The Isle of Man

The Isle of Man is a self-governing dependent territory of the British Crown, situated in the Irish Sea, midway between Ireland and England. It is a highly rated jurisdiction amongst professionals and has a reputation as one of Europe's fastest growing offshore financial centers.

It has been voted 'Best International Financial Services Centre' for six out of the last seven years at the International Investment awards, recognising the Island's strength as a leading jurisdiction of choice. The Island also has an 'AAA' credit rating from Standard and Poor's, the global rating agency as at September 2008.

As well as its natural attributes, the Isle of Man also boasts superior telecommunications, infrastructure and public services, which makes it a very attractive location in which to both work and live.

Its location, political stability and favourable taxation policies attracted us to establish our headquarters on the Island.

Tax Freedom

The Island enacts its own legislation, direct taxation and fiscal policies, independent of the UK. Under Isle of Man law, there is no tax liability on income and capital gains arising from the investments held under its jurisdiction.

Security

The Isle of Man is recognized as one of the world's leading international financial centres. Additional peace of mind is provided to investors by the Isle of Man Life Assurance (Compensation of Policyholders) Regulations 1991 which provide a high level of protection for those holding policies issued by Isle of Man based life assurance companies. The Isle of Man is indeed, the only offshore finance centre providing
compensation schemes in all three of the main areas of finance - namely deposits, funds and life policies. The island was the first Crown Dependency to launch an independent Financial Services Ombudsman scheme. Individuals with an unresolved financial complaint against an Isle of Man company after April 1999 can use this scheme.

Communications

High quality digital and satellite communication technology ensures easy contact with the rest of the world.

The Isle of Man

The Isle of Man enjoys exceptional political and economic stability, with a history of over 1,000 years of continuous parliamentary government. The Tynwald (Manx Parliament) is older than the United Kingdom's House of Commons and is the longest unbroken democratic parliament in the world.

The Isle of Man and Hansard Global plc

Guernsey is a British Crown Dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy, France. Together with Jersey, it is included in the collective grouping known as the Channel Islands. As well as the island of Guernsey itself, it also includes the smaller islets of Alderney, Sark, Herm, Jethou, Brecqhou, Burhou and Lihou.

Although the defence of all these islands is the responsibility of the United Kingdom, Guernsey is not part of the UK but rather a separate possession of the Crown, comparable to the Isle of Man. Guernsey is also not part of the European Union

Guernsey is renowned around the globe as a mature, well established international finance centre. For over forty years the Self Governed Island has been providing fiduciary services, provision of trusts, corporate services and now QROPS schemes. Guernsey saw some of the very first QROPS to be created and therefore has the longest history dealing with QROPS transfers and QROPS rules and regulations. Pension providers on the island have therefore worked closely with HMRC to ensure a robust QROPS offering for both resident and international clients alike.

Guernsey is a neutral jurisdiction which allows tax-efficient structures. This means that income and capital gains from the assets within your plan are not subject to Guernsey tax. Therefore, the assets within your plan grow in a tax efficient environment.

Although Guernsey is completely independent from the UK, they are a Crown dependency and their rules and regulations are extremely similar to those in the UK. Due to this relationship it is extremely unlikely that the HMRC will rescind Guernsey as a QROPS pension transfer jurisdiction. They have already done this with Singapore, due to its difference.

Self governed by 'The States of Guernsey' the small island is not part of the EU, but is within the Community Customs Territory.

With a low tax status, close ties to the UK and with its English speaking staff, Guernsey is a highly attractive QROPS jurisdiction for many clients no matter where they are now living or planning to reside next.

Benefits of a Guernsey pension - Telegraph
Tax clampdown on flexible pensions - Telegraph