Released on: December 6, 2007, 8:39 am

Press Release Author: Jim watson

Industry: Real Estate

Press Release Summary: Inheritance Tax (IHT) has been a big issue in Britain
recently, with newspaper campaigns for its abolition, a pledge to raise the
threshold to £1 million by the Conservatives and an immediate doubling of the
threshold for couples to £600,000 in response by the Labour government in the
pre-budget report.

Press Release Body: Inheritance Tax (IHT) has been a big issue in Britain recently,
with newspaper campaigns for its abolition, a pledge to raise the threshold to £1
million by the Conservatives and an immediate doubling of the threshold for couples
to £600,000 in response by the Labour government in the pre-budget report.

Yet for all the interest in the tax in Britain, it is an issue in other countries
too, not least for UK investors looking to build up a property portfolio.

The key issue for such investors is to be well-informed about such laws, for they
are different from those in Britain and also from each other, a point experts on the
issue are keen to emphasise.

One such expert is Geoffrey Shindler at Lane-Smith & Shindler LLP, a specialist in
areas such as tax, wills and trusts, who told homemove.co.uk that places such as
Spain and France, which are the most popular for overseas investors, had
significantly different provisions than the UK. His advice, particularly for those
buying a property with the intention of retiring to it, was that local advice should
be sought and, ideally, a solicitor should find a lawyer in that country with a
knowledge of how best to proceed.

Similar advice comes from independent financial advisors Calculis Ltd, whose
director Alex Pegley warned that many people could get hit with inheritance tax both
in the UK and overseas, unless they became non-domiciled - a process he described as
\"pretty drawn out, complicated and nigh on impossible\".

He added: \"The key thing that people need to be aware of is the tax is constructed
in a different way abroad,\" noting that UK provisions such as spousal exceptions
were \"not necessarily\" applied in places such as France and Spain.

Recommending that people get a \"feeling\" for the tax situation in the country where
the investment is being made, he echoed Mr Shindler\'s advice by saying buyers
\"really need to talk to the person in the country they\'re buying in.\"

This is not automatic, Mr Pegley warned, for there was a distinct lack of
transparency, in his view: \"People don\'t think of doing it, in my experience. It\'s
only when they\'ve been advised to do that that they\'ll do that. People aren\'t
seeking advice on the overseas situation.\"

Opportunities abound for investors in property in many countries, with France and
Spain complimented by locations such as Germany, Portugal, the Alps, Cape Verde and
Cyprus in Europe alone. With so many locations and opportunities, investors can look
around for various options to make money and even find their own place overseas.

Yet with each country comes a batch of property laws to which wise investors will
pay the respect of getting to know, ideally by using the best local advice they can
get, to avoid a dream investment turning sour.

In today\'s world Property investment is an excellent investment option especially
investment in UK

Web Site: http://www.assetz.co.uk

Contact Details: Address:Assetz House, Newby Road, Stockport,Cheshire,SK7 5DA

fax:0845 400 6010

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