The case before the European Court of Justice (ECJ) concerned an annulment application in respect of a decision by the European Commission that certain parts of the UK’s controlled foreign company (CFC) regime constituted state aid. The case was an appeal against the General Court’s earlier decision to uphold the Commission’s state aid determination.
In a recent judgment the General Court of the EU dismissed the applications of two joint cases seeking annulment of the European Commission’s State aid decision on the UK Controlled Foreign Company (CFC) rules in force until 31 December 2018.
On 17 March 2021, the German Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) published a decree on the application of Section 8 (2) of the Foreign Tax Act (AStG) which stipulates the “motive test” taxpayers have to meet to escape controlled foreign company (CFC) taxation.
Following a ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) earlier this year, the Supreme Tax Court held in its decision of 31 October 2019 that the incorporation into the tax base of controlled company income from invested capital from an intermediary company domiciled in Switzerland in the financial year 2006 may restrict the free movement of capital, but it is justified through compelling reasons of public interest and does not therefore contravene EU law.
Two decisions of the Baden-Württemberg Tax Court have been published in connection with the attribution of foreign passive income for trade tax purposes. In these decisions the Court also raises doubts as to whether the add-back of this type of foreign income is compatible with EU law.
On 24 March 2021, a government draft bill aiming to implement the Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive (ATAD) passed the cabinet (in the following referred to as “Draft”) after lengthy political efforts.
The Supreme Tax Court has held that a Dublin docks reinsurance company that subcontracted its operation under a management agreement was an active business within the meaning of the Foreign Tax Act.
The Supreme Tax Court has held that the foreign passive income attributed to a domestic parent is to be seen as stemming from a foreign business establishment and is therefore exempt from trade tax.
Our November 2019 Newsletter includes news about the Finance Act 2019 and the Land Tax reform, as well as news from the Supreme Tax Court and the European Court of Justice.
On 10 June 2021, the Bundestag approved the "Act to avert tax avoidance and unfair tax competition and to amend other laws". In doing so, the Bundestag followed the recommendation of the Finance Committee.
On Monday, 10 July 2023, the Federal Ministry of Finance sent the draft bill for the implementation of the Directive to ensure a global minimum level of taxation for multinational enterprise groups and large domestic groups in the Union (so-called Minimum Taxation Directive Implementation Act – “Implementation Bill”) to the associations with the request for comment by 21 July 2023.
The Supreme Tax Court has held that a sale of shareholdings within a group was not sufficiently good cause for breaking an unwanted German tax group before its expiry date.
According to various statements of the German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz on 22 May 2019, a system of international minimum taxation will be discussed at the forthcoming G20 (June 2019) and G7 (August 2019) meetings. The aim is to agree such a system (within the terms of the Global Anti-Base Erosion "GloBE" agenda and given the name “BEPS 2.0”) with the other 128 states of the OECD in the Summer of 2020.
The European Commission has published a proposed CCCBT directive to allow groups active in more than one member state to opt for taxation on a single, consolidated tax base to be allocated over member states on a set formula. Assessment and collection would be by each member state under its own rules and at its own rates.
Some of the topics in this issue: Administration amends circular on treaty-shopping rules, Pensions paid abroad subject to limited tax liability, ECJ - Denmark to set-off final losses of foreign EU-branch.
2017 seems to be the year for tax reform: There are currently major changes to the US tax system discussed that may also have a significant impact on German companies. German tax consequences of potential restructurings in response to the upcoming US tax reform must therefore be considered already at an early stage and the current developments be constantly monitored.
