Get tax treatment right
20th November 2006
KPMG media
release
Get tax treatment right or risk losing managed funds overseas, says KPMG
Failure to address the
disparities between taxation of managed funds and direct
investors could have a profound effect on New Zealand’s
funds management industry and, therefore, KiwiSaver, says
Murray Sarelius, KPMG tax partner.
Getting the tax
treatment right may be central to attracting funds to locate
here, he says.
A recent survey carried out by KPMG and the United Kingdom Investment Management Association found that the three biggest factors in determining where to base a fund were the taxation of the fund, the taxation of the investor and the regulation of the fund.
The survey, "Taxation and the Competitiveness of UK Funds", published in October this year, found that fund managers in the UK were shifting to offshore locations such as Ireland and Luxembourg because those jurisdictions offered something the UK did not. The survey concluded: "The tax authorities’ attitude and the overall lack of stability and certainty of the UK regime are considered to have a significant influence on the decision of participants to locate funds outside the UK."
"Fund managers need to operate in an environment of
certainty, as retrospective changes to a fund’s tax
treatment creates investor equity issues. This is as true of
fund managers operating in New Zealand as those operating in
the UK.
"The current tax changes, if properly implemented
and administered, create the opportunity to make New Zealand
a more attractive domicile for funds and the location of
their management. This must be relevant to the current tax
proposals and for KiwiSaver," says Murray Sarelius.
Ends