The year 2021 ended with an absolute record both in the number of inheritances processed by the Spaniards and in the number of withdrawals from these transfers. Overall, the year ended with 365,897 inheritance judgments, 22% more than in 2020. Conversely, 55,574 persons who appeared as beneficiaries decided against inheritance, in this case 25% more than in the previous year.

The year 2022 seems to end in the same direction according to the first data compiled by the General Council of Notaries (CGN). There are two good reasons for this, as CGN spokeswoman María Teresa Barea notes. On the one hand, the spillover effect of excessive mortality during the worst of the pandemic. On the other hand, the debts that force many to reject the procedure.

Data for the first half of the year now concluded shows that around 177,200 inheritance cases were processed between January and June, with around 27,200 heirs deciding to refuse their share. According to Barea, the figures for the second semester usually match those of the first, so that the final balance in 2022 is expected to be around 350,000 awards after successor titles and 54,000 exits. These are very similar numbers to 2021 and totally atypical compared to the years before the health crisis.

“There is still an excess of inheritances, which is explained by the number of deaths in 2020 and the delays in processing the estate,” says Barea. In fact, the trend is expected to continue into 2023 and even 2024 “as it is common for heirs to extend the process by two or three years after death”.

The increase in layoffs, on the other hand, is due to other reasons. The most important, emphasizes the CGN spokeswoman, is the existence of debt: “The heir finds that the deceased left more liabilities than assets and therefore decides to reject the surcharge.”

This possibility is much more common, he continues, in times close to economic crises like the one following the outbreak of Covid-19, “when the financial situation of the deceased can be more doubtful”.

The number of resignations from inheritances, Barea explains, shows the number of successors who refuse to transfer them. In other words, since an inheritance can fall to several people, which is very common, the 27,000 resignations registered in the first half of the year do not mean the same number of inheritances rejected, but 27,000 people who choose to discard the transmission due to them.

However, according to Barea, the proportion of quitters recorded year by year is used for trend analysis. From this it can be seen that the share of reluctant heirs is growing slightly every year and reached 15.3% in the first half of this year.

However, fear of possible debt is not the only reason that causes an heir to refuse succession. The other main cause, which Barea says is much less important, is the cost involved in the processing itself. Here, for example, taxes such as inheritance or municipal capital gains on real estate come into play.

These resignations mostly occur with “small liquid inheritances” where, for example, a house is received but no money. According to the spokeswoman, this situation, which is very common, means that many heirs who do not have any liquidity at the time are forced to refuse the succession because they cannot afford the associated procedures.

However, the fiscal quota loses weight when analyzing the percentage of smokers in each community. According to Barea, while the autonomies, where most taxes such as inheritances are reduced, usually have lower numbers, the difference with the rest of the regions “is not so big that the tax aspect plays a primary role”.

For example, the highest bonuses are granted in Madrid, Andalusia or Galicia, where the weight of refusals ranges from 13.2% to 19.7%, a similar range as in the Valencian Community or Catalonia with higher tax rates. Because of this, “the data supports the notion that the most common reason for termination is the existence of debt rather than the fiscal cost,” says Barea.

No liability risk

Notaries are urging heirs to familiarize themselves with the concept of “inventory inspection” as the number of resignations increases, which “can save existing assets from possible debt,” explains Barea.

This formula is intended for those “grey inheritances” where the assets and liabilities to be received are unknown. In this way, the heir reacts to possible debts only with the assets that belong to the estate itself, without risking his previous assets.

However, notaries regret the ignorance of this possibility. In 2021, only 1,300 heirs made use of this number. In the first half of 2022 there were 543 people.

The Kingdom of Bhutan reopens to tourists on Friday with a hefty increase in its daily tourist tax.

Before the country closed its borders in March 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, travelers to Bhutan had to pay a minimum package price of $200-$250 per day, depending on the time of year. The price often included hotel, meal, transportation and guide expenses, as well as a mandatory $65 sustainable development fee.

But in late June, Bhutan passed a tourism tax law that scrapped the minimum package price per day in favor of increasing the sustainable development fee from US$65 to US$200 per person per day.

Travel expenses – for example for hotels and meals – are not covered by the fee.

The country offers fee reductions to families, said Raju Rai, CEO of Heavenly Bhutan Travels.

“For children between 6 and 12 years it is 50% [old] and … free for children under 5,” he said.

“An Active Contribution”

Bhutan and supporters of the new policy say the move is in line with the country’s ongoing goal of attracting high-value, low-volume tourism.

