CJEU judgment in Argenta Spaarbank on compatibility of interest payment deduction rules with Parent-Subsidiary Directive
On 26 October 2017, the EU’s Court of Justice (CJEU) ruled on the compatibility of the Belgian interest payment deduction rules with the Parent-Subsidiary Directive (PSD) in the case C-39/16 Argenta Spaarbank vs. Belgische Staat. The case concerns the Belgian interest payment deduction rules laid down in Article 198(10) of the 1992 Income Tax Code
Belgium’s corporate tax reform becomes reality
Today the Federal government has published a press release regarding the agreement on the concrete implementation of the important corporate tax reform announced earlier in July 2017. The Act has been sent to the Council of State for advice and is expected to be voted by Parliament in the course of December 2017. The great achievement of this
New rules announced regarding the lump-sum value for PC, laptop, smartphone, tablet & internet put at the disposal via the employer
Recently, the Minister of Finance announced new rules for valuation of certain benefits in kind (pc, laptop, smartphone, tablet and internet) and this as from 1 January 2018. As a result, the personal income taxes & social security rules are simplified & aligned and (lump-sum) values are reduced to be more realistic. If an employer
EU Directive on Tax Dispute Resolution Mechanisms formally adopted
On 10 October 2017, the ECOFIN Council formally adopted a Directive on tax dispute resolution mechanisms in the EU. The objective is to establish more effective and efficient procedures within the EU. The Directive builds on the existing Convention 90/436/EEC on the elimination of double taxation in connection with the adjustment of profits of associated
EU Commission takes next steps against Ireland and Luxembourg in Apple and Amazon State aid cases
On October 4, 2017, the European Commission (EC) continued its ongoing challenges to Member States’ transfer pricing tax regimes by advancing two high profile cases to the next stages. In the Apple case, the EC referred Ireland to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for failing to enforce an August 2016 State aid recovery decision,
Belgian Tax reform: Individuals – Reduction of tax benefits
In the scope of the agreement reached during the summer, the federal government announced several new tax measures. From a personal tax point of view, one of the changes foreseen is to reduce the tax benefits granted to people for whom the taxable period does not correspond to a full calendar year. In such case,
Business travel within Belgium: new rules for lump-sum cost reimbursements
General principle An employer can reimburse employees for business related expenses. In principle, the reimbursement of genuine business expenses is not treated as taxable income in the hands of the employees and company directors, as it concerns costs proper to the employer or company. In practice, business expenses are often reimbursed via detailed expense reports
EU Commission launches Proposal for Definitive VAT system
As part of the VAT action plan as launched on 7 April 2016, the EU Commission announced a legislative Proposal for the Definitive VAT system for Cross Border EU Trade. Said proposal was published today (hereafter referred to as the Proposal) and introduces the cornerstones of the Definitive VAT system for Cross Border B2B EU trade. A forthcoming proposal
