It was reported in yesterday’s Telegraph (7/7/11), under “Now the EU wrecks Britain’s art market” that sellers of works of art by European artists who have died in the past 70 years will need to pay royalties to the estate.
This pseudo-tax known as the, Art Resale Levy, (or droit de suite in French) means that sellers will have to pay royalties on works by European artists who have died in the past 70 years, including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Francis Bacon. Cash is payable to the artist’s heirs each time a work is resold.
The tax already exists in mainland Europe and is due in Britain from January, applying to all works priced above (EURO)1,000 (£900) and on a sliding scale of 0.25 per cent to 4 per cent.
There will be intellectual property implications of this, if the directive is brought into force in UK.
On the other hand, so the argument goes, why shouldn’t the family reap some of the benefits (in particular when success is mostly posthumous)?
For a more detailed review of the tax’s history and the UK’s derogation until 2012, I suggest an article in the FT, which can be found here (although please note that the FT is subscription only), and for the view of the art lobbyists (LAPADA), click here: LAPADA, and follow the links at the bottom of the page.
There will be scope for planning to avoid this levy if the UK is not be able to extend the derogation beyond 2012, and if you are interested in discussing this with a solicitor, please call 01923 20 20 20 and ask for the Wealth Management Department.
