A guide to. Technical Services. inheritance tax (IHT)

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Transcription:

A guide to Technical Services inheritance tax (IHT)

Contents What is inheritance tax? 4 The tax liability 4 Will you have an inheritance tax bill? 5 How to mitigate inheritance tax 6 Will planning 6 Use of trusts 7 Chargeable lifetime transfers 7 Potentially exempt transfers 8 Reservation of benefit 8 Investment based solutions 9 Insurance based solutions 9 Inheritance tax in practice 10 An alternative approach? 11 Inheritance tax position 11 Insuring the balance 12 Further observations 12 Tax calculator 13 Technical notes 14

What is inheritance tax? Inheritance tax (IHT) is, essentially, a tax charged on any transfer of assets to other people or trusts. It is mostly paid in respect of an individual s estate on death, but it can also apply in respect of certain transfers of assets during life. If an individual dies when they are domiciled or deemed domiciled in the UK, then IHT applies in respect of all of their property, wherever situated. Domicile is a technical concept which identifies the permanent home of the taxpayer. If the deceased died domiciled abroad, then the tax only applies to property situated in the UK. Under current legislation, IHT is often perceived as a voluntary tax. This is because with careful planning, it is possible to reduce or remove any liability altogether. This booklet describes the events which might give rise to an IHT charge, and the way in which IHT is calculated. It explores some insurance based methods of mitigating the tax and speculates as to the future shape of IHT. The tax liability It is a mistaken assumption that you need to be particularly wealthy to incur a substantial IHT liability. When you die, the value of your taxable estate is calculated. This is the total value of all your possessions and assets, less any available exemptions and relief. If the taxable estate exceeds the nil rate tax band of 325,000, anything over that sum is usually taxed at 40%. However, this tax rate is reduced to 36% if you leave 10% or more of your net estate to charity. There is only one tax band; with IHT everyone is a higher rate taxpayer. We have shown some examples of the impact of the tax for a single person below. Size of estate 500,000 86.0% 14.0% or 70,000 tax to pay 750,000 77.3% Tax Net estate 1,000,000 73.0% 22.7% or 170,000 tax to pay 27.0% or 270,000 tax to pay 4

Will you have an inheritance tax bill? IHT is payable on death if you make a transfer of chargeable property which, after deduction of liabilities, exemptions and tax relief, exceeds the nil rate band. Chargeable property This is the value of your worldwide assets that you transfer to other individuals or trusts and that you leave in your estate when you die. However if the transfer is made to your spouse or registered civil partner, it will be exempt from IHT. This only applies if you and your spouse or partner are UK domiciled (see Who pays IHT ). Liabilities Liabilities are reasonable funeral expenses, mortgages, outstanding loans and other debts. Exemptions Exempt transfers are those which can be made without a tax liability. The most important include: Spouse exemption transfers between UK domicile spouses and registered civil partners whether during life or on death. Charities Gifts and bequests to a charity that is a UK registered charity or other qualifying body (such as hospices and orphanages). National benefit Gifts and bequests to certain national institutions such as the National Gallery, British Museum, National Museums of Scotland and Wales, The Ulster Museum and any other similar national institution which is approved for this purpose. Political parties A transfer of value to a qualifying political party. A political party qualifies for exemption if at the last general election it either had two members elected to the House of Commons or one member elected and not less than 150,000 votes for the party. Housing associations Transfers to a registered housing association. (A housing association is one of a type of registered social landlord.) Family maintenance Payments made in favour of dependent relatives that make reasonable provision for their care or maintenance. Tax relief Certain assets get relief from IHT. The most important include: Business property relief 100% relief is available in respect of a sole trader s business, the interest in a business of a partner, or a shareholding in an unlisted company. Land, buildings, machinery or plant, which is owned personally by an individual, or a controlling shareholder, qualifies for 50% relief. Agricultural property relief 100% relief is available in respect of the agricultural value of land and farm buildings More information is given in the Technical notes on page 14. Nil rate band This is 325,000 and will be frozen at the current level until 5 April 2018. Thereafter, it will be linked to the Consumer Prices Index. It is also possible to transfer an unused nil rate band of a deceased spouse or civil partner. The excess over the threshold is all taxed at 40%. If you leave substantial sums to charity, this rate is reduced to 36%. Example (married couple) Net estate 950,000 Nil rate bands 650,000 Taxable estate 300,000 Tax rate 40% Inheritance tax 120,000 Who pays IHT? Domiciled individuals please see page 14 for more information on domicile Deemed domiciled individuals resident in the UK in 17 out of previous 20 tax years Residents who are not domiciled on their UK assets only If you are approaching deemed domicile status, you could consider an Excluded Property Trust. See page 14 for more details. 5

