Former prohibition of exemption of withholding tax on dividends distributed by Belgian Regulated Real Estate Companies annulled by Constitutional Court
On 11 May 2016, the Belgian Constitutional Court annulled the former prohibition of exemption of withholding tax on dividends distributed by Belgian Regulated Real Estate Companies (RRECs) on the ground that it was discriminatory compared to dividends paid by Belgian Real Estate Investment Funds (REIFs). The Act of 12 May 2014, applicable as from 16
European Commission proposes an EU Directive on public Country-by-Country reporting
As already referred to in our newsflash of 13 April 2016, the European Commission has developed a proposal for a directive which, if approved by the European Parliament and Council of Ministers, will require public country-by-country reporting (CbCR) of tax and other financial data by large companies in the European Union (EU). The proposed directive will amend the existing
Belgian Tax on Savings Income: Scope Enlarged
Last week, the Belgian tax authorities published a practice note enlarging the scope of application of the Belgian Tax on Savings Income (or “Reynders Tax”) so as to include new categories of funds. Capital Gains Tax. As is already known, the Belgian Tax on Savings Income (“BTS”), also referred to as the Reynders Tax, (the main provision of
European Commission proposes public Country-by-Country Reporting (CbCR) rules for EU multinational enterprises
On 12 April 2016, the European Commission (EC) introduced a legislative proposal on public reporting requirements for certain EU enterprises, being multinational groups with a consolidated turnover exceeding EUR 750 million. The proposal is founded on the EC’s determination to address corporate tax avoidance in Europe, of which the cost for the EU Member States
ESAs publishes final draft Regulatory Technical Standards on KID for PRIIPS
ESAs has finalised its draft RTS on the PRIIPs KID after consulting various interest groups. These final draft RTS provide clarity on the obligation that the PRIIPs Regulation imposes to provide for a key information document that should be easily understandable for consumers. The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA –
Belgium – budgetary control 2016: reform of corporate tax regime announced
On 9 April 2016, the federal government reached an agreement on additional budgetary and recovery measures following the 2016 