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A will apparently executed in 2012 by John Payne, leaving most of his estate to his son by his first marriage, has been overturned on the grounds that the attesting witnesses' evidence was unreliable. The England and Wales Court of Appeal instead admitted to probate an earlier will leaving everything to Payne's second wife, despite significant doubts about that will's execution and attestation, too. FATTO

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

Currency repatriation requirements were extended on 14 April to cover loans issued by Russian residents to foreign borrowers, reducing the opportunities for businesses to shift funds abroad through non-repayable loans.

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

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

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

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

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.

TRUST - LUXEMBOURG: Movement on beneficial ownership registers

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

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

TRUST - NETHERLANDS: Tougher regulation of trust offices

EUROPE: Commission publishes argument against UK's CFC exemption

INTERNATIONAL - AUSTRALIA: Foreign investors to pay annual charge on vacant properties

GERMANY: Expat businessman challenges exit tax for move to Switzerland

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

WEALTH MANAGEMENT - FRANCE: Foreign resident's children cannot invoke forced heirship law

'Foundation company' vehicle established in Cayman Islands

INTERNATIONAL - HONG KONG: Multiple property stamp duty gap axed

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

INTERNATIONAL - INDIA: Highest court rules that three days per year is enough to create permanent establishment

US: Trump proposes territorial tax system

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

New Zealand to enact tighter foreign trust disclosure rules

The following are examples of what needs to be included in a proposal for sale or purchase and in a preliminary contract: - the precise description of the asset or assets; - the exact identification of the owner or owners and of the purchaser or purchasers; - the obligations of the vendor and of the purchaser; - the price of the sale and method of payment; - the conditions of the conveyance and relevant guarantees; - documentation of the history of the asset or assets; -

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 rate of interest is usually set in percentage terms; it may be fixed, which means it is the same for the whole duration of the loan, or variable, which means it is determined with reference to changing parameters that are set by objective, impartial criteria. For example, Euribor is an average quotation for variable rates calculated using objective criteria in the EU financial markets; while I.R.S. (interest instalments swap) is the financial reference parameter for establishing the cost

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

The rule is applied when the purchaser explicitly requests it of the notary: even though the law seems to leave leeway as to the form and manner in which the request is submitted, it is certainly advisable for the request to be included in the body of the purchase agreement.

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

After long years of waiting, the decree-law that introduces greater protection for the purchasers of houses that are in the process of being built has finally been published in the Official Gazette (6 July 2005, n° 155).  The measures introduced under this new law will have a major impact: indeed, according to estimates made by trade associations, since 1995 more than 200,000 Italian families have been involved in thousands of bankruptcies of construction firms. Decree Law n° 122 of 20 Ju

A person may not always be able to express his intentions directly: for example, because he is abroad or far from the place in which he is supposed to sign a particular deed or contract.In such cases, it is possible to use a power of attorney, i.e. a document giving another person the power to undertake a material or legal act in one's stead.For example, if a husband is abroad and a purchase contract for a house must be signed urgently, the husband – before he leaves or from abroad – may give hi

In general the purchase/sale is the contract having the purpose of transferring the ownership of a house or the transfer of some other right for the equivalent of a price;  more generically it could be said that the purchase/sale of real estate is the formal agreement by means of which one party, called the seller, transfers to another, called purchaser, the ownership of a given property against payment of the price agreed on. Our juridical system, in view of the extreme importance of rea

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 home loan is a contract whereby one party, called the lender (usually a bank), transfers a given sum of money to a second party known as the borrower, so that the latter may use it for a given time in exchange for paying the former an amount representing interest. To this outline of the essential structure and functions of the contract must be added that a home loan includes various clauses that are not always immediately comprehensible but are necessary for regulating all the relations

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

In general terms, the conveyance is the contract that transfers ownership of an asset or some other right in exchange for a consideration; more generically, one may say that a real estate conveyance is the formal agreement whereby one party, known as the vendor, transfers to another party, known as the purchaser, the ownership of a particular property in exchange for payment of the agreed price. Given the extreme importance of real property ownership, our legal system not only requires th