How to mitigate inheritance tax Even taking advantage of the lifetime gifts provisions may not be enough and a substantial potential tax liability could remain. But there are still steps that can be taken to make sure the tax bill at the end of the day will be minimised. Lifetime gifts The simplest method of reducing the value of a taxable estate is to give away surplus cash and assets, then to survive for a period of seven years. This can be to individuals or to a trust arrangement. It must be an outright gift to be effective; it cannot be made with strings attached. For example, the gift of a house subject to continuing occupation at less than a commercial rent is likely to be ineffective. When a gift is made, it will normally be exempt, relieved, or potentially exempt. One category of lifetime gift that can be subject to an immediate IHT charge is a gift into a specific trust arrangement termed a discretionary trust. Will planning a. Exempt transfers Any gifts or bequests in favour of exempt beneficiaries are free of inheritance tax. For example, a gift in favour of a surviving spouse/registered civil partner or a charity is exempt from tax. b. The nil rate band The law of inheritance tax allows an individual to transfer as much as they like to a UK domiciled spouse or registered civil partner, without liability and, with effect from 09/10/07, any of their unused nil rate band. c. Will trusts It is possible for you to include a discretionary trust in your will on death. You could use this to hold any business or agricultural property, thereby using the 100% tax relief available. Examples of exempt lifetime gifts, in addition to those already mentioned, are: Annual exemption lifetime transfers of up to 3,000 each tax year are exempt from inheritance tax. If the whole of the 3,000 is not used in any tax year, the balance can be carried forward to the next tax year. Small gifts exemption outright gifts of up to 250 in any one tax year to any number of people are exempt from inheritance tax. Normal expenditure out of income lifetime gifts which are of a regular nature, and made from net income, qualify for an exemption if they do not affect your normal standard of living. Marriage gifts exemption gifts made by certain people in consideration of a marriage or a civil partnership taking place are exempt: from a parent: 5,000 from a grandparent: 2,500 from others: 1,000 6

