Are you engaged in International trade where countries like the US, Syria, Cuba, North-Korea are directly or indirectly involved, or if your goods/services are of strategic importance (nuclear, weapons, knowledge)?
Then you could run a risk regarding International sanction laws and regulations. Embargoes and sanctions can take a number of forms, but the most relevant types of sanctions for businesses are financial sanctions and trade sanctions. Financial sanctions generally involve asset-freeze measures affecting the provision of funds and economic resources to certain entities or individuals ('designated persons'). They may also include restrictions on the use of assets by designated persons, receipt and transfers of funds to particular types of persons - for example, Syrian nationals - and prohibitions on the provision of financing or financial assistance connected to designated persons and prohibited transactions. Trade sanctions prohibit trade in certain goods from affected countries, usually arms and commodities such as oil, timber, gold and diamonds; and equipment for use in the nuclear, oil and gas or petrochemical sector. Activities related to such trade may be prohibited. It is also broadly prohibited to engage in any activities the object or effect of which is to circumvent sanctions. As a consequence, companies should not structure transactions to avoid international sanctions. For example, an EU based oil and gas business which supplied equipment to a company in the UAE, knowing that in turn the UAE company supplied that equipment to end users in a sanctioned country, may well have breached EU trade sanctions against that country. Breach of financial or trade sanctions law can result in the commission of a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment, a very important financial punishment or both. We can support you to become aware of this risk and subsequently adjust your processes to identify the sanction risks and make sure it is managed in a proper way. Need further information? Looking for solutions? Contact us. When starting a new Belgium company, you are able to benefit from numerous tax advantages.
Advantage 1: tax shelter. When transferring money to a newly established company (existing since less than 4 years), there is a tax deduction of 45% of the transferred cash. Not surprisingly, there are limitations and conditions: 1° the tax deduction is not allowed for the director of the company; 2° the total advantage is limited by the structure of the shareholding structure; 3° real estate and management companies are exempt; 4° payment in full of the shares is necessary. Advantage 2: lower rate for witholding tax. You can benefit from the lower witholding tax rate of 15% for dividend payout after 3 years. Keep in mind that for this advantage the condition of payment in full of the shares also applies. Contact us for more information. Drones are "hot" in Belgium, so indicates the rising number of members of the BeUAS – Belgian Unmanned Aircraft Systems association.
Although the sector seems to be booming, laws and regulations are outdated: - the necessary register is not available - a specific government permit is only obtainable in very few cases - indoor use of the drone in a closed space is possible, but doesn't meet the objectives of the use of the drone Nevertheless, drones in all shapes and sizes are used in Belgium. Therefore, clear legal rules are necessary to operate correctly. Four possibilities need to be taken into consideration:
Please contact us for further information. Een schenking kan gebeuren met voorbehoud van vruchtgebruik, op die manier staat de schenker wel de naakte eigendom af, maar niet de "vruchten" die voortkomen uit hetgeen wordt geschonken. Bij een effectenportefeuille zijn dit bijvoorbeeld de interesten en dividenden, bij een woning de huurgelden, etc.
Het vruchtgebruik laat de schenker ook toe om nog veel controle uit te oefenen op hetgeen wordt geschonken. Maar wat als er niet sprake is van vruchten? De beleggingsportefeuille wordt bijvoorbeeld samengesteld uit kapitaliserende stukken, of er zijn praktisch gezien heel weinig vruchten, omdat de beleggingen lage rentevergoedingen genieten, het gaat om een levensverzekering die wordt geschonken, of de woning slechts weinig vruchten opbrengt (bijvoorbeeld een appartement aan zee dat slechts enkele maanden per jaar wordt verhuurd). Dan is het aangewezen om "slim vruchtgebruik" toe te passen. Door de clausule met betrekking tot het vruchtgebruik op een bepaalde wijze te formuleren, of precies na te gaan wat de "vruchten" dan wel zijn, kunt u als vruchtgebruiker toch wat economische waarde naar u laten komen, en blijft alles burgerrechtelijk en fiscaal correct. Meer weten? Neem contact voor een vrijblijvend gesprek. |
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