Real Estate Information

Buying Property in Portugal


Portugal has long been a popular choice for people, particularly from the colder climates of Northern Europe, looking to purchase a holiday home or a retirement home. Traditionally they have done so using offshore companies, mainly to avoid estate taxes. Unfortunately Portugal, along with some other countries, has made this route considerably less attractive by the imposition of swingeing tax penalties on offshore companies. The magnitude of these penalties can be seen from the examples below,

Real Estate Transfer Tax

This tax is paid by the purchaser, at progressive rates of up to 6% (5% for rural property) on property used exclusively for residential purposes, on the higher of the registered value or the purchase price agreed between the parties. This is usually the purchase price.

For offshore companies this rate has been increased to 15%.

Municipal Property Tax

This is a tax, at a rate set annually, levied by the local authority and based on the registered value. The rates are different for urban and rural properties and the total is typically about 1.6%.

For offshore companies the rate has been increased to 5%

Tax on a Deemed Rental Income

Where a property is owned by an offshore company, it is treated as having produced a rental income, which is charged to income tax, of one-fifteenth of the registered value.

There are other taxes, which have to be taken into account and these are,

Income tax

Where a property is rented out, the rent is charged to income tax and on a sale 50% of the chargeable capital gain is subject to Portuguese income tax.

Stamp duty

There is a stamp duty of 0.8% on the transfer of real estate.

Donations tax

Gifts to a spouse, antecedent or descendant are tax- free but other donations attract a tax of 10%

A Solution

Fortunately there are territories, which are not on the Portuguese black list and by purchasing a property in Portugal through a properly structured corporate vehicle incorporated in one of these locations, it is possible to avoid the penalties on offshore companies. These arrangements may bring with them other benefits such as,

? The ability to sell the property in the future without the buyer having to pay Real Estate Transfer tax,

? Avoidance of Portuguese capital gains tax on re-sale,

? Avoidance of donations tax or inheritance tax

? Avoidance of the deemed benefit provisions in U.K. law.

As taxes and the manner in which they are applied change frequently specialist advice should always be taken before entering into any arrangements

The Chesterfield Group provides a full range of trustee, and corporate advisory, formation and management services and invites enquiries. More particulars can be found on our web-site http://www.chesterfield-management.com REF=CH2EZ


MORE RESOURCES:

A Bullish Buy in Commercial Real Estate
Barron's - 21 hours ago
By TERESA RIVAS SOME INVESTORS MAY THINK that commercial real estate is a bubble waiting to pop, but a longtime director at Grubb & Ellis (ticker: GBE) has ...
Kojaian Accumulates 2 Million Shares of Grubb & Ellis (GBE) So Far ... StreetInsider.com (subscription)
all 2 news articles


Jury to decide whether shooting of real estate agent was murder
San Diego Union Tribune, United States - 20 hours ago
By Ray Huard EL CAJON – A Lakeside man should be convicted of killing his real estate agent in February 2007 over a condominium deal, both a defense lawyer ...
Slaying case now in hands of jurors San Diego Union Tribune
all 2 news articles


Real Estate Agents Bill passed
TVNZ, New Zealand - 1 hour ago
The Real Estate Institute will be stripped of its powers over the country's 18000 agents and a new, independent authority will be set up under legislation ...


Questions About Biden's Real Estate
ABC News - 4 hours ago
Biden is one of the least wealthy members of Congress, but he enjoys a splendid home because of real estate deals with political supporters. ...


AXcess News: Taking a Byte Out of Canada's Real Estate Market
MarketWatch - 21 hours ago
RENO, NV, Sep 05, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- While the US real estate market sits in the doldrums, home sales in Canada are expected to rise 5.3 ...


Sify

Half of HNIs looking to increase real estate exposure
Sify, India - 12 hours ago
Experts say these investments may go into real estate funds, stocks of companies that deal in property, as well as directly in land. ...


Feds charge ex-cop, appraiser in real estate fraud case
DetNews.com, MI - 15 hours ago
DETROIT -- A former Detroit police officer and a city appraiser are among three defendants named in a $2.1 million mortgage fraud and real estate "flipping" ...


Report: San Diego Real Estate Undervalued
NBC Sandiego.com, CA - 18 hours ago
SAN DIEGO -- San Diego's real estate market is now undervalued, according to a report from economic and financial analysis company Global Insight. ...
A housing flip-flop San Diego Union Tribune
all 2 news articles


Washington Post Real Estate editor and columnist
Washington Post, United States - Sep 5, 2008
Welcome to Real Estate Live, an online discussion of the Washington area housing market with Post Real Estate editor Maryann Haggerty and columnist ...
Sales slip in August, but real estate market holds firm overall Canada.com
I got this email from a reader: Boston Globe
all 5 news articles


Real estate exec Tracy Fults forms his own firm
San Antonio Business Journal, TX - 21 hours ago
Fults, a Dallas commercial real estate veteran, says he expects other top producers in the market to join his firm in the near future. ...

Real-Estate - Google News

home | site map
© 2006