Use of trusts There are a number of trusts which can be used, the suitability depending on the precise requirements of the individual and the tax consequences of the trust. Some of the reasons for establishing a lifetime trust include: the ability to make a gift of assets while maintaining control. providing for minor children who are too young to take legal responsibility for gifted assets. to avoid or reduce inheritance tax, capital gains tax and income tax. to provide a flexible environment for the future. Lifetime gifts into trusts, which are absolute, are potentially exempt transfers (PETs). Types of trust Bare trust a bare trust is one under which the beneficiary is absolutely entitled to benefits (both income and capital). At age 18, a beneficiary, who is absolutely entitled, can call for their share of the trust fund to be paid to him or her. Discretionary trust this is a trust where a list of named beneficiaries, or categories of beneficiary, are entitled to the trust fund. The trustees have the discretion to appoint capital and income to any beneficiary or beneficiaries. It is important that the person creating the trust reserves no benefit from it. Discretionary will trusts If the Will Trust is discretionary in nature, the surviving spouse, children and grandchildren can be beneficiaries. The trustees can decide who should benefit from income and capital and can make appropriate payments. So, for example, capital or income could be appointed to the surviving spouse as and when required leaving the rest of the trust intact for distribution to children or grandchildren after the surviving spouse s death. Alternatively, if the trust includes an appropriate provision, the trustees may make loans to the surviving spouse which comprise debts against his or her estate, reducing its value for inheritance tax purposes. Chargeable lifetime transfers (CLTs) These are transfers which are neither exempt, nor potentially exempt. The most common chargeable transfers are lifetime gifts into discretionary trusts. A transfer will be chargeable if it (together with any transfers made in the previous seven years) exceeds the inheritance tax nil rate band. Tax is payable at 20% on the excess over the nil rate band and the transfer will not be included in the estate on death if the person survives for seven years. If death occurs within seven years, then tax at death rates will apply to the transfer retrospectively and taper relief may be available. Credit will be given for the tax already paid. Taper relief is a reduction in any tax payable in respect of the gift, which increases from 20% at three years to 100% after seven years. By way of example: Jerry creates a discretionary trust for 400,000. This is above the inheritance tax nil rate band, with no other chargeable transfers in his cumulation. The tax payable at outset would be: 400,000 less 325,000 x 20% = 15,000 If he dies within seven years of the transfer, then the position is as follows: Years survived Tax due Tax paid at Balance until death on death the outset payable 0-3 30,000 15,000 15,000 3-4 24,000 15,000 9,000 4-5 18,000 15,000 3,000 5-6 12,000 15,000 0 6-7 6,000 15,000 0 In addition to the tax charge on creation of the trust, a ten yearly periodic charge is raised at the special rate of 30% of the current lifetime rate that is 30% x 20% = 6%. This tax rate is applied to the amount by which the trust fund exceeds the nil rate band at that time. A proportion of this tax will be payable on distributions from the trust during a ten yearly period, or if a beneficiary is given a distribution. 7

Potentially exempt transfers (PETs) This is a term which describes gifts of cash and assets which, subject to certain conditions, will not incur a liability to IHT. Specifically, gifts between individuals, or into bare trust arrangements are termed PETs. A PET made more than seven years before death becomes an exempt transfer. If death occurs within seven years, then the gift becomes taxable, subject to any taper relief and the nil rate band. An example illustrates the effect: Joan (a widow) is retired and has an estate valued at 1million. This comprises cash plus stocks and shares worth 500,000, and a property worth 500,000. She is concerned about inheritance tax, and decides to gift 350,000 of cash, stocks and shares to her two daughters Jenny and Cybil. If Joan survives seven years, then the 350,000 gift will fall out of charge. If she dies within the first three years, then the gift will be deemed the first made on death. That part in excess of the inheritance tax nil rate band will be charged to 40% tax: 350,000-325,000 = 25,000 x 40% = 10,000 If death occurs between six and seven years, then the tax payable would reduce by 80%: 10,000 x 20% = 2,000 PETs also occur in respect of gifts made into bare trust arrangements. Specifically, a gift into trust which earmarks the trust fund for absolute beneficiaries is a PET. To illustrate the point: Joe decides to create a bare trust for the absolute benefit of his grandchildren. He makes a cash gift of 300,000, and makes sure that no-one else except the grandchildren can possibly benefit from the arrangement. As he is unwilling to make outright gifts of cash to his grandchildren, he perceives this as being the ideal solution. The initial gift is a PET, falling outside Joe s estate after seven years. Joe cannot change the beneficiaries once the trust has been established. Reservation of benefit Any attempt by the person making the gift to reserve a benefit is likely to invalidate the original gift. Examples include a gift of shares, while retaining the right to dividend income, or the gift of a house subject to a right of rent free occupation. Where the person making the gift reserves a benefit for himself, then the value of the property in question at the date of death will be included in the deceased s estate for inheritance tax purposes. Order of gifting When considering making lifetime gifts, the order in which you establish any new IHT planning structures is critical. Where a number of strategies are being considered to solve a specific IHT situation, a suggested order of transactions (with at least one day between each structure) is as follows: 1. Gift and loan trust 2. Whole of life plans 3. Discretionary gift trust 4. Bare trust However, the actual order depends on your individual circumstances and you should take expert advice in this regard before entering into any arrangements. Pre-owned assets tax (POAT) POAT was introduced in 2004 as an anti-avoidance measure, designed to curtail the use of certain IHT planning arrangements. There is an income tax charge on the benefits received by the former owners of property, which they had transferred to certain arrangements. The advice we have received is that none of the solutions described in this guide are subject to POAT. 8

