Some people must have asked themselves, what’s so special about a Swiss Holding Company compared to an EU-Holding-company. However it’s a fact, that the Swiss holdings are criticised and flacked by the politicians and tax authorities of foreign countries – even though most of the people do not know why – except that it is a “Swiss Holding Company” and there must be something wrong with it.

First we need to know, that Swiss taxes are divided in different tax-authorities that raise taxes: federal taxes, cantonal and communal taxes. The tax-rate for federal taxes of corporate entities is 8.5%. The regular cantonal and communal taxes vary between 8 and 25%.

Second we need to understand that the Swiss Holding Company does not differentiate between whether it is domestic or foreign-owned and managed. Foreign shareholders are non-privileged towards Swiss owners. Furthermore , the Holding Company exempts – as well as the counterpart in the EU – all dividends from applicable participations from taxation.

 Now what the cantonal and communal taxes additionally exempt from taxation is ”other income” as for example interests, licence-fees or management-fees but only under the condition, that the company has the “holding-privilege” which is tied to the following requirements:

• 2/3 of the assets of a company have to be in qualifying shareholdings or
• 2/3 of the income have to come from qualifying shareholdings (dividends)

Then we have to consider, that the tax-exemption of other income is not valid for the federal taxes. This is a consquence of the existing autonomy of the cantons which prohibits Switzerland and the federal taxes to intrude into cantonal matters.

By the way: Dividends from a Swiss corporate entitiy are taxed with 35% source-tax (Verrechnungssteuer) – if the receiver of the dividends is not another corporate entitiy within the EU. In this case the ”notification procedure” is applicable. Of course the source tax can be refunded and/or applied for if there is a double taxation treaty between the two countries involved.

Author: Hugo Schauli, dipl. Wirtschaftsprüfer and Partner der Wirtschafts-Treuhand AG, Basel, Switzerland

hugo.schauli[@]wirtschafts-treuhand[.]ch
www.wirtschafts-treuhand.ch

After World War II Germany became an immigrant country. Today more than 10 million people of Germany’s population are immigrants or second generation children of immigrants. Immigration has also its tax impacts.

A special tax problem occurs quite often with individuals form the USA or Anglo-Saxon countries when they come to live in Germany. Quite a few of them are beneficiaries of trusts.  The German tax regime of trusts is very unfavourable. This is due to two facts.

Germany’s civil law does not know this legal form. Therefore there exists uncertainty about the legal status of trusts. The second reason for the unfavourable taxation is the fact that German individuals tried to avoid high German tax burdens in the sixties and seventies of the last century by setting up trust in tax havens. This resulted in a punishing anti-avoidance tax legislation. Unfortunately German tax law does not distinguish between Germans who try to avoid taxes and foreigners coming to Germany. Trusts which have been set-up to benefit the latter were often not constructed to avoid taxation. Or if so this was legally accepted by their domestic tax system.

The tax regime of a trust in Germany depends mainly on its legal structure. If the settlor or a beneficiary is the beneficial owner of trust’s funds the trust will be treated as transparent for tax purposes. The high fiscal court of Germany (Bundesfinanzhof / BFH) ruled in a case regarding a Liechtenstein Stiftung as follows. In this case the settlor was able to control the trust. He had the right to appoint or remove trustees and to transfer all funds back to him or to third parties. The BFH classified the Liechtenstein Stiftung as transparent. The same tax treatment shall apply for trusts.

The tax situation of beneficiaries of transparent trusts being resident in Germany is as follows:

• The beneficiary’s part of trust income will be subject to German income taxation if not denied by a double taxation treaty. Especially dividends, interests and other income from capital funds are subject to German taxation. Business or rental income might be tax free under provisions of the respective double taxation treaty.
• Transfers of funds of the beneficiary to the trust or repayments to the beneficiary will not be subject to German income or inheritance and gift tax.
• A serious problem can be the crediting of foreign taxes at source. This can apply for instance if the trust receives dividends from foreign sources and the foreign country imposes a withholding tax on these dividends. German tax regulations or provisions of the respective double taxation may deny the full crediting of the withholding tax on German income tax.

A beneficiary of an in-transparent trust might face far more severe tax implications if being resident in Germany. This especially applies for irrevocable trusts. The following tax implications might follow:

• The transfer of funds to the trust by the settlor or beneficiary is subject to German gift tax. The very unfavourable tax class III is applicable (low allowances, tax rates between 30% and 50% on transferred funds).
• Payments of the trust to the beneficiary who is resident in Germany can be subject to German income taxation under certain circumstances. And all payments of the trust will be subject to German gift tax. This extensive tax regime might result in a double taxation if payments are subject to German income and gift tax.
• And the above mentioned problem of crediting foreign withholding taxes against German income tax is even more severe.
• There are special provisions for so called family trusts. But in general they are not applicable for beneficiaries coming from abroad.
• Double taxation treaties might provide a certain support against extensive double taxation. This is especially the case where German double taxation treaties with countries from the Anglo-American world have special provisions regarding the taxation of trust. But there is little support in regards to inheritance and gift tax since Germany’s only double taxation treaty in this respect has been agreed with the USA.
• Citizens of EU-member states such as Great Britain or Ireland might be able to seek help in front of German courts if they are subject to extensive taxation. The German regulations might not be in line with European freedom rights.

Author: Peter Scheller, Somann & Scheller, www.somannscheller.de