Tax & Legal

Where a company, which has acquired investment units in US dollar denominated equity funds, writes down the value of the investment units to their fair market value following an unfavourable development in the foreign currency exchange rate, the company must add the write down back off-balance sheet.

In a most recent decision, the Supreme Tax Court held that foreign currency losses on shareholder receivables similar to loans do not reduce the taxable income of the corporation. This was decided by the Supreme Tax Court in its interpretation of Section 8b (3) Corporation Tax Act as valid in 2014 and which deals with investments in other corporations and the non-deductibility of losses in connection with certain shareholder loans.

UPDATE: In its session on 25 June 2021, the Bundesrat gave its approval to the Act to Modernise Corporate Income Tax Law. The Bundesrat thus followed the recommendation of the Finance Committee. The law is should enter into force on 1 January 2022.