Jon-Bxl

FYI

I was watching French National News and this made it to the headlines! About expats being targeted by the Spanish tax boyz and gals

So I researched it and have a link below explaining

Don't get caught out by new Spain tax laws - Telegraph

BTW Isn't it amazing that the government can simply take money from your bank account. We've talked about this on the forum before. Its not only the government either! I had to reverse some payments recently.

BTW2 As mentioned previously, I am waiting till Spain properly (and finally) implement SEPA then we're closing down the Spanish account. I don't think the Spanish will be able to take money from an international account - which already is more secure. For example no-one can take money from my Belgian account. Also I can make ATM withdrawals easily etc so having a local account is no longer necessary
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_Euro_Payments_Area

Jon

PS Also in same vein EU court rules against Spain over discriminatory tax rules - Telegraph

amideislas

As long as I've been in Europe, governments and utilities have been able to take money from private accounts without much due process. When I lived in Germany, on many occasions when a payment for tax or rubbish collection or the common mistake of double or triple-charging of TV licence or anything else were in dispute, they'd simply find a bank account in my name and take the money. No questions asked. My problem to sort it out.

The finanzamt also has direct access to your (German) account, and can compare your transaction history to your tax declaration whenever they feel like it. And if they find anything they don't understand, they just take tax for it out of the account, and then send you a notice that you owed tax on some undeclared income (as they choose to interpret it). It's your problem to prove otherwise.

In Spain, both Endesa and Telefonica have taken monies from accounts they were never given direct debit access to. In one case, they took money from my husband's account for bills in my name. Never had they been given any knowledge of this account. So far, I've been lucky enough to avoid governmental money grabs in Spain.

That doesn't make it right, but it's nothing new.

Fred James

The changes to the income tax rates were published some time ago, and in most cases it will result in lower tax bills, but the improvement in the exchange rate will wipe that out.

Similarly, the Double Taxation Treaty has been in effect for some time and the only significant change, which has been discussed at length, is concerning the declaration of UK government pensions.

As for the IHT situation that is really old news and so is the asset declaration situation..

Sadly the UK newspapers seem to lag about a year or more behind reality!

Boseley

Never

Longlegpete

The date of the article is over a year old and as i understand it HMRC can also take money from your account if they think it's warranted

Jon-Bxl

Sorry you're in error.... look again, its todays date for the main article, about the 'new' taxes. (The link in the PS is older - but not the main topic, hence its a PS)

I was really surprised to see it on the French news as a main item, (also today ) so checked it out, curious. I am not a Spanish expat, though we have a home there, so I just posted the news as an FYI.

In Spain I've found it disturbing how they will just take money, and amideislas experience in the previous post, is even more disturbing!

I still believe its all the more reason to go with SEPA, if nothing else it gives an extra level of security ...... and I will close the Spanish account when its implemented properly in Spain.

Death and taxes .........

Jon

PS BTW note the 183 day rule, doesn't have to be consecutive days. Also the 'The centre of vital interests' for <183 days +

Longlegpete

I'm on a mobile browser so maybe i am missing something but all i am seeing is a July 2014 date at the start of the article before the text

Fred James

I agree with you. I cannot find any date other than July 15 2014. To prove the point, the only comment to the article is noted as over one year old.

Also, the 183 days not consecutive rule and the centre of vital interests have always been the case - nothing new there either.

Jon-Bxl

Here's a cut'n'paste.. top right.... from the exact Telegraph article ....so I am correct. It ties in with this mornings news broadcast as well.

Monday 24 August 2015

Anyway its not important.

This was meant to be an informative post based on what I heard in the headline news abroad. Many people may know the rules, many may not so this post was intended for those that may possibly not have known the detail. If you already know then ignore it. I hope it was useful for someone.

Jon

Bri and Katee

I've closed a bank account at one Santander branch and opened a new account at a different branch- transferring all charges etc to the new account.

One month later I transferred 2000€ in to the new account from the UK via a transfer company but it never arrived. Santander in their infinite wisdom decided to pay it into the closed account at branch 1 so they could take their bank charges. These charges had already been paid at branch 2, but they decided to take them twice. It then took me another month and 30€ to have the money taken out of the closed account and placed in the new one! Santander said it was not their fault but my own doing, go figure. They can open a closed account divert funds to it, take money out and then charge you to put the money where it should have been in the first place. The kicker to the tail is I still did not get the charges repaid, they kept the double payment as well.

Mitzyboy

It's not a government thing that will be implemented. It's down to the individual banks to sign up to it. I know this from personal experience in trying to get a transfer made from Spain when one of the banks was not signed up to SEPA

Fred James

Jon, I think you need to understand just how newspaper websites work. If you access the Telegraph, the date shown at the top right will always be todays date.

If you then access an archived article the article will show the publication date in the byline for the article, which is the case here.

If you do a search within the site for say, VJ day, you will get the article published on that date complete with the relevant date which clearly will not be todays date.

As you say, it's not really important, but it IS important to make sure that anything you post IS up to date rather than some archived article, otherwise it will cause some confusion.

pnwheels

Maybe your money is better kept at home in a safe?

amideislas

An awful lot of people around here do just that. And always have.

Longlegpete

I keep a healthy amount in my bank account in Spain, i dont worry too much about the tax man grabbing his chunk without me knowing because i pay all my taxes, sure it may catch me out one day but i dont lose sleep over it, i guess it's something those not paying there taxes worry about more!!!