Alon Kaplan, Lyat Eyal and Shai Dover

The long awaited publication of the voluntary disclosre procedure in Israel came to light on 7 September 2014. As the global trend evidences, this procedure provides taxpayers with the opportunity to disclose unreported income and assets. There are a number of thresholds to pass in order to be eligible for the proceudure, as listed below: Applications are to be submitted to the Deputy Director for Investigation and Intelligence Unit at the Israel Tax Authority who is solely authorized to approve them. Each application will include all relevant information, including, inter alia, applicant’s name, relevant tax years, source of income, details of the amount of unreported income, and estimated tax payment. Once the application is approved, it is referred to the relevant assessment officer who determines the tax liability, including taxes owed, linkage, interest, and civil fines. Upon the…

Alon Kaplan and Lyat Eyal

The summer of 2013 marked a change in Israel’s tax laws, most significantly as they relate to the taxation of trusts and real estate transactions. The Law on the Change of National Priorities (or more commonly known as the ‘Arrangements Law’), passed for budget purposes, amended various laws, including the Income Tax Ordinance [5721] 1961. This article summarizes the amendments regarding the new taxation affecting both Israeli as well as foreign trusts and foundations and the specific changes to real estate taxation for non-residents. The amendments in these two areas are of importance to non-residents as they henceforth may be subject to taxes in areas in which they were previously entitled to exemptions

Alon Kaplan Lyat Eyal and Shai Dover

Alon Kaplan Lyat Eyal and Shai Dover

Alon Kaplan and Lyat Eyal

Alon Kaplan & Susanna von Bassewitz

Alon Kaplan and Lyat Eyal

In Israel, local laws and governmental agencies regulate estate and inheritance matters. Consequently, in order to distribute estate assets, a petition for an inheritance or probate order must be filed locally. Such filings may be avoided by the establishment of a trust during one’s lifetime. By transferring assets to a trust/Hekdesh, they no longer form part of the individual’s estate upon death, and no court orders are then required to transfer the assets to the heirs. Since a trust is not a separate legal entity, a trustee may establish an Israeli underlying company to hold the assets for the trust.

Alon Kaplan

Alon Kaplan

Alon Kaplan and Alan Krost

The article illustrates that the Hekdesh, which is a special type of trust existing under Israeli law, is in fact similar to a foundation. The article discusses the law relating to the Hekdesh and highlights the features of the Hekdesh focusing on the similarities to a foundation and emphasizing its advantages over a foundation.