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Spain's Autumn Budget Summary, with Blacktower Financial Management
Key changes in Spain’s fiscal plans and UK Autumn Statement proposals that may impact you
As we move through 2025, both Spain and the UK are undergoing significant tax and regulatory changes that may affect your financial planning. Below we highlight the most important developments.
Spain: Navigating the 2025 tax landscape
Across the EU, governments are required to deliver their budgets in October each year, aligned with multi-year fiscal roadmaps approved by Brussels. For Spain, delays during 2024 meant that the draft budget was scrapped and replaced with a new fiscal plan for 2025.
Approved by the European Commission in November, this plan sets out measures for the next seven years to reduce the national deficit and debt.
Headline changes affecting residents and investors
- Household costs rising: VAT on staple food items reverted to 4%, VAT on electricity rose back to 21% and fuel duty was increased, adding pressure to monthly bills.
- A total of nine tax rises in 2025: Measures approved by Congress at the start of this year aim to raise €4.5 billion annually.
- Bank & savings taxation: A new Bank Tax applies to margins and commissions (1%–7%), while savings income over €300,000 is now taxed at 30% (up from 28%). This could affect investment returns, including policy withdrawals.
Proposed property tax for non-EU buyers
One of the most eye-catching and controversial proposals currently under discussion is a levy of up to 100%of the property value on homes purchased by non-EU residents, which would include British buyers post-Brexit, as well as purchasers from the US and other third countries.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has argued that “unprecedented” measures are necessary to tackle Spain’s housing emergency and to prevent the country from becoming “a society divided into two classes, the rich landlords and the poor tenants.” He highlighted that in 2023, non-EU residents acquired around 27,000 properties in Spain, many of them not as primary residences but as investment properties.
These figures align with data from the Spanish Property Registry, which reported that foreign buyers as a whole (both EU and non-EU) accounted for 15% of all property sales in 2023 -approximately 87,000 out of 583,000 transactions.
If enacted, such a measure would mark a radical shift in Spain’s real estate market, with potentially significant implications for international investors and for regions that traditionally attract high levels of foreign property ownership (such as the Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca, Balearics and Canary Islands).
Wealth tax & the solidarity tax
Wealth Tax has long applied to Spanish residents with worldwide assets above €700,000 (after allowances) and to non-residents on Spanish assets.
Some regions, including Madrid and Andalucía, grant a 100% exemption. To counter this, the central government introduced a temporary Solidarity Tax in 2022.
- Rates: 1.7% (from €3m–€5.34m), 2.1% (€5.34m–€10.7m), and 3.5% (above €10.7m)
- Key point: The Solidarity Tax is based on Wealth Tax rules, meaning exemptions (such as €300,000 for primary residence and business assets) still apply, but liabilities can quickly become significant for high-net-worth individuals.
Inheritance and succession tax – regional reliefs
There has been a steady trend towards reducing or eliminating succession tax across Spain’s autonomous communities:
- Madrid & Andalucía: 99% relief for close family, with extra allowances for siblings and extended family.
- Balearics: From July 2023, a 100% exemption for spouses, parents, and children, with reduced rates for wider relatives.
- Canary Islands: Since September 2023, a 99.9% exemption for Groups I–III (including gifts in many cases).
- Valencia: From September 2023, 99% relief for spouses, children, parents, and grandchildren, aligning with Murcia and Andalucía.
These reforms have substantially reduced liabilities for most families, but planning remains crucial, particularly for non-residents and those with more complex estates.
UK: Autumn Statement 2025 - Potential changes ahead
The Autumn Statement 2025 is widely expected to introduce major tax changes, especially for High-Net-Worth Individuals.
Proposals already under discussion include:
- Stricter rules on inheritance tax reliefs (Business & Agricultural Property Relief).
- Higher capital gains and dividend taxes.
- Restrictions on pension tax reliefs, with potential inheritance tax on pension funds.
- New wealth and property levies.
- Expanded tax exposure for non-domiciled residents from April 2025.
These proposed changes may influence how individuals structure and manage their wealth.
Considering potential adjustments ahead of the Autumn Statement could provide more scope for informed financial planning, depending on your personal circumstances.
To help you prepare, Blacktower Financial Management has put together an essential guide with a practical overview of the expected changes and steps you can take:
How Blacktower Financial Management can help
At Blacktower, they specialise in helping expatriates and the international community manage complex cross-border tax and financial planning. If you would like to understand how these Spanish and UK developments may affect your position, the team of experts would be happy to arrange a (video) call or meeting.
The local Blacktower address is: 120 Avenida Dr. Artero Guirao 2C. San Pedro Del Pinatar, 30740, Murcia, Spain.
If you want more information or wish to make an appointment to discuss your own situation then call 0034 657 684 094 or email keith.littlewood@blacktowerfm.com
This communication is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment, tax, or legal advice. Any decisions should be made based on professional advice tailored to your individual circumstances.
Financial Advice Issues for Expats in Spain
I have been a Qualified Financial Adviser for almost 35 years now. 25 years in the UK for major institutions such as Natwest, RBS and Royal London. I have been in Spain giving expats financial advice now for 10 years and it is quite remarkable the different approaches as well as advice that are required for an expat now living in Spain. Blacktower is a company that has specialised in providing the best solutions for its clients living outside the UK for 30 years also.
The currency issue is always high on the agenda and a discussion for the long-term future has to be taken onto account. Questions like What will happen if one partner dies? Will the other remain in Spain? What about other family members? What Inheritance tax provisions do you have in place? The list goes on and on.
Existing portfolios and investments that were the mainstay of portfolios in the UK may now be obsolete. An example of this is quite often tax efficient products in the UK like ISA’s and previously held TESSA’s: PEP’s actually have low growth rates and provide no tax advantage to a Spanish fiscal resident.
Existing pension holdings either paid by the state or private pensions built up through working lifetimes are topics that have to be covered. Many expats have lots of small pensions from many ex employers and can be confused by the communications and administration in dealing with them. At Blacktower we specialise in advising on how to consolidate and bring all these pensions together in one place.
Bank accounts and investments in Spain always bring up lots of questions too. Quite often the small print associated with financial products in Spain is in Spanish this can make it very difficult even if you have a good grasp of the language. Understanding Jargon in English is sometime difficult enough. I provide clear easy to understand letters and documents in English so that you fully understand any terms and conditions before making a decision.
Advice on tax efficiency is just as important and offering good returns. There are products available exclusively for Spanish expats that can provide invaluable benefits. Having a good base knowledge of the tax implications both now and in the future is an essential ingredient to making a sound decision.
Click for more information about Keith Littlewood.
The above information was correct at the time of preparation and does not constitute investment advice and you should seek advice from a professional adviser before embarking on any financial planning activity.
This communication is for information purposes only and it does not constitute advice or a recommendation. The value of investments can go up as well as down, and investors may not get back the full amount invested. The Blacktower group of companies operates across multiple jurisdictions, each authorized under its respective regulatory license. For further information, please refer to the relevant regulatory page.