To experience the country, known for offering travelers a rare glimpse of authenticity in a world full of tourist traps, visitors must “make an active contribution to Bhutan’s economic, social and cultural development,” according to the corporate website of the Bhutan Tourism Council .

The Tourism Council said the fees will be used to improve infrastructure, train travel industry workers, preserve cultural traditions, protect the environment and create jobs with fair wages and working conditions.

Bhutan markets itself as the only carbon negative country in the world.

Andrew Stranovsky Photography | moment | Getty Images

Sam Blyth, chairman of the Bhutan Canada Foundation and founder of the Trans Bhutan Trail, said the fees would directly benefit local communities.

“The money raised from [the] The government will then turn back to the communities and support health and education, which is free for all Bhutanese,” he said.

Will travelers benefit?

According to the Tourism Council, travelers also benefit from the increased fees. Standards and certifications for hotels and tour operators will be revised, which will improve traveler experiences, it said. It also said travelers would have more flexibility in planning and booking their own trips.

The Tourism Council notes that the minimum daily rate for package holidays “had its limits. Tourists, for example, often had to choose from package tours offered by tour operators who controlled the travel experience for them [it] … Tourists can hire their desired service providers directly and pay for their services accordingly.”

Tour guides are no longer mandatory for all trips, but they are required for travelers planning to trek or go beyond the cities of Thimphu and Paro, according to the council.

Travel agencies that can obtain visas for travelers also collect payment for sustainability fees, said Sarah-Leigh Shenton, director of marketing at travel agency Red Savannah. “All the administration is done by our team and our customers don’t have to make any on-site payments.”

Critics versus supporters

Critics argue that Bhutan’s increased tourist tax is “elitist” by further closing the door on budget travelers dreaming of visiting Bhutan.

Even more say the new policy will disproportionately hit travel agents that cater to budget travelers.

Others have criticized the timing, saying the new rules will discourage travelers from traveling at a time when the country’s tourism industry is being hit by a 2.5-year border closure.

However, Bhutan’s Tourism Council said the pandemic is the right time “to restart the sector”. It also hinted that it might welcome a slow return of travelers, stating, “The gradual return of tourists will allow for the gradual improvement of infrastructure and services.”

Sam Blyth said he has trekked extensively around Bhutan over the past 30 years. He is the founder of the Trans Bhutan Trail, a non-profit company that has helped revitalize a 250-mile ancient trail that traverses the center of the country.

Sam Blyth, Trans Bhutan Trail, Visit Bhutan, Trek Bhutan

Wendy Min, Trip.com’s head of government for Australia and New Zealand, said she felt a hefty fee was needed to “filter out travelers and keep things manageable”.

“It’s not going to be ideal for a small country to open up fully because you don’t want Punakha or any of those cities to become the next Kathmandu,” she said. “I totally understand why people are put off by the price tag, but everyone is different and looking for their own experiences and memories.”

She called increased fees “the new normal,” citing Venice, where Italian officials have said day-trippers will have to pay between 3 and 10 euros ($3 and $10) to enter the country from January 2023.

According to a report released by Bhutan in 2019, for the time being, the increased fees will not apply to Indian tourists, who made up around 73% of all travelers to Bhutan before the pandemic.

But even that can change. Bhutan’s Tourism Council said the $15 daily fee Indian travelers pay will remain in effect for two years, noting it “will be revised at a later date”.

Blyth, who began visiting Bhutan in 1988, said he doesn’t expect the new fee to negatively affect interest in Bhutan once travelers understand it.

“Tourism in Bhutan has been restructured so that travelers no longer need to book through tour operators and travel agencies and can directly contact suppliers such as hotels, restaurants, tour guides and transport companies,” he said. “These services are inexpensive and … result in reasonable overall costs even with the new tourist tax.”

(ANSA) — ROME, SEPTEMBER 19 — In a lengthy interview with 60 Minutes, US President Joe Biden stated that his decision on a possible 2024 candidacy will be made after November or after the midterm elections. “It’s too early for that kind of decision,” he said.

I continue my work over the period, after the next election cycle I will decide.” In the interview, the President also spoke of the seizure of documents at Donald Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago and stated that he did not ask about it However, on the subject of the war in Ukraine, he said that what Putin had done was “shameful”, even if Kyiv is now “defeating, Russia is not winning yet”. It was quite clear that American forces would have intervened, Biden replied, “Yes, if there had been an unprecedented heel.” (ANSA).

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