Isle of Man
Legal
Country code – IM
Legal basis – Common law
Legal framework – The Isle of Man Trusts (Amendment) Act 2015
Formal name – Trust
Settlor – The settlor is the person who establishes and whose assets are put into the trust. It may be either an individual or a legal entity.
The settlor may reserve significant listed control powers for himself and may also be a beneficiary. a trust is not deemed void (or voidable) upon the insolvency of a settlor.
Trustee – Trustees are the legal owner of the assets who have a fiduciary and statutory obligation to act in the best interest of the beneficiaries.
Trustees may be corporate bodies or individuals. Licensed trustees are not required by law.
Beneficiaries – Beneficiaries are those who get benefit from the trust. Beneficiaries may be natural persons or body corporates.
There are specific provisions in the law to prevent beneficiaries from draining the trust of its assets and spending in a thrifty way. There are specific legislative provisions to avoid probate and forced heirship.
Protector – The appointment of a Protector is optional.
Disclosure – Details of the Settlor and Beneficiaries are not disclosed to any person other than the Trustee.
Protection from foreign judgments – The Trustee Act includes provisions to ignore and not enforce foreign judgments. The Hague Convention on Trusts does not apply in the Isle of Man.
Protection from creditors – Isle of Man does not apply the Statute of Elizabeth, so transfers by the settlor to the trust may not be set aside if the settlor transferred the property before the debt arose. The creditor must prove the fraudulent transfer of assets to the trust, which is clearly defined by the law. Creditors’ claims may not be brought jointly. If a fraudulent transfer is proven, the trust may be not declared invalid.
Protection for immigrant trusts – Trusts that migrate from other jurisdictions do not benefit from retroactive protection.
Community property – Community properties transferred to an Isle of Man trust may retain its community property character.
Exclusion of foreign law - There are provisions in the legislation to be able to exclude foreign law.
Choice of law – The choice of law of Isle of Man to govern the trust or a particular aspect of that trust, is binding, valid, effective and conclusive regardless of any other circumstances.
Duration – Isle of Man trust instruments may last indefinitely.
Compliance – There are no annual reporting requirements.
- Settlor as a beneficiary
- Bankruptcy protection
- Ignore foreign judgements
- Hague convention on trusts
- Choice of law is binding
- Protection from immigrant trusts
- Community property provisions
- Custodian trustee permitted
- Rule against perpetuities (years)
- Yes Specific exclusion of foreign law
- Yes Settlor can retain control
Protection of Settlor
Protection from foreign judgements
- Avoidance of forced heirship
- Spendthrift provisions
- Exclusion of Statute of Elizabeth laws
- Trust invalid if transfer fraudulent
- Creditor must prove fraudulent transfer
- Clear definition of fraudulent transfers
- Separation of creditor claims
- Statutory limitation on fraudulent transfer
Protection of Beneficiary
Transfers
Taxes
A trust established in the Isle of Man may not be subject to local taxes applicable to the assets and income of the trust, provided that no residents of the Isle of Man benefit from the trust and no physical assets are located there.
It must be noted that the choice of law of the trust would not be applicable to tax matters, which would be governed by the respective jurisdiction where the settlor, beneficiaries, assets or trustee are located, as applicable.
You should consult with your tax advisor or accountant to know the tax implications in your jurisdiction of residence when establishing a trust in the Isle of Man, transfer assets to it and receive profits from said assets.
- Offshore Income Tax Exemption
- Offshore capital gains tax exemption
- Offshore dividends tax exemption
- CFC Rules
- Thin Capitalisation Rules
- Patent Box
- Tax Incentives & Credits
- Property Tax
- Wealth tax
- Estate inheritance tax
- Transfer tax
- Capital duties
- - Offshore Income Tax Rate
- - Corporate Tax Rate
- 0% Capital Gains Tax Rate
- 0% Dividends Received
- 0% Dividends Withholding Tax Rate
- 0% Interests Withholding Tax Rate
- 0% Royalties Withholding Tax Rate
- 1 Losses carryback (years)
- Indefinitely Losses carryforward (years)
- 11.00% Social Security Employee
- 12.00% Social Security Employer
- 20% Personal Income Tax Rate
- 20% VAT Rate
- 0 Tax Treaties
Country details
The Isle of Man is a British Crown Dependency formed by the main island and some islets located in the sea of Ireland, between Ireland and Great Britain. The sovereign is the British monarch, as lord of Man, who is represented by the governor-general. Its international representation and defense are the responsibility of the Government of the United Kingdom.
Like all other dependencies, it is not part of the United Kingdom, neither the European Union nor the European Economic Area. Although it does belong to the customs union of the European Union, thus benefiting from the free movement of industrial and agricultural goods.
As a member of the Common Travel Area, the free movement of citizens of the European Economic Area is also permitted.
The island is 572 sq. km. in extent and low elevation above sea level, with 621 meters of maximum altitude on Snaefell mountain. Around the main island, there are a few small islands such as Calf of Man, St Patrick, and St Michael.
The Isle of Man has about 80,000 inhabitants, of whom 26,000 reside in the island's capital, Douglas.
The English language is spoken by almost the entire population of the island and is also the official language. Manx Gaelic is the historical language and was traditionally spoken, but today there are few who speak fluently or on a daily basis.
The Isle of Man Pound is the official currency, which is not an independent monetary unit but is a special pound sterling (GBP) issued for the island.
The Isle of Man has a completely independent government, parliament elected by universal suffrage (Tynwald) and judicial system. The executive power of the island is in charge of the General Minister and his or her Council of Ministers. The General Minister is nominated by Tynwald after each general election.
Financial services are the main economic sector. Banking, insurance, financial and offshore business services alone constitute more than a third of the island's GDP. Recently, it has been opened an office of the International Stock Exchange to boost the financial industry of the island.
Manufacturing, tourism, and more recently gambling are other key sectors of its economy. Agriculture and fisheries, traditionally the major sectors, are currently relatively small in the Manx economy.
Services
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