家庭信托 FAMILY TRUST (1)

imissyou

霍建强（Raymond Huo）律师


家庭信托 FAMILY TRUST (1)
Misconception
误区
Misconception 误区

[1] We find that Asian clients have extreme views on the benefit of a family trust.

One view is that establishing a family trust produces, as if by magic, instant protection from creditors for the assets transferred to the trust. The other view is that because instance protection for the assets transferred is not obtained, there is no point in having a trust.

目前对家庭信托的理解有两大误区，一是认为家庭信托是万能的，只要设立了一个家庭信托，别人（主要指债权人）就不能碰你的财产了。
第二种误解是认为家庭信托没用，因为对所转财产的“及时”保护有限，因此有没有信托区别不大。

[2] Reasons for the misconception may vary. But it is fair to suggest that first, the concept of a family trust is something still new in the Chinese culture. Secondly, the misconception has been caused by some excessive publicity which focused on one aspect of the trust without looking at other aspects.

存在这样的误解，一是由於“信托”的概念，对於许多华人朋友来说是完全陌生的。另一个原因是许多人在介绍家庭信托时，对其构成和运作方式“宣传”地不透，往往强调了一方面，却忽略了另一方面。

[3] As always there is merit in both points of view. Accordingly, set out below is some basic information about trusts.

见仁见智也罢，我们先就其大致的框架作个简介。

Why have a trust?
为什麽设立家庭信托？

[4] There are many reasons for creating a trust, including:
- General estate and succession planning for the benefit of future generations;
- Retirement planning and savings;
- To reduce personal ownership of assets to lessen exposure to unforeseen third party claims;
- To take advantage of any legitimate income splitting amongst beneficiaries for income streams received by the trust;
- Protection against exposure to re-introduction of estate duty;
- Protection of assets as pre-marital or pre-relationship planning;
- For charitable purposes;
- Enhancing qualification for means tested state assistance;
- Limiting potential liability to claims under the Family Protection Act and Testamentary Promises Act.

原因诸多，包括：
- 为下一代考虑的财产/遗产继承方面的安排；
- 退休计划，储蓄安排；
- 减少个人财产拥有量，因而在面对不可预见的第三方财产诉求时，可以尽可能少的暴露自己的财产；
- 合法分流收入
- 如果政府引进遗产税的话，先成立家庭信托可以有备无患；
- 起到类似於“婚前公证”的效果；
- 慈善用途；
- 如果社会福利与财产拥有量挂钩的话，减少财产拥有量意味着可能更多地享受福利；
- 尽量减少在《家庭保护法》和《遗嘱立约法》原则下的潜在责任。

What is a trust?
什麽是信托？

[5] One person (the settlor) transfers property (any asset) to another person (the trustee) who holds that property for the benefit of ascertainable persons (the beneficiaries).

所谓信托，就是由设立人将财产转给托管人，为法定收益人获益的法律构成和行为。如图所示：

What makes a trust valid?
- The settlor must have intended to create the trust;
- The settlor must have transferred property to the trustee;
- The settlor must have specified at the time of creating the trust either who the beneficiaries are or how they are to be ascertained;
- There should also be a validly appointed trustee or trustees, who accept their appointment as trustees;
- Evidence of its existence. This is normally a trust deed which records the formation and sets out the terms of the trust.

如何使信托有效？
- 设立人必须有设立意向；
- 设立人必须将财产转给托管人；
- 在设立信托时，信托人必须列明受益人或明示受益人如何经法律确定产生；
- 有效指定托管人，托管人接受指定；
- 设立凭证。通常是签署一份信托契据，宣告成立，列明条款。

Who should be appointed as a trustee?
[6] Any person or entity capable of owning assets can be a trustee. Generally the trustees of a family trust are the persons establishing the trust together with an independent trustee. In today’s society a trustee requires knowledge, expertise, impartiality and administrative capability in relation to the trusts being administered and for this reason the independent trustee is often a professional advisor.

谁可以做托管人？
任何自然人或法人只要具备拥有财产的能力，均可做托管人。通常而言，家庭信托的托管人由设立人加独立托管人群组成。在现代社会，一个托管人需要具备良好的知识，专业素养和管理水准。因此，独立托管人多由专业人士担任。
Trustee Obligations
[7] The trustee must administer the trust in accordance with the terms of the trust deed and the law relating to trusts and has duties to the beneficiaries.

托管人职责
托管人必须依照信托契据的规定以及相关法规，管理信托，为受益人尽责。


Who can be the beneficiaries?
谁可以做受益人？
[8] Beneficiaries of a normal family trust usually include the persons establishing the trust together with children and/or grandchildren.
一般的家庭信托，受益人通常包括设立人及其子女和/或下一代。

How is property transferred to a trust?
如何将财产转给信托？

[9] Trusts are generally settled by the settlor giving a nominal gift to the trust of say $10.00. Once the trust has been established, other property may be transferred to the trust usually by way of a sale at current market value, for example a house. The trust will owe the purchase price to the vendors of the property who will usually commence an annual gifting programme to reduce the amount of the loan outstanding over time.

信托的设立通常由设立人对信托进行一次小额赠与，比方说$10.00来完成。信托一但设立，其它财产如房产就可以转入信托。转入通常以当时市场价格计算，以买卖方式完成。信托因此欠下卖方（财产的原始拥有者）与销售价等值的这笔债，而卖方则以年度赠与的方式逐步削减负债额。

[10] Persons who are owed money by the trust, as above, can each gift $27,000 in each twelve month period in reduction of the amounts owed to them by the trust. Those gifts will be exempt from gift duty provided that the persons making the gifts are in a relationship of “natural love and affection” (e.g. parent/child) with the beneficiaries of the trust who are intended to benefit from the gifts.

年度赠与额是每人每年（12个月） $27,000。这样的赠与是免收赠与税的，条件是赠与人和受益人之间存在一种“慈爱关系”（如父母/子女）并且目的是使受益人因此而受益。

[11] The process of annual gifting reduces the debt and over time effects the transfer of the asset value to the trust and out of the personal estates of the vendors of the property.
赠与的过程就是减轻“负债额”的过程，最终达到的效果是将“卖方”的个人净资产转到信托。

Should you do a new will?

[12] When creating a trust, the settlors should execute new wills which complement the trust and which, generally, leave any significant personal assets to the trust.
需要立一份新遗嘱吗？
设立一个信托，设立人需要同时立一份新的遗嘱，遗嘱和信托起到一个互补作用，同时通过遗嘱，将任何其它较具规模的个人财产纳入信托。

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