Inheritance in Germany: allowances for less inheritance tax Usually, anyone who experiences a death in the family also deals with inheritance. In Germany, inheritance is subject to tax. However, there are allowances that vary depending on the degree of relatedness and the amount of the inheritance. These allowances make it possible to pay less levy. This article explains the various […]
How Japanese managers in Germany can overcome challenges Japanese expat managers in Germany face challenges with culture, language, colleagues, clients, authorities, and requests from the headquarter. Japanese managers often become department heads or chief financial officers without a technical background. Japanese companies prefer this challenging environment to find the best candidates for advancement: either with our withour success. This article […]
Inheritance and gift tax Germany: all you need to know Inheritances and gifts with a foreign link are becoming more common, including implications on inheritance and gift tax in Germany. This occurs when someone involved in the process resides in another country. Transferring assets in a different country can also cause this to happen. For example, this could include a […]
New depreciation rules will make the construction of rental properties more attractive Depreciation (“AfA”) plays an important role in the decision pro or contra construction of rental housing. In order to make new construction of rental properties more attractive, the German Federal Government has adopted new provisions as part of the 2022 Annual Tax Act. The most important thing that […]
Taking advantage of tax benefits: e-bikes Background Over the last few years, electric bicycles (e-bikes or ebikes) in particular have become increasingly popular alongside classic bicycles. At the beginning of 2015, there were still electric bikes in 1.5 million households. At the beginning of 2020, 4.3 million households in Germany already owned at least one electric bike. This means that […]
Background A number of our international clients work in Germany for a Germany-based company but their families live in another EU country. Question is how this is being income taxed in Germany and the other EY country, as well as in which country social security obligations have to be made. We look for answers. Example The situation A typical case […]
Temporary reduction of German VAT: how to deal with continuous services The German Federal Government agreed on June 3, 2020, to stimulate the German economy by reducing VAT rates from 19% to 16% (standard rate) and from 7% to 5% (reduced rate) in the period from July 1 to December 31, 2020 (see also our blog article). Rentals, leasing (cars, machines, etc.) […]
Mandatory reporting on cross-border tax planning Background An EU-directive on mandatory disclosure rules (Council Directive on administrative cooperation in the field of taxation, so called “DAC6”) aimed at increasing transparency to detect potentially aggressive cross-border tax planning became effective in June 2018. DAC6 applies to cross-border tax arrangements, which meet one or more specified characteristics (hallmarks), and which concern either […]
Short-time allowance (Kurzarbeitergeld or KUG) during Corona: FAQs A difficult economic development or an unpredictable event such as corona can make short-time work necessary in a company. The resulting loss of earnings can be partially compensated with short-time work allowance. At the end of April 2020, German Federal Employment Agency reported KUG applications submitted by companies for more than 10 […]
