Finally, a much needed change to Inheritance Tax in Andalucia has arrived and will be coming into effect on the 1st January 2017. With Andalucia being one of the poorest regions of Spain it was becoming increasingly difficult to justify it being the region with the highest level of Inheritance Tax, forcing many inheritors to renounce their inheritance because of the unaffordable tax bill that came with it. Consequently, a restructuring of the tax had long been a matter of debate and negotiation, on a regional as well as a national scale.
Higher threshold
The main change brought about by the new Inheritance Tax reform is the increase of the general threshold from 175,000 € to 250,000 € for each individual beneficiary. This means that as long as the value of the part of the entire estate being inherited is under this amount, no Inheritance Tax will be owed by said heir.
In addition, to inheritances of between 250,000 € and 350,000 € a 200,000 € reduction is applied (e.g. if an inheritor’s share is valued in 270,000 € tax will only be due on 70,000 €). The effect of this change is to correct the leap that currently exists where, the moment the inheritance is even a euro over the threshold, Inheritance Tax is owed on the entire amount. This circumstance quite clearly placed inheritors at a comparative disadvantage, and was one of the main criticisms made of Inheritance Tax regulation in Andalucia.
Main residence
Another important change is the introduction of increased
allowances for the inheritance of the deceased’s main residence by spouses, ascendants or descendants, or collateral relations over 65 years-old. Specifically, a 100 % allowance is applied when the value of the property is under 123,000 €, which reduces 1 % each time as the property value band increases, with the minimum allowance being 95 % when the property is valued at anywhere over 242,000 €.
Furthermore, as of the 1st January the beneficiary will now only be required to maintain ownership of the property for 3 years, as opposed to 10 years as it stands at the moment.
How is the tax rate calculated?
The above allowance, together with any other allowance the heir may be entitled to, is applied to the amount above the general threshold to determine the taxable amount.
Once we have the taxable amount the Inheritance Tax scale is applied, as well as a coefficient that depends on the relation to the deceased and the inheritor’s existing assets, to determine the tax rate that applies. All of these aspects remain unaltered by the tax reform.
Will this apply to UK residents post Brexit?
The regional allowances for Andalucia in the event that both the deceased and the beneficiary are EU residents. When this is not the case, only state allowances may be applied, which are far fewer.
Therefore, depending on the result of the negotiations between the UK and the EU, these regional allowances will continue to be applied to UK residents post Brexit, or not.
It is important that all of these circumstances and potential costs are taken into account when preparing your will, so as to organise your will and manage your wealth in a way that will be most beneficial to yourself and your inheritors. All of which makes seeking professional assistance in these matters essential, to avoid any unexpected and costly surprises when it’s too late.
Gabriella Mary Trussler Rowland
Lawyer
4408 Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Almería
