The UK is now a competitive place to invest in funds according to the director of the Investment Management Association (IMA).
Julie Patterson, Director of Authorised Funds & Tax at the IMA said the UK now offered investors a wide range of well-governed, well-managed and tax-efficient funds.
According to the IMA the widely-held view that the UK is not attractive as a fund domicile has been reversed, because of changes in legsilation.
This includes the introduction of tax-efficient securities and property funds and a workable regime for institutional funds.
She said: “The UK's tax regime for authorised funds was unnecessarily complex. Tax-paying investors pay the same amount of tax as if they had invested direct, but tax-exempt investors (such as pension funds, charities and ISA investors) could not recover the tax paid in the fund. Also, there was concern about the lack of consultation, trust and understanding of and between the funds industry and government officials. This is no longer the case.
“For the consumer, the UK's unique requirement for complete independence of the Manager and the Depositary, which performs an active oversight role by qualified staff, has proven to provide a robust governance framework. It has stood the test of the Credit Crunch.”
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