This is where double tax treaties come into play, and in the case of a Spanish resident owning property in the UK, the double tax treaty articles 13 (1) and 24(4) can ensure that any gain is taxed in the UK. Fortunately, you can usually avoid UK CGT by remaining non resident for a period of at least five complete tax years. In terms of Spanish tax, whilst the Spanish may be able to levy tax on the gain, the current position is that in practice many residents have found that the Spanish revenue authorities have not been interested in the gain arising in the UK.

So the book is in practice correct and a very interesting and informative read to boot.


I wouldn't trust it   February 26, 2006
4 out of 7 found this review helpful

At only 122 pages it's only about as thick as a magazine, this would be fair enough if it was accurate... however the area I was interested in regarding the sale of property in the uk while a resident in Spain as covered page 37-38 states I would escape capital gains tax altogether IS INCORRECT. The author does not understand the the concept of dual tax treaties which stop someone from paying tax twice but does not help in avoiding tax, so even though article 13(1) states that capital gains from immovable property MAY be taxed in the country it is situated (ie the UK) it does not prevent the Spanish from also taxing it if you are resident there (WHICH THEY WILL AT 15%), the author needs to understand MAY does not mean MAY ONLY.


Great read for people thinking of moving abroad   August 2, 2005
James Orr
5 out of 7 found this review helpful

I found this book extremely useful. We have been considering a permanent move to Spain, and although I was aware that this move could have favourable tax implications for us, I didn't know just how much we would save or how many options were open to us. The examples used made things much clearer to me, as I had been struggling to get my head around some of the more complicated tax matters involved. A real eye-opener, thanks.