Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the United Kingdom

Etiqueta: blick rothenberg

Brexit Seminar: Trade & Employment Implications for Businesses

On Wednesday 7th December, we had the pleasure of holding the breakfast seminar “Brexit: Trade & Employment Implications for Businesses”, organised in collaboration with our Patron SCA Ontier, who hosted the event, and our member Blick Rothenberg.

With Brexit as the key point, this session’s aim was to explore the potential challenges and opportunities in the context of trade and employment in the post-exit landscape, including briefly looking at the key models used by other non-EU countries and practical considerations.

On this occasion, our Head of Accounts & Member Relations, Tom Newman, gave a warm welcome to the attendees on behalf of the Chamber and introduced Ms. Danielle Carr, Senior Associate at SCA ONTIER, Mr. Derek Stinson, Senior Associate at SCA and Mr. Mark Abbs, Partner at Blick Rothenberg.

The event was hosted at the premises of our Patron SCA ONTIER.

To kick off, Ms. Carr explained the current situation of the UK after Brexit vote. She developed the idea of what Brexit means for businesses and individuals, and how it will gradually be applied. She also described what the Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty means, a hot topic these days, and what this implies for the Government and Parliament.

After Danielle’s explanation, Mr. Stinson analysed the current trade situation between the EU and UK, and how it will be affected by Brexit. Then both of them explained different trade relations between EU non-member countries with the EU and hypothesized about which example would be the best for the future UK-EU relationship. Both of them finalised their intervention giving the attendees some tips about how to prepare themselves and their business for different EU-UK relation scenarios.

Experts from SCA ONTIER and Blick Rothenberg helped the attendees understand the future business scenario.

After this presentation, Mr. Abbs from Blick Rothenberg took over. He talked about the internal and external factors that are shaping the current situation of the country and its short-term future . To continue with his evaluation, he focused on potential risks and opportunities for employers and workers.

This led to a conversation on what will happen next regarding immigration policies and tax payments for European citizens working in the UK. The participants were very interested in possible changes about their citizenship/passport issues and freedom of movement between EU countries and the UK.

To conclude the seminar, a Q&A round was performed in order for participants to expose their doubts and questions to the three experts. An interesting debate about different possibilities on how Brexit will be applied and what it will mean in different aspects for corporates and individuals, with a special focus on foreign citizens working in the UK.

Attendees had the opportunity to network over a great breakfast.

Before the seminar was over, participants were invited to enjoy breakfast, whilst given the opportunity to discuss the session’s ideas and concepts further with the speakers.

We are grateful to our member Blick Rothenberg and SCA ONTIER, Patron of the Chamber and kind host of this session, for delivering such a dynamic and engaging session. We would like to thank all attendees who joined us and remind them that on Thursday 23^rd February we will be organising another seminar on Brexit with SCA ONTIER, this time focused on Taxes.

If you want to find out about other activities organised by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, we encourage you to keep an eye on our UPCOMING EVENTS section on our website. In addition to this, you can also subscribe to our weekly newsletter in order to receive updates and information about our events.

13/12/2016
Best Practices on Construction and Opportunities in the UK

On Tuesday 27^th September we organised a session on “Best Practices on Construction and Opportunities in the UK” aimed at Spanish companies from the construction and infrastructure sectors and subsectors. The event was hosted at the premises of Blick Rothenberg, member of our Chamber.

This activity took place as part of an inward trade mission our institution had been organising in collaboration with Asturex to receive a delegation of Spanish companies from the above sectors. Thus, the event provided first-hand information on specific aspects related to their line of business, such as CIS (Construction Industry Scheme) requirements, insurance and health & safety procedures, or available opportunities in the country in the near future.

Jesús Agra, Foreign Trade Manager at the Spanish Chamber, introducing Dennis McGlynn, from the Department of International Trade.

Jesús Agra, Foreign Trade Manager, and Cristina Carmona, Head of External Relations and Communications, were in attendance to represent the Spanish Chamber. Mr. Agra welcomed attendees on behalf of our institution and introduced the speakers for the session.

First in line were Simon Wagman, Partner, and Alex Altmann, Director, both from Blick Rothenberg. They covered whether the activities in the UK of a Spanish company create a permanent establishment, the status of their employees for tax purposes and how they need to register for VAT and the CIS. Also, both Simon and Alex highlighted the importance of receiving professional advice when it comes to tax obligations for foreign companies to avoid hefty fees due to lack of information.

