The Blevins Franks Financial Guide to Living in Portugal

A very long title you might think but understanding finances when moving to, and living in, a foreign country is a pretty meaty subject.

So it goes without saying that the book has to deal with some complicated issues when it comes to finances and taxation in Portugal.

The Guide is broken down in to bite size chapters which address an individual subject. These subjects cover a huge range of subjects such as
•    The Property Buying Process
•    Portuguese Inheritance and Gift Tax
•    Double Taxation
•    Employment, Other Income and Life Assurance Policies
•    Capital Gains Tax
•    And more.

The guide also addresses smaller known issues like the issue of “Black Money” in the purchase process, importing cars and pets, Gambling Winnings, National Insurance Contributions, wear and tear allowances on a UK home you rent out, Dentists and Spectacles in Portugal and much more.

Within each chapter the book is broken down further so that each subject is explained in a concise and easily understood manner. Even some of the more complicated issues are provided in a way that you can at least get an understanding of the potential problems and the solutions.

What I like about this book is that it covers almost every financial aspect of living here and still having links back to the UK and vice versa. The interesting point of the book is that there are issues revealed to the reader that they wouldn’t even have considered. This means that as well as providing the reader with the answers they might need, it also educates them in areas that they may not have realised would affect them.

The guide is now in its’ 4th edition having been first published in 1991 and most recently in 2008. This is the problem with this type of book. Because much of the information is financial, it is susceptible to changes in the law both within Portugal and the EU. For example, the IVA rate is stated as 21%. Reading a financial information book must be done with this factor in mind

The book has been written, in my opinion, to have two functions. The first is to give the reader an unbiased educational guide to all things financial in Portugal affecting expatriates and those intending to move to or own a property in Portugal. The second is to create an extremely efficient marketing tool to promote the skills and knowledge of Blevins Franks. And it does both of these functions very effectively. I mentioned before that the numbers quoted within the book have a limited shelf life but for most of the issues in this book, you will need professional help. Who better to turn to than a company that has demonstrated their knowledge and experience, such as Blevin Franks?

The Book can be bought direct from Blevins Franks’ website for £6.99 by clicking here