In order to avoid the notary's fees, which like any other professional service are calculated on the real price, becoming a possible disincentive for the application of the new rule, the lawmakers stipulated that those fees should be reduced; the reduction is set at 30 per cent. The National Council of Notaries, in order to ensure the full application of this new regulation and to meet the demands of Consumer Associations, has determined that the reduction should apply not only to the specific i

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

The “formal” lodging of a deed with a notary, whether required by law (Article 33 of Presidential Decree 445/2000; Article 106 of the Notary Law) or requested by an individual, is intended first of all to impose a control on the legitimacy of the document lodged (i.e. a check that its contents do not contravene mandatory legal rules) and also to ensure its conservation over time.Checks on the contents of foreign documents, however, must be made with reference to so-called international public or

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

If a married person wishes to sell a property, it is necessary to check whether or not the consent of the other spouse is needed; If a minor or a person not of sound mind is the owner of an asset, a judge's authorization is needed for the sale as well as the intervention of that person's tutor or parent or legal representative; the same thing applies for a purchase by such persons; If an inherited asset is the common property of several heirs, before selling his share an heir must firs

In general the rules for limited partnerships (s.a.s.) are the same as those laid down for informal partnerships (please refer to the related paragraph). However, the death of a limited partner does not end the partnership because, as said above, in case of death, the partner’s shares are transferred to the heirs, unless otherwise provided for in the Memorandum of Association.

A property regime is the set of rules that govern property and the manner of administering assets belonging to a married couple so long as the marriage lasts and when the marriage ends for any reason (death, divorce).In other words, the property regime stipulates the rights that each spouse has over assets acquired (by one or other of the spouses or by both) during the marriage, both for the duration of the marriage and in the case where the marriage ends.In Italy the “normal” regime established

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

If the parties wish to join forces by setting up a partnership, they can do this also by setting up a limited partnership (hereafter referred to as an s.a.s.).In general, the s.a.s. is governed by rules that govern the general partnership (for which in turn, reference is made to the rules laid down for informal partnerships), except for the specific provisions which will be examined below.Such a partnership is characterised by the presence of two categories of partners:- unlimited partners,

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

The rules applying to limited partnerships are in many ways similar to those that govern informal  partnerships (please refer to the related paragraph).However in limited partnerships, only the unlimited partners can be directors and legal representatives of the company.

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

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 from many points of view to those laid down for informal partnerships. However it is underlined that death of a limited partner does not imply conclusion of the business relationship, since upon the death of the partner his/her share is transmitted, unless otherwise agreed in the Memorandum of Association.

In general, the winding up and liquidation of an s.a.s. is governed by the rules set forth for general partnerships, to which the reader is referred (please refer to the related paragraph).However, besides the causes of dissolution that are the same for an s.n.c., there is another cause that is exclusive of the s.a.s., namely when there is only one category of partners left.In fact, it is envisaged that the s.a.s. is to be dissolved when only limited partners or only unlimited partners remai

Limited partners are excluded, in principle, from managing the company.However, they may negotiate or conclude individual deals on behalf of the company, providing they have received a specific proxy or authorisation empowering them to do so.Each limited partner is responsible for social security liabilities in a degree that is proportionate to the contribution they made to the company. Accordingly he/she does not assume any other risks, except that of losing the value of the capital he/she

By law all unlimited partners are directors of the s.a.s..However, the Memorandum of Association may entrust the management to one or some of the unlimited partners, excluding the other unlimited partners from the management.Unlimited partners who are directors are governed by the same rules as those laid down for s.n.c. directors.Their liability is identical to that of the partners in an s.n.c., and is accordingly unlimited and joint, with the benefit that the corporate assets are used to p

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

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

The rules governing general partnerships are similar in many respect to those laid down for informal partnerships (please refer to the related paragraph).

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).

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

The rules governing general partnerships are similar from many points of view to those laid down for informal partnerships (please refer to the related paragraph)

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).

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

The rules governing general partnerships are in may respects similar to those laid down for informal partnerships (please refer to the related paragraph).

The rules governing the general partnership are similar from many points of view to those laid down for informal partnerships (please refer to the related paragraph).

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

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 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

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