In the night of 3-4 June, coalition partners CDU/CSU and SPD agreed on a crisis management package to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID 19 pandemic. Continue reading
Tax & Legal
In its judgment of 18 December 2019 (XI R 21/18) published on 22 May 2020, the Supreme Tax Court ruled that the granting of a right to purchase goods at a reduced price (in the form of a “membership”) constitutes an independent service for VAT purposes and not just a service ancillary to the subsequent sale of goods. Even if the supermarket sells goods that are subject to both the standard tax rate (19%) and the reduced tax rate (7%), the standard tax rate is to be applied to the membership fee. Continue reading
On 8 May 2020 the European Commission proposed deferring certain deadlines for filing and exchanging information under the Directive on Administrative Cooperation (DAC). Continue reading
At its meeting on 6 May 2020, the Federal Cabinet adopted the Corona Tax Assistance Bill, which – with the exception of editorial changes – essentially corresponds to the Federal Ministry of Finance’s original formulation. The only change worth noting here is an addition to the explanatory memorandum on the tax exemption on subventions by employers to reduced hours compensation payments and seasonal reduced hours compensation payments vis-à-vis corrections to salary withholding tax deducted prior to the Act taking effect. Continue reading
This article is intended to provide an overview of the current measures taken in connection with the spread of the coronavirus, particularly in tax law.
A: Material on tax measures in Germany;
B: Measures in other areas in Germany;
C: Measures at European level.
D: Measures worldwide Continue reading
On 19 April 2020 simplified rules entered into force for the mutual recognition of goods in the European internal market that will enable companies to sell their products more easily throughout the EU. Continue reading
In coordination with the Supreme Tax Authorities of the federal states (“Länder”), the Federal Ministry of Finance published further tax measures to assist those affected by the Corona crisis in its circular dated 9 April 2020. Continue reading
The Federal Ministry of Finance has agreed with the Federal Ministry of Economics (“the Ministries”) on a far-reaching bundle of measures to protect jobs and safeguard companies of all sizes and in all sectors. These measures include tax liquidity support for companies. The measures were set out in a notice released on 13 March 2020. Continue reading
Expenses for an apartment are only deductible as double-household expenses incurred in advance if the taxpayer has made a conclusive decision to use the apartment in the future as part of a double-household deductible for tax purposes. Whether this is the case must be decided through an overall assessment of the objective circumstances of the individual case. Continue reading
The tax exemption from real estate transfer tax (RETT) in the event of restructuring within a group under Section 6a of the Real Estate Transfer Tax Act (RETTA) does not constitute State Aid prohibited by EU law. It can also apply to cases where a dependent company is merged with a controlling company. This was decided by the Supreme Tax Court in its ruling of 22 August 2019 – II R 18/19, published on 13 February 2020. Continue reading