The Spanish Chamber of Commerce was thrilled to work with Blick Rothenberg, member of the Chamber, to organise the “Don’t Get Into Trouble With UK Tax – Risks and Opportunities” seminar, held at their premises in Holborn on Thursday 22nd October.
The event kicked off with a warm welcome both from Igor Urra, Secretary General of the Spanish Chamber, and Blick Rothenberg partners Simon Wagman and Mark Abb , who were the speakers for this seminar. The seminar provided a general overview on the relevant aspects and issues to consider for Spanish companies operating in the UK and sending employees from Spain.
From left to right: Mr. Mark Abb, Mr. Simon Wagman (Blick Rothenberg) and Mr. Igor Urra, from the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain.
As the seminar progressed some of the aspects the speakers touched on covered how the tax legislation should be implemented among staff , when UK tax is due, when a tax needs to be considered through remuneration or as exemption, and what the role of the UK payroll withholding system is and how it works. More often than not these issues tend to be overlooked thus generating confusion both for the company and the individuals.
Afterwards, Mark got into the full swing of the event, engaging in a lively debate session to solve attendees’ doubts on this interesting and in many ways unknown topic. He explained what the UK-Spanish tax treaty consists of and he acknowledged the fact that some of the elements can be confusing when dealing with a tax issue.
In fact, as it was pointed out during the seminar, many people think that it is possible to avoid UK tax if you are paying Spanish tax or if you have a Spanish employer or payroll. However, this is not necessarily the case and all tax claims must be backed up by evidence. A lot of this is dependent upon how long the working period in the UK is or whether the employee is a UK resident or not.
Attendees had the opportunity to discuss further during the networking breakfast.
The seminar was followed by a productive networking breakfast, time when attendees and speakers alike were able to come together, share thoughts and discuss further the ideas the session had covered. Needless to say this bit provided a wonderful opportunity to make business contacts, which are always welcome.
The Spanish Chamber would like to thank all attendees for joining us and particularly Blick Rothenberg for hosting the event at their premises. If you were in attendance, please let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment.
Do not forget to keep an eye on our UPCOMING EVENTS section to learn more about future activities and events of the Spanish Chamber.