Unit Trusts

The General Tax Authority (“GTA“) issued a guideline for unit trusts regarding registration for and filing of tax returns in respect of corporate income tax. Unit trusts will newly be considered independent tax entities, including in the taxation period that commenced in 2011.

Unit trusts that failed to register for corporate income tax will be registered on an ex officio basis effective 1 January 2011.

The party responsible for filing the corporate income tax return for and on behalf of the unit trust shall be the investment company. (The investment company’s tax base or, if applicable, tax loss must not be compensated by combining the same with the tax bases or tax losses of the individual unit trusts.)

The unit trust’s corporate income tax return shall be filed on a standard corporate income tax return form. The GTA’s guideline includes detailed instructions on how to complete the corporate income tax return for and on behalf of the unit trusts.