Investment based solutions Investment bonds are commonly used in IHT mitigation arrangements, as they make ideal trust investments. They can be obtained from UK life offices or from offices based in offshore jurisdictions, such as the Isle of Man. The choice of asset does not affect the IHT position, but may affect the settlor s income tax or capital gains tax position as well as the eventual amount received by the beneficiaries. Single premium bonds A capital sum could be invested, with the policy written under trust for the beneficiaries of an estate. This would be an outright gift, denying the investor access to the capital invested. The investor has full control of the investment while alive. Discounted gift trusts This is an arrangement using a single premium investment bond and a specially drawn up trust, either discretionary or bare. This allows an individual to make substantial gifts into a trust but retain the right to receive a chosen level of payments during his or her lifetime. If the individual dies within seven years, the value of the gift for IHT purposes is reduced because of the retained right to income payments. Therefore, only the discounted value is included in the calculation of inheritance tax payable. After seven years the residual fund will be outside of the individual s estate. Growth on the investment will always be outside of the individual s estate. Back to back schemes The purchaser buys an annuity which reduces the value of the estate by the purchase price involved. The income produced is used to fund a whole of life policy, written in trust for the appropriate beneficiaries. Adequate medical evidence must be taken to support the whole of life application. These schemes tend to be more attractive to elderly investors when interest rates and, consequently, annuity rates are higher. Insurance based solutions Life assurance plays a major role in either meeting or reducing a prospective inheritance tax liability: Whole of life assurance This is the oldest established, and arguably the most effective method of meeting an IHT liability. As the date of death is uncertain, a whole of life policy is effected to make sure that capital is available at death to meet the IHT bill. Policies are normally written under a suitable trust arrangement to make sure the policy proceeds do not comprise the deceased s estate on death. Premium payments may be treated as CLTs, unless covered by the annual or normal expenditure out of income exemptions. Gift and loan schemes These are designed to couple inheritance tax savings with full access to capital. The investor establishes a trust for, say, 10, for his/her prospective beneficiaries. They then make a significant loan to the trustees, expressed to be interest free, repayable on demand. The trustees invest this in a single premium bond, then take yearly part withdrawals and pay these to the investor in repayment of the loan. These will typically be set at 5% a year, repayable on demand. The advantages of this type of scheme include: An initial gift which will usually be covered by the investor s annual/yearly IHT exemption or small gifts exemption. Any growth in the investment is outside of the investor s estate for IHT purposes. A reduction in the value of the investor s estate over 20 years, assuming that the loan repayments are spent as income. The principal disadvantage of this type of scheme is that inheritance tax savings take place over a 20 year period. 9

Inheritance tax in practice On death, the total value of all assets and possessions are added together. If this total (less liabilities, exemptions and relief) exceeds 325,000 (the current IHT threshold), then tax is paid at a flat rate of 40%. In addition, with effect from 9 October 2007, the unused nil rate band of a deceased spouse or registered civil partner can be allocated to the other party. The following example shows how Mr and Mrs Smith would be affected. It assumes that they own their assets jointly, that Mr Smith is the first to die, and leaves his estate, by will, to his wife. The family home is owned by Mr and Mrs Smith as joint tenants. The taxable estates of Mr and Mrs Smith comprise their collective assets, less any debts and liabilities they may have. Although there is no tax payable when Mr Smith dies first, there is a considerable tax bill on the subsequent death of Mrs Smith. This has the effect of substantially reducing the amount that could be inherited by future generations. Mr & Mrs Smith would understandably want their wealth to go to their family and not the tax man. Mr Smith Mrs Smith (1st death) (2nd death) Main residence 300,000 300,000 Contents and possessions 20,000 20,000 Bank and building society 50,000 45,000 Investments and other assets 50,000 35,000 Investment bonds not under trust 45,000 65,000 Mortgage ( 15,000) ( 15,000) Taxable estate 450,000 450,000 Amount passed by Mr Smith to Mrs Smith on death ( 450,000) 450,000 Chargeable estate 0 900,000 Nil rate band 325,000 650,000 Taxable estate nil 250,000 Tax payable (40% of taxable estate) nil 100,000 Tax as a percentage of Mrs Smith s chargeable estate 11.1% 10

