In a most recent circular, the Federal Ministry of Finance (MoF) has commented on the input VAT deduction from services obtained by an entrepreneur prior to the switch from the standard taxation to taxation under the small business regime in Section 19 of the German Value Added Tax Act.
The European Commission proposes to cut €400 million in annual administrative costs for companies, adding to the €8 billion already targeted through earlier simplification efforts. With a new category of small-mid caps, the measures will ease compliance obligations and thus free resources for growth and investment across the Single Market.
The ECJ has held that if two businesses are linked through personal or other non-contractual relationships and act in concert neither will qualify for SME privileges, even if it meets the formal criteria in isolation and the arrangements in question are not intended as an abuse of SME rules.
