The Chartres, sanctuaire du Monde Endowment Fund
Give long-term support to Chartres with a new legal means of receiving legacies, donations and life insurance payments
Since the coming into force of the Law of 4 August 2008 on the Modernisation of the Economy, the law allows us to go further. With this change in the law, the Chartres, sanctuaire du monde association set up the Chartres, sanctuaire du Monde Fund (C.S.M. Fund), the statutes of which have been declared and registered with the Chartres Prefecture and published in the French Official Journal of 6 June 2009.
The purpose of the C.S.M. Fund, which has wide-ranging legal powers, is to “contribute to the funding of conservation, restoration and improvement programmes at Chartres Cathedral, and the creation of contemporary art works in the said cathedral.”
The Fund enables the association to support and fund new programmes by making use of new resources: legacies, donations and life insurance payments, which are exempt from all transfer taxes when donated.
Advantages of an endowment fund compared with an association d’intérêt général (law of 1901)
| The association |
Endowment fund |
|
| Legacy | Not possible | Exempt from transfer duties Sum bequeathed goes to the Fund’s projects |
| Donation | Not possible | Exempt from transfer duties Donation goes to the Fund’s projects |
| Life insurance | Transfer duty of 60% If a life insurance payment of €10,000 is made to the association, €6,000 is payable in tax. |
Exempt from transfer duties If a life insurance payment of €10,000 is made to the Endowment Fund, 100% of this sum goes to the Fund’s projects. |
The advantages of life insurance
Life insurance is a way of saving and passing on these savings that has some major advantages. The policyholder, who is often the person insured by the life insurance policy, can set aside money over a long period of time, the fruits of which will qualify for a lower rate of capital gains tax compared with investments made in a securities account. These savings can be invested in low-risk products in either euros or account units.
The other important aspect of life insurance policies is to do with inheritance law. In the policy, the policyholder designates beneficiaries who, in the event of the policyholder’s death, will receive all or part of the sums in the policy net of any tax. The law does limit the extent to which this can be done, and it is more advantageous to take out a policy before the age of 70.
A beneficiary can be an individual or a legal entity. This means that the Chartres, sanctuaire du Monde Endowment Fund can be designated as single or joint beneficiary in a life-insurance policy.
During his or her lifetime, the policyholder can have access to his or her savings and make changes to the list of beneficiaries at any time.
NB: to the best of our knowledge, this information is correct. C.S.M. cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies. Life insurance arrangements must fulfil precise criteria which may not suit everyone. Exhaustive information should be obtained before making any decisions. Tax rules may change in the future.
Temporary donation of usufruct
Making a temporary donation of usufruct is a very tax-efficient way to donate.
By making a notarised donation of temporary usufruct of a property to C.S.M. (for a minimum of 5 years):
- You donate the income from the property (e.g. rental payments for an apartment block, fixed income from investments, share dividends, etc.) to the C.S.M. fund
- In your capacity as bare owner, you remain in control of your property for the period for which it is immobilised, but your property is no longer included in the calculation of the wealth tax payable by you.
- The usufruct of the property is restored to you at the end of the donation period.
For more information, our legal advisor is at your disposal on +33 (0)6.56.88.02.66 or at hdiese@yahoo.fr