Trusts can be a useful tool for reducing tax liabilities, particularly where
inheritance tax is concerned.
Giving away assets during your lifetime is the most common way
to reduce your inheritance tax burden. By creating a trust, you
can give assets away but retain flexibility and some control
over who will benefit from the income from the trust assets,
and ultimately the capital, and when.
The main types of trust used for tax planning are:
interest in possession
trusts: one
or more of the beneficiaries receives income from the trust.
The capital may pass to other beneficiaries when the interest
in possession terminates, most commonly on a death.
discretionary trust: the beneficiaries have
no right to any income or capital. It is up to the trustees to
decide how much they receive – if anything – in accordance with
the terms of the trust.
accumulation and maintenance
trust: these
trusts are used to look after children while they are minors.
Once the beneficiaries become entitled to the trust property,
at the age of 18 in England and Wales, the trust turns into an
interest in possession trust.
We can review any existing trusts you have for tax efficiency
or advise on the most appropriate type of trust for you, depending
on your individual circumstances.
We can also look at draft trust deeds to make sure that the trust
is will deliver the maximum tax advantages.
To find out more about how
we can help you, or to arrange a free initial meeting, please contact
us.
Randall & Payne is registered to carry
on audit work by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales
and authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority for
investment business.