Diogo Pedro | Tax Consultant
Since 2009, Portugal has been actively encouraging the arriving of new residents through the Non-Habitual Resident (NHR) regime. This initiative aims to attract both capital and expertise to our country by inviting individuals to establish residence in Portugal.
Under this regime, individuals who have not been residents in Portugal in the last 5 years, and whose incomes are subject to taxation in their home country, are granted a 10-year exemption from personal income tax (IRS).
Furthermore, the NHR regime offers the option to tax income from labour and freelance work at an autonomous tax rate of 20%, along with a 20% withholding tax rate for labour incomes. This specifically applies to activities characterised by a high level of scientific, artistic, or technical value.
However, the NHR regime has been revoked and now Portugal has introduced a new tax benefit to replace it.
This new tax incentive aims to promote high-value activities and is outlined in Article 58.º- A of the Tax Benefits Statute.
This benefit includes:
Now, let’s examine the practical differences between the taxation under the NHR regime and the new tax benefit.
For this purpose, we will consider an individual whose income results from a Portuguese salary, interest income, capital gains from real estate, capital gains from stocks and a private pension, all from white-listed countries.
By analysing all this information, we can conclude that the new tax benefit in Article 58-A of the Tax Benefits Statute is notably more exclusive. It particularly focuses on education, R&D and entrepreneurship activities. However, taxpayers who fall within this new tax benefit can get an exemption from foreign income derived from white-listed countries.
This means that, even though this new benefit has a stricter range of applications, it can be more advantageous for the individuals who can benefit from it. Given the fact that there is no need for the income to be subjected to taxation or liable to taxation in the country of source, unlike the NHR regime.
These are still alternative paths for Non-Habitual Resident (NHR) Tax Regime for those seeking favourable tax conditions in Portugal.
If you have further questions regarding this matter, get in touch with Diogo Pedro and he will be delighted to assist you.
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