Simon Wagman, Partner at Blick Rothenberg, explained the key challenges in tax matters.

After this, it was the turn of Alicia Ferrero, from the International Desk at Santander UK. She covered the range of financial services the bank can provide to foreign clients and briefly introduced the Santander Trade portal. This new tool is being currently improved to help Santander clients access market information in the countries the bank is present and, building-on this tool, the Santander Trade Club would allow companies to connect with other Santander clients.

After the coffee break, Dennis McGlynn, Investment Adviser at the Department for International Trade, took the floor. His presentation offered an overview of the main projects that are expected to be carried out by 2020 involving infrastructure and construction. His insights were particularly relevant as he presented specific projects already on the government agenda and which will generate new opportunities for companies in the next 5 years.

The session welcomed a delegation of Spanish companies from the construction sector among other representatives.

The last speaker of the session was David Lucas, Commercial Account Executive at Bluefin. During his presentation, he explained briefly key differences between Spain and the UK in terms of insurance policy. He highlighted the importance for Spanish companies to check the requirements made by British clients in the contract and whether it includes specific insurance clauses.

As David explained, quite often Spanish insurance is not sufficient to be fully covered against potential claims in the UK and thus the importance of ensuring the right coverage. He also touched on the recently approved Insurance Act (effective from August 2016) and Health & Safety procedures that companies must implement to comply with UK regulations.

The Q&A session gave attendees the opportunity to elaborate further on the topics previously discussed.

To round up the session, we had two case studies from two Spanish companies from the sector and already established in the UK: Desamianta and López Landa. To begin with, Luis García, Operations Director, and Fernando Santiago, Business Development Manager, from Desamianta explained that despite being one of the leading companies in Spain in their area of expertise (asbestos removal), they faced a series of challenges, such as needing to get a licence to operate here as their Spanish one was not recognised.

To conclude, Guillermo Lázaro, Managing Director at López Landa Interiors, highlighted the importance of joining associations relevant to one’s sector as it works as a seal of approval for potential clients. As he explained, belonging to an association shows British clients that the company is here for the long-term. Creating trust is one of the main challenges for Spanish companies, he went on discussing, and one way to do so is by being part of the right networks, which potentially would lead them to projects.

Attendees had the opportunity to network over lunch.

The Q&A round that followed the case studies proved a fantastic opportunity to elaborate on the different topics previously covered during the morning. After a highly participative session, both speakers and attendees could engage in further conversation over a networking lunch that was served on the premises.

We would like to thank our members Bluefin, Desamianta, López Landa Interiors, and our Patron Santander for sharing such insightful and valuable information with the companies who were in attendance at this event, and especially our member Blick Rothenberg for kindly hosting this event at their premises.

If you would like to be updated on future activities, please subscribe to our weekly newsletter or visit the UPCOMING EVENTS section on our website.

04/10/2016
Don’t Get into Trouble with the UK Taxman Breakfast Seminar

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 22^nd 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.

04/11/2015
EXPAT EMPLOYEES AND TAXES – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

The Spanish Chamber of Commerce was thrilled to work with Blick Rothenberg to organise the “Tips for Spanish Companies sending expats to UK” seminar, held at their premises on Thursday 31^st January.

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 Abbs – also the speaker for this seminar. They highlighted the importance of maintaining a good relationship in order to build on a business platform to discuss similar topics at future events.

Mark Abbs covered different tax-related issues with a focus on Spanish expat employees.

The seminar provided a general overview on the relevant aspects to consider when Spanish companies decide to open a branch in the UK sending employees from Spain covering issues some companies may not always be aware of. How the tax legislation should be implemented among their staff; when UK tax is due, when a tax needs to be considered through remuneration or as exemption, and how the role of UK payroll withholding system and how it works.

Afterwards, Mark got into the full swing of the event, mingling with attendees willing answering different questions about 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 Mark pointed out, 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, 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 is in the UK or whether the employee is a UK resident or not.

Attendees exchanged and shared their ideas at the networking breakfast.

The event ended up as always with a productive networking breakfast, time when attendees and speakers alike were able to come together, share thoughts and discuss further the ideas the seminar 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.

For further news about Chamber events, previous seminars and announcements please browse our blog.

01/02/2013

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