An alternative approach? Canada Life offers a scheme which allows the investor to make a gift and preserve the right to benefit from the asset gifted at a fixed date in the future. This scheme is the Wealth Preservation Trust. It was created to provide the investor with an income and to mitigate IHT. Referring back to the section entitled Inheritance tax in practice, Mr Smith is conscious that the survivor between himself and his wife, is likely to have a significant tax liability on death, and that he needs to make substantial gifts (classed as CLTs), then survive for seven years. There is, of course, a dual conflict; if Mr Smith gives substantial sums away he may not have enough capital or income for his and his wife s needs, especially in retirement. The first step Mr Smith decides to use the Canada Life Wealth Preservation Trust and transfer 30,000 from the building society plus 70,000 representing the proceeds of other investments to Canada Life. Inheritance tax position The transaction is a gift made by Mr Smith. If we assume that he has used up all of his annual/ yearly exemption, then the value of the investments transferred by him is a CLT. We will assume that this amounts to 100,000. If Mr Smith survives for the next seven years, the investment will not form part of his estate. There would then be a substantial reduction in the IHT liability. If the death benefit (payable at anytime) exceeds 100,000, the investment growth will be free from IHT because only the value of the CLT is potentially taxable. A Wealth Preservation Trust is in fact a series of individual policies, with terms stretching from one year up to age 101 attained. For example, Mr Smith is retiring in five years time and sets up his investment as 25 policies of 4,000 with terms of six years to 30 years inclusive. As each policy comes up to maturity, it can either be left to mature or the term could be extended. If it is left to mature, Mr Smith is entitled to the maturity value. As he has set up a series of policies, this will be a regular annual/yearly event. If it is not appropriate to make any payment in one particular year, the term of the policy can be extended to a later year, thereby extending the tax savings. It is also possible to subdivide the policies into smaller policies of 2,000 each and, in this case, this would provide the options of no maturity value, half maturity value or full maturity value. The trust is a discretionary settlement which means that the trustees of the settlement can distribute the trust fund to any beneficiary as they, in their complete discretion, see fit. On maturity of a policy during the policyholder s lifetime, the maturity benefit is payable to the policyholder. The documentation Mr Smith completes the application forms and the appropriate Wealth Preservation Trust settlement form. He will also complete any requisite share sale forms. The investment may be spread across one or more internal unit linked funds. A share sale is a disposal for capital gains tax (CGT) purposes. If the profits made on the investments, exceed the annual exemption, then CGT will usually be payable. This should be taken into account before any decision is made and Mr Smith should consider the CGT bill (if any) in light of the advantages of the course of action contemplated. Any part of an account can be surrendered before maturity, but the proceeds are payable to the trustees for the benefit of the beneficiaries. The end result is that after seven years, Mr Smith has substantially reduced his potential IHT liability whilst maintaining access to regular maturity payments. The account is under the control of trustees to protect everyone s interests and there are excellent opportunities for capital growth. 11

Insuring the balance Even when taking the steps outlined on the previous page, if Mr and Mrs Smith do not change their wills, there is a residual tax liability of 60,000. This could be covered by a Whole of life policy written on a second death last survivor basis, under a discretionary trust. The cost of this would depend on the age and state of health of Mr and Mrs Smith. It is hoped that the premium payment would be within the normal expenditure exemption or their joint annual lifetime gift exemption of 6,000. Further observations Tax rate The current rates of income tax are 20%, 40% and 45%; CGT is at 18% or 28%; but inheritance tax is levied at 40% (or 36% if enough is given to charity). There are no indications that any lower rate of inheritance tax will be introduced everyone is a higher rate taxpayer with IHT. 12

