Belize Real Estate  Links  
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:

International Business Times

Mariner Real Estate acquires loan portfolio
BusinessWeek
Mariner Real Estate Management LLC said Friday that it worked with bank regulators to buy a portfolio of real estate loans worth about $760 million. ...
Leawood-based Mariner buys $760 million in real estate loans from FDICKansas City Star
Mariner Real Estate Management Acquires $760 Million FDIC Real Estate Loan ...Benzinga
FDIC sells another $760 million in REOHousing Wire
Emii.com -Bloomberg
all 24 news articles »


Jamie Dimon's real estate woes
Los Angeles Times (blog)
The bad real estate market has forced a series of reductions that have brought the listing price down by nearly half, to $6.95 million. ...

and more »


Washington Times

Real Estate News: Mortgage Rates Fall to 4.32%
Wall Street Journal (blog)
Mortgage Rates Hit New Low at 4.32%: Average mortgage rates hit another record low even as Treasurys sold off, according to Freddie Mac's ...
Freddie Mac Cites Lack of Inflation as Cause of New Record Low Mortgage RatesOBSNews.com

all 370 news articles »


Investors Real Estate Trust Declares Regular Quarterly Common Share ...
MarketWatch (press release)
MINOT, ND, Sep 3, 2010 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- Investors Real Estate Trust (NASDAQ:IRET) (NASDAQ:IRETP) announced today that its Board of Trustees has ...
Investors Real Estate Trust Declares Regular Quarterly Common Share ...Trading Markets (press release)

all 10 news articles »


Town Hall

Mo. drops appeal of real estate ballot measure
The Associated Press
2 whether to amend the Missouri Constitution to prohibit real estate transfer taxes, which typically are charged like sales taxes based on the price of the ...
Mo. drops appeal of real estate ballot measureKOAM-TV
Mo. judge orders real estate tax on fall ballotBusinessWeek
Ballot measure on real-estate transfer tax cleared by judgeKansas City Star
Real Estate Journal Online (blog) -FOX2now.com
all 122 news articles »


RiverSource LaSalle International Real Estate Fund, Inc. Declares Third ...
MarketWatch (press release)
Investments in real estate securities may be subject to specific risks, such as the risks associated with general and local economic conditions, ...

and more »


Commercial real estate transactions
Dallas Morning News
John Barker of Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services negotiated the sale. SRK Properties purchased a 3540-square-foot retail building on 10672 ...
Rankin Commercial Properties says Commercial Real Estate Back to Black.dBusinessNews Triangle (press release)

all 4 news articles »


Why is Google Getting Involved in Real Estate?
Forbes (blog)
And what impact will it have on the real estate market at large? The answer to the first question, as TechCrunch points out, may just be that they can ...

and more »


Hypo Real Estate's Collapse on the Slopes
BusinessWeek
Snowmass Village, the Colorado ski town, got a lift in 2007 when Germany's Hypo Real Estate Holding agreed to arrange ...

and more »


Inland Real Estate sells center to joint venture
BusinessWeek
Inland Real Estate Corp. said Thursday it has sold a recently acquired shopping center in Chicago to a joint venture it operates with Dutch pension fund ...
Inland Real Estate declares The Point at Clark's contribution to its JV with PGGMTrading Markets (press release)
Inland Real Estate Corporation Announces Contribution of The Point at Clark to ...MarketWatch (press release)
Property for Sun Prairie Copps Food soldThe Business Journal

all 35 news articles »

Google News

home | site map | Colorado Log Homes | Homes for Sale in Denver Metro
© 2006