Coronavirus, Vorstandsvergütung, Insurance Premium Tax, German Administrative Guidance

New Administrative Guidance on German Insurance Premium Taxes

Multinational groups often take out international insurance policies to provide group-wide cover against their worldwide risk exposure. Normally, a master policy is taken out by the parent, supplemented by local policies for the local subsidiaries. These companies should therefore be aware of an amendment to the German Insurance Tax Act (VersStG) passed on December 10, […]
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Emittentenleitfaden Ad-hoc-Publizität, Dividendeneinkünfte, Quick Fixes, ATAD, lump-sum taxation, Präferenzregelung, MoPeG, Freiberufler, Personengesellschaftsrecht, Beschlussfassung, naturalization, Haftungsprivileg, Vereins- und Stiftungsorgane

Naturalization and Article 116 of the German Constitution

Previously, the number of applications for naturalization on the basis of Article 116(2), first sentence, in the German Constitution was somewhat modest. However, applications have grown significantly within the few last years. Requests from the United Kingdom, for example, have increased nearly tenfold – highly probably due to the results of the 2016 EU Referendum. […]
ATADUmsG Hinzurechnung, Danske-Bank, Reverse-Skandia-Fall, rückwirkende Rechnungsberichtigungsbesteuerung, Erweiterte Kürzung Indirekte Steuern, Umsatzsteuerrecht, Forderungsverzicht, Fremdvergleichsgrundsatz, Coronavirus, Mehrwertsteuersenkung, Zusätzlichkeitskriterium, fortführungsgebundener Verlustvortrag, Umsatzsteuerbefreiung, Sportvereine, Reiseleistungen, DBA-Niederlande

Federal Ministry of Finance locks third-country taxable persons out of applying the TOMS regime (special regulation for travel agents, in acc. with Art. 306 EU VAT-Directive)

Germany’s Federal Ministry of Finance has been examining the taxation of travel services performed by companies based in third countries. In a letter issued on January 29, 2021 (bundesfinanzministerium.de), the ministry states that the special scheme for travel agents (Sec. 25 of the German VAT Act – UStG) will no longer be applicable if the […]
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Umsatzsteuer Umsatzsteuerbefreiung, Datenschutzstrafrecht, Rollover relief, Forschungszulage, Familienprivileg, Related Party Transactions, Coronavirus, Gesellschaftsregister, Freiberufler, Verlust, Ausscheiden, CbCR, Revised Administrative Guidance, Transfer Pricing Documentation, German Administrative Guidance, Lizenzierung von IP, IP, Grunderwerbsteuerreform, Share Deals,

Taxation of German registered IP

2020 was eventful for MNEs with IP (e.g. patents, trademarks, etc.) registered in Germany due to the uncertainty surrounding the treatment of such IP under German tax law. A new decree of 11 February 2021 provides for simplifications. Flashback At the beginning of 2020, German tax experts held controversial discussions about whether the mere entry […]
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Umwandlungssteuerrecht, Gewerbesteueranrechnung, real estate, Umsatzsteuerbefreiungen, Digitale Besteuerung, Anti-Treaty-Shopping-Regelung, R&D, Hinzurechnungsbesteuerung tax credit, cash tax position, tax policy, Steuerentlastung, Jahressteuergesetz 2020, wirtschaftliches Eigentum, German-UK income tax treaty, tax treaty, Versicherungssteuerreform, Doppelbesteuerung, Energiesteuer

Amendment of the German-Irish income tax treaty

On January 19, 2021, lawmakers signed amendments to the protocol in the German-Irish income tax treaty. The key points of the amendments are: the introduction of a new provision in targeting treaty abuse; the revision of the permanent establishment standard by introducing the anti-fragmentation rule; and the introduction of a 365-day holding period for the […]
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Umsatzsteuer Umsatzsteuerbefreiung, Datenschutzstrafrecht, Rollover relief, Forschungszulage, Familienprivileg, Related Party Transactions, Coronavirus, Gesellschaftsregister, Freiberufler, Verlust, Ausscheiden, CbCR, Revised Administrative Guidance, Transfer Pricing Documentation, German Administrative Guidance, Lizenzierung von IP, IP, Grunderwerbsteuerreform, Share Deals,

Revised Administrative Guidance on Transfer Pricing and Tax Audits

Transfer pricing and the documentation of arm’s-length transfer prices are closely scrutinized and often disputed in tax audits. Germany has had administrative guidance in place since 2005, specifying German taxpayers’ obligations during a tax audit. On December 3, 2020, the German Ministry of Finance published a revision of this guidance, now known as the ‘Administrative […]
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Umwandlungssteuerrecht, Gewerbesteueranrechnung, real estate, Umsatzsteuerbefreiungen, Digitale Besteuerung, Anti-Treaty-Shopping-Regelung, R&D, Hinzurechnungsbesteuerung tax credit, cash tax position, tax policy, Steuerentlastung, Jahressteuergesetz 2020, wirtschaftliches Eigentum, German-UK income tax treaty, tax treaty, Versicherungssteuerreform, Doppelbesteuerung, Energiesteuer

Amendment of the German-UK income tax treaty

On January 12, 2021, amendments to the protocol in the German-UK income tax treaty were signed. The key points of the amendment of the German-UK income tax treaty are the introduction of a new provision in targeting treaty abuse; and the revision of the permanent establishment standard by introducing the anti-fragmentation rule. Global businesses need […]
Streitbeilegungsrichtlinie, EU-Kommission, EU, Feste Niederlassung,Online-Handel, Öffentlich-öffentliche Zusammenarbeit, Versicherungsprodukte, Steuerbefreiung

German draft law for modernization of withholding taxes relief and new anti-abuse measures

On 20 November 2020, the Federal Ministry of Finance issued the draft for a law on the modernization of the relief from withholding taxes (“Abzugsteuerentlastungsmodernisierungsgesetz – AbzStEntModG”). Changes have been proposed for the following tax rules in particular: procedure to obtain relief from German withholding taxes (“WHT”) on the basis of income tax treaties or […]
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Investitionsabzugsbetrag BEPS, Country-by-Country-Reporting, Umsatzsteuer, R&D tax credit, CFC rules, EU Steuer, umsatzsteuerliche Organschaft, Hinzurechnungsbesteuerung, Werklieferungen, work supplies, Hinzurechnungsbesteuerung, Vorsteuerabzug von Kommunen, US-Steuerrecht, Optionsmodell

German Federal Ministry of Finance on work supplies (‘Werklieferungen‘)

In a letter dated October 1, 2020, the German Federal Ministry of Finance (‘BMF’) clarified that a work supply requires that an object not owned by the supplier is treated or processed. The BMF supplemented the VAT Application Decree accordingly. Work supplies Hence, a work supply is only given, if the manufacturer of the work […]
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Gemeinnützigkeitsrecht

New German tax court case about the fixed establishment concept for VAT purposes

The German Federal Tax Court issued a decision on a ‘fixed establishment’ for VAT purposes (ECLI:DE:BFH:2020:U.290420.XIR3.18.0). The case concerned a German business consultant who provides services in third countries on behalf of non-business customers. The question was whether an office building and employee, which have been made available to the consultant during his business trips abroad, […]
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