New legislation impacting 30% EBITDA rule
In order to address criticism of the European Commission on inter alia the Belgian implementation of the “EBITDA interest limitation rule”, the Belgian legislator has published new legislation to address those. This might impact the financing of real estate, entities that perform factoring activities or entities active in “long-term public infrastructure projects”. The scope of
Circular containing technical clarifications regarding the 30% EBITDA rule
On 10 July 2020 a new Circular letter was published regarding the 30% EBITDA regulation (Dutch/French version).The Circular is intended to provide some additional clarifications on remaining ambiguities on the 30% EBITDA regulation, as contained in Article 198/1 BITC 92 and Article 73 RD/BITC. These clarifications are highly technical in nature and underscore again that
EBITDA Interest Limitation Rule: New Circular Letter avoids unintended consequences when obtaining payment holidays
On 5 May 2020, the Belgian tax administration published its Circular Letter 2020/C/62 on specific payment holidays negotiated in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. More in particular, this circular accepts that certain loans will not lose their “grandfathered” status in case specific modifications are negotiated to loan agreements so to bridge temporary payment difficulties.
The OECD releases its Transfer Pricing Guidance on Financial Transactions
The OECD has released its long-awaited final report on the transfer pricing aspects of financial transactions. The report will constitute the 10th chapter of the OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines (as well as an additional section in Chapter I). It covers a wide range of financial transactions and provides guidance on critical aspects to be considered
Royal decree regarding significant changes on 30% EBITDA rule approved
On 10 December 2019, the draft repair act containing various changes to the 30% EBITDA rule has been withdrawn from the chamber leaving taxpayers in uncertainty on the application of the rule. However on 27 December 2019, a Royal Decree related to the 30% EBITDA rule has been published. The Royal Decree includes some of
Important update – Draft bill impacting 30% EBITDA rule delayed
The draft bill containing various modifications to article 198/1 BITC 92 (i.e. 30% EBITDA rule), has been removed from the agenda of the Finance Commission. Therefore it is unrealistic that these modifications will be adopted before year-end. The modifications included in the draft bill – and which are hence not adopted – include the allocation of
Draft bill involving significant changes on 30% EBITDA rule
On 26 November 2019, a draft bill containing various tax provisions was submitted to the Belgian Chamber of Representatives. Several upcoming changes are related to the interest deductibility limitation (i.e. 30% EBITDA rule) which was introduced in the 2017 corporate income tax reform and applicable as of 1 January 2019 (assessment year 2020). If enacted,
Circular Letter regarding the “grandfathering” provision included in 30% EBITDA rule
On 11 September 2019, the Belgian tax administration published a Circular Letter regarding the grandfathering provision that is included in the recently introduced interest deductibility limitation (i.e. 30% EBITDA rule). The 30% EBITDA rule includes a grandfathering provision for loans that have been issued before 17 June 2016 and that have not been “fundamentally modified”