Tax calculator Single or divorced people Where a full nil rate band transfer is available Size of Inheritance Net % of estate Inheritance Net % of estate estate tax estate lost in tax tax estate lost in tax 325,000 0 325,000 0.0% 0 325,000 0.0% 350,000 10,000 340,000 2.9% 0 350,000 0.0% 375,000 20,000 355,000 5.3% 0 375,000 0.0% 400,000 30,000 370,000 7.5% 0 400,000 0.0% 425,000 40,000 385,000 9.4% 0 425,000 0.0% 450,000 50,000 400,000 11.1% 0 450,000 0.0% 475,000 60,000 415,000 12.6% 0 475,000 0.0% 500,000 70,000 430,000 14.0% 0 500,000 0.0% 550,000 90,000 460,000 16.4% 0 550,000 0.0% 600,000 110,000 490,000 18.3% 0 600,000 0.0% 650,000 130,000 520,000 20.0% 0 650,000 0.0% 700,000 150,000 550,000 21.4% 20,000 680,000 2.9% 750,000 170,000 580,000 22.7% 40,000 710,000 5.3% 800,000 190,000 610,000 23.8% 60,000 740,000 7.5% 850,000 210,000 640,000 24.7% 80,000 770,000 9.4% 900,000 230,000 670,000 25.6% 100,000 800,000 11.1% 950,000 250,000 700,000 26.3% 120,000 830,000 12.6% 1,000,000 270,000 730,000 27.0% 140,000 860,000 14.0% 1,250,000 370,000 880,000 29.6% 240,000 1,010,000 19.2% 1,500,000 470,000 1,030,000 31.3% 340,000 1,160,000 22.7% 1,750,000 570,000 1,180,000 32.6% 440,000 1,310,000 25.1% 2,000,000 670,000 1,330,000 33.5% 540,000 1,460,000 27.0% 2,250,000 770,000 1,480,000 34.2% 640,000 1,610,000 28.4% 2,500,000 870,000 1,630,000 34.8% 740,000 1,760,000 29.6% 2,750,000 970,000 1,780,000 35.3% 840,000 1,910,000 30.5% 3,000,000 1,070,000 1,930,000 35.7% 940,000 2,060,000 31.3% 3,250,000 1,170,000 2,080,000 36.0% 1,040,000 2,210,000 32.0% 3,500,000 1,270,000 2,230,000 36.3% 1,140,000 2,360,000 32.6% 3,750,000 1,370,000 2,380,000 36.5% 1,240,000 2,510,000 33.1% 4,000,000 1,470,000 2,530,000 36.8% 1,340,000 2,660,000 33.5% 4,250,000 1,570,000 2,680,000 36.9% 1,440,000 2,810,000 33.9% 4,500,000 1,670,000 2,830,000 37.1% 1,540,000 2,960,000 34.2% 4,750,000 1,770,000 2,980,000 37.3% 1,640,000 3,110,000 34.5% 5,000,000 1,870,000 3,130,000 37.4% 1,740,000 3,260,000 34.8% 13

