Tax & Legal

In a decision published on 14 December 2023 on Section 4 (4a) of the German Income Tax Act (restriction of deductible interest expense in the case of excess drawings), the Supreme Tax Court decided that the rule whereby Section 4 (4a) Income Tax Act (ITA) is to be applied for each business in isolation – a so-called business-related application - also applies to multi-level partnership structures. As a result, the transfer of a rolled-over profit in accordance with Section 6b ITA (roll-over relief) to another legal entity does not lead to a contribution to the transferring legal entity - (i.e. a contribution which would reduce the level of excess drawings) - due to the fact that no contributable asset was involved.

The transfer gain following an upstream merger must be added back to taxable income of the parent corporation at 5% as non-deductible operating expenses according to Section 8b (3) Sentence 1 Corporation Tax Act in conjunction with Section 12 (2) Sentences 1 and 2 Reconstructions Tax Act. The Schleswig-Holstein Tax Court held this to be in accordance with the EU Merger Directive.

Only 70 per cent of the costs incurred by a film production company for meals and drinks distributed free of charge to the persons employed at the film location for the production of the recordings can be deducted as business expenses, provided that the meals and drinks are also distributed to those persons who are not employees of the company itself, but who, for example, participate in the production of the set as employees of the participating television stations.

The Constitutional Court has held the blanket disallowance of 5% of dividends and capital gains realised by companies to be constitutionally acceptable.