Topical content helped draw nearly 60 independent financial advisers, lawyers, accountants and tax specialists to a Guernsey QROPS seminar in Birmingham.

Guernsey Finance had already held two QROPS events in London during the past year and the event in Birmingham was the second of three regional masterclasses being held throughout the UK during this autumn. A similar sized audience attended a seminar in Manchester last month and the final presentation of the series will take place in Bristol next month.

The Birmingham session was led by Adrian Howe, Pensions Director, Marlborough Pension Trustees, who provided an overview of QROPS and the Guernsey market. Richard Green, Deputy Director of Income Tax at the States of Guernsey, looked at income tax from a Guernsey perspective and examined the Island's strong relationship with HMRC. David Piesing, Head of Wealth Structuring for the Praxis Group, assessed key considerations for IFAs through a case study.

Mr Howe said: "It's reassuring to see so many IFA's and lawyers at these events; it shows there is still a need for more information about QROPS. The presentation was very well received and some of the topics, for example changing pension regimes in the UK and how offshore pension contracts will be more important in the future, created a lot of interest." 

The seminar in Birmingham took place on Wednesday 13th October at the Malmaison Hotel. It started at 4pm with the main presentations followed by a Q&A session and then a drinks networking reception sponsored by Ardel.

The event in Bristol will take place on Thursday 25th November at the Marriott Royal Hotel. For further information or to book a place, contact Jennifer Baudains by email j.baudains@guernseyfinance.com, telephone +44 (0) 1481 709763 or fax +44 (0) 1481 720091.

For more information about Guernsey's finance industry please visit www.guernseyfinance.com.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.