Technical notes Agricultural property relief If you own a farm, then you can get 100% IHT relief, if it meets various conditions. These are that: you have the right to vacant possession of the property or the right to obtain it within the next twelve months, or the land is let on a grazing licence, or the property is let on a tenancy beginning on or after 1 September 1995 In addition, you must have occupied the property for at least two years or, alternatively, owned the property for seven years and throughout that period it has been used for agricultural purposes. The agricultural property must be located in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or European Economic Area and includes: farmhouses, cottages or buildings, which are of a character appropriate to the property woodlands and buildings used for livestock growing crops included with the land stud farms engaged in the breeding and rearing of horses land and buildings used in the cultivation of short rotation coppice any land within a habitat scheme Please note that if the farm buildings have a lifestyle value, for example a farm cottage could be sold as a second home, that additional value will not attract agricultural relief. Business property relief If you own a business, then you can get 100% IHT relief if it meets various conditions, and if you own assets that you use in your business, you can get 50% IHT relief. The eligible assets, and the rate of tax relief, are as follows: A business or interest in a business 100% An interest in a business partnership 100% A holding of shares in an unquoted company 100% A controlling interest in a quoted company (more than 50% of the voting rights) 50% Land, buildings or plant and machinery used in a business 50% Business property does not qualify for the tax relief unless you have owned it for at least two years and it must be used exclusively for the purposes of the business. Shares in an unquoted company include AIM shares (Alternative Investment Market). The relief will not be available if the business is engaged wholly or mainly in dealing in securities, stocks or shares, land or buildings, or is an investment company. If there is a binding contract for sale, such as a buy and sell agreement, relief is not available. Domicile Domicile should not be confused with residence and it is, broadly speaking, the country in which you have your permanent home. This booklet assumes that the reader is UK domicile. If you leave the UK, you do not automatically change your domicile and in any event, you are still treated as UK domicile for the next three calendar years. If you are from a foreign country and have come to live in the UK, you are treated as deemed domiciled and charged to IHT once you have been resident here in 17 out of the last 20 tax years. Please note that in this instance, HMRC use tax years not calendar years, so it could be a period of as little as 16 years and 2 days before you are treated as deemed domicile. If you are approaching deemed domicile status, you could consider an Excluded Property Trust (see below). If you are UK resident but not domiciled here, IHT will only be levied on your UK assets, to the extent that their value exceeds the nil rate threshold. Excluded Property Trust This is a trust which holds offshore assets and is created by someone who is non-uk domiciled at the time, to ring-fence those assets before they become deemed domicile. It is a discretionary trust but, as trust assets are excluded property, they are not subject to any of the usual UK discretionary trust IHT charges. UK domicile This booklet assumes that the reader is UK domicile. Wills Please note that The Canada Life group is not responsible for any advice provided in respect of will arrangements. Taxation This document is based on Canada Life Limited and Canada Life International Limited s understanding of applicable legislation, law and current HM Revenue & Customs practice as at April 2014 It is provided solely for general consideration. The information regarding taxation is based on our understanding of current legislation, which may be altered and depends upon the individual financial circumstances of the investor. We recommend that investors take their own professional tax advice. 14

About Canada Life The Canada Life Assurance Company provides insurance and wealth management products and services through domestic operations in Canada and international operations in the Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man, Germany and the U.K., as well as branch and subsidiary operations in other countries. Canada Life is a subsidiary of The Great-West Life Assurance Company and a member of the Power Financial Corporation group of companies. www.canadalife.co.uk Canada Life Limited, registered in England no. 973271. Registered office: Canada Life Place, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 5BA. Telephone: 0345 6060708 Fax: 01707 646088 www.canadalife.co.uk Member of the Association of British Insurers. Canada Life International Limited, registered in the Isle of Man no. 33178. Registered office: Canada Life House, Isle of Man Business Park, Douglas, Isle of Man IM2 2QJ. Telephone: +44 (0) 1624 820200 Fax: +44 (0) 1624 820201 www.canadalifeint.com Member of the Association of International Life Offices. Canada Life International Assurance (Ireland) DAC, registered in Ireland no. 440141. Registered office: Irish Life Centre, Lower Abbey Street, Dublin 1, Ireland Telephone: +44 (0) 1624 820200 Fax: +44 (0) 845 674 0804 www.canadalifeinternational.ie Member of the Association of International Life Offices. Canada Life Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Canada Life International Limited and CLI Institutional Limited are Isle of Man registered companies authorised and regulated by the Isle of Man Financial Services Authority. Canada Life International Assurance (Ireland) DAC is authorised and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. This paper is made from recycled material 7775 116R