The Supreme Tax Court decided in three separate cases that the payment of excessive consideration under the terms of a contract between a GmbH and a party related to the shareholder is not a partial gift by the GmbH, if the shareholder was involved in the conclusion of the contract between the GmbH and the related party. In such a case the benefit granted arises from corporate relationship between the GmbH and the shareholder. With these decisions the Supreme Tax Court has changedn its earlier jurisprudence on this question.
In a circular published on 24 November 2017 the Federal Ministry of Finance clarified a number of urgent questions raised by the German Banking Industry Committee and the Federal Association of Investment and Asset Management with regard the application of the Investment Tax Act in the version applicable from 1 January 2018.
At its sitting on 22 September 2017 the Bundesrat (Federal Council/upper house) expressly welcomed the proposal for an amendment of Council Directive 2011/16/EU on administrative cooperation in the field of taxation to impose a reporting obligation on cross-border schemes. It has long been a demand of the Bundesrat that rules on reporting obligations be introduced.
The Members of the Arbitration Committee of the Federal Parliament (Bundestag) and the Federal Assembly (Bundesrat) have reached a compromise on the inheritance and gift tax reform after a seven hour session going on late into the night. Here is a summary of the key points.
