary as well, given not only the complexity of calculating it but also (as always) the irksome role of tax collector that the law imposed on him. Nevertheless, it is helpful to emphasize that the vendor may still have to pay certain sums

Mention must be made of the distinction between real rates and nominal rates. The nominal rate is the percentage of interest that formally appears in the contract and which regulates the home loan operation. In reality, however, the effective cost of the loan is inevitably conditioned by a whole series of other factors: first of all, by various expense items  (survey, review and closure expenses; collection or encashment expenses; third-party agency costs; tax and insurance expenses; othe

As from 1 January 2006, it has been possible to meet the taxation requirements on some real estate transfers at the land registry's valuation, regardless of the price agreed and shown in the contract. The rule that first introduced the price-value concept was Article 1, Paragraph 497 of Law no. 266 of 23 December 2005 (2006 Budget); there were two subsequent amendments: Article 35, Paragraph 21 of Legislative Decree no. 223 of 4 July 2006, converted with modifications into Law no. 248 of

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

Legalization is indispensable for a foreign public document to be valid in Italy. It consists only of the official certification - by the competent Italian consular or diplomatic authority abroad – of the legal status of the public official (or functionary) who has signed the document and the authenticity of his signature. If the document is issued by a foreign authority in Italy, it must be legalized by the Prefect in the district in which the foreign authority is located (except for the

The purchaser's main obligation is obviously to pay the agreed price to the vendor at the time the sale contract is completed. Where an advance payment has been made as a deposit, the difference must be paid to make up the full agreed price. It is legitimate for the purchaser to request a deferment of payment, but it is not his right to insist upon it, it being left to the discretion of the vendor whether or not to grant this: the purchaser's obligation to pay the price in full derives fr

A property conveyance gives rise to a series of rights and obligations for both parties. For a number of the rights of one of the contracting parties, there are corresponding and equal obligations of the other party, so that the vendor and the purchaser find themselves involved in an interactive web of expectations to be met and duties to be performed. While some of these rights/obligations, such as the payment/receipt of the purchase price and the delivery/receipt of the property, are

In "land credit" contracts, the borrower has the legally-assured option of early repayment of the home loan; but generally, even in ordinary contracts, that possibility is foreseen. The borrower may decide, therefore, at a certain point in the repayment plan, to close out the contract and repay the remaining capital, on which obviously he will no longer pay interest. Given this loss of earnings, the bank could, if the contract so stipulates, demand compensation (a penalty). According to a

Home loans are generally guaranteed by a mortgage and so are the preserve, in our legal system, of the notary. The presence of the notarial profession has become more significant with the recent increase in the number of such contracts, a result of the lower cost of money (though this is still subject to fluctuations) and improvements in living standards that allow an ever greater number of citizens to aspire to the ownership of their home and often of a second home as well. Year after ye

When someone dies it is advisable to immediately obtain information on the transfer of the succession, that is, it has to be ascertained whether the succession – in the case in point – will be regulated by the law (since the deceased person has not left a will) or else, wholly or in part, by a will.Death is a grave and important event, on the basis of which different provisions of the law may take effect, besides the will of the deceased;  in order to avoid even important unforeseen consequences

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

Law no. 52 of 1996 introduced rules into the Italian legal system to protect the consumer in his contractual relations with professionals. In order to rationalize regulations which have been complicated by a long sequence of amendments, a Consumer Code was recently published (Legislative Decree no. 206 of 6 September 2005), which contains a thorough reworking of most of the consumer-protection rules. Article 3 of the Consumer Code defines a "consumer" as a physical individual who acts

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.

The sale contract includes the personal data of both the vendor and the purchaser, including their fiscal codes, the description of the property to be transferred with an indication of its location, its nature and its boundaries, as well as its identification at the land titles office and a number of obligatory pieces of information regarding town planning and building regulations. The vendor must declare whether the property was built before 1 September 1967; if the building took place a

The Consiglio Nazionale del Notariato (C.N.N.) is the professional order of notaries. It is made up of 20 notaries directly elected by all practising notaries in three-yearly elections. There is a limit of two consecutive mandates. The three members of the Audit Committee are elected according to the same procedure.The 20 elected councillors, after they are installed in office, nominate a President, a Vice President, a Secretary and an Executive Committee. The tasks of the Consiglio Na

The Foreign Ministry's website makes clear that “in the list regarding the condition of reciprocity for the purchase of real estate, there is no mention of mortgages which, unless otherwise stipulated, need no further checks on the condition of reciprocity, such transactions being linked to the purchase operation”. Hence it is not necessary to check the existence of reciprocity regarding the stipulation of mortgages in the absence of an express indication to the contrary.

The law completes the range of measures introduced to protect the purchaser by extending to the purchaser the right to parcel out the loan and the mortgage on the building being built, and the prohibition on selling before the division of the loan into quotas, or before discharge of the mortgage or foreclosure where these are not taken over by the new purchaser (Articles 7 and 8). The purchaser of a house to be used as his/her home has the right of pre-emption in case of an auction (Art.

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

As has been seen above, in order to determine the type of tax and the amount and means of payment of the sums due for duties on the purchase of a so-called primary residence, one must first of all take into account the nature of the vendor. When the vendor is the company that built (or renovated) the property and four years have not elapsed since completion, the conveyance is subject to VAT that the purchaser must pay directly to the company and not to the notary, along with the payment o

Sont considérés des changements des statuts d’une société par actions l’introduction, les modifications ou la suppression, même purement formelle, de clauses contenues dans ces statuts. En règle générale c’est l’assemblée extraordinaire qui en est chargée, et le procès-verbal des délibérations respectives doit être rédigé par un notaire et ensuite inscrit auprès du registre des entreprises compétent.La jurisprudence estime généralement qu’il n’est pas admis de déroger à la règle majoritaire, et

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

Le collège d’audit est l’organe de contrôle des sociétés par actions qui adoptent le système traditionnel: son mandat consiste à contrôler l’administration de la société et à veiller au respect de la loi et de l’acte constitutif.De nos jours, le contrôle purement comptable n’est plus qu’exceptionnellement assuré par le collège d’audit: seul dans les sociétés fermées, c.à.d. celles qui ne font pas appel au marché du capital-risque, si elles ne sont pas tenues à rédiger un bilan consolidé, et uniq

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 rules applying to limited partnerships are similar in many respects to those that apply to informal partnerships (please refer to the related paragraph).In addition, as regards subjective changes arising from the transfer of a partner’s capital share, a distinction needs to be made between the unlimited partner’s share and that of the limited partner.If one of the unlimited partners decides to transfer his/her capital share he may undoubtedly do so through a conveyance deed; however, unl

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

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

Let us take the case in which the Parties decide to undertake an entrepreneurial activity by setting up  a partnership.What would the general characteristics of such a company be?First of all, as regards the unlimited and joint liability of the partners:- in the case of a general partnership, all the partners have unlimited and joint liability;- in the case of an informal partnership, all the partners have unlimited and joint liability, but there can be an agreement whereby the partners who

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