William Hill warns staff about working remotely from Spain

William Hill has written to employees reminding them they cannot work from home if they live in Spain because of potential tax implications.

The company circulated an internal email last week with the reminder, as first reported by GBC.

The precautionary measure follows the recent agreement of tax treaty with Spain, which could impose higher taxes on Gib firms if so-called “decision-makers” are deemed to be working for a Gibraltar-based company while in Spain.

The restriction is understood only to apply to director and C-level executives.

William Hill played down the memo, saying it was merely reminding its employees of their responsibilities.

In a statement, Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo also played down the ramifications of the new tax treaty, saying it simply “regularised” the reality of Spanish tax law as it existed before the treaty.

“The relevant tax legislation north of the border has always had a potential to impact entities operating in Gibraltar if individuals and corporations do not observe tax rules properly,” Picard said.

“This position has long been the advice given to those residing in the UK with structures in Gibraltar.

“This latest development is merely an example of commercial entities reminding employees to act in keeping with long established principles of management and control if they are resident outside of Gibraltar.”