Art & Finance Tax services

Tax concerns are highly relevant to all actors in the art world, whether art collectors, artists, art businesses, cultural institutions or financial stakeholders. Independent of the individual perspective, tax duties have to be considered when investing in art.

Art can be viewed as a store of wealth, a masterpiece to cherish, a family heirloom, a business, a part of a trust or estate, an investment or a gift to a cultural institution.

To help you manage tax responsibilities, Deloitte Switzerland and the global network offer a wide array of art-related tax services to address clients’ needs on a worldwide basis, including:

• Gift and estate tax planning for collectors, family offices, wealth managers, and art advisors
• Intellectual property rights for artists and heirs
• Corporate tax for brick and mortar art businesses and online art businesses
• Philanthropy and charitable planning for collectors, family offices, wealth managers, and art advisors
• Import and export considerations for art stakeholders

Fine Art - Direct and indirect taxation aspects

Building on the strength of Deloitte’s dedicated Art & Finance initiative, our Swiss and global tax experts have turned their attention to creating tailor-made tax structuring solutions for art holdings. An art collection frequently represents a substantial part of a family’s wealth and has become a key aspect of its financial and succession planning.

Art at work: a tailor-made approach

Customs and VAT rules relating to artworks are far too complex for a ‘one size fits all’ structure.

Depending, among others, on the nature of the seller, the purchaser, the intermediaries, the artwork itself, the physical flow of the artwork and the place where the artwork is sent, the best approach from an indirect tax viewpoint may be totally different.

Your advantage

• We offer the expertise of a network of indirect tax specialists dedicated to this issue.
• You will benefit from excellent advice to set-up your art works operations in a VAT-effective way.
• You will avoid unpleasant surprises, last minute deal breakers and other indirect tax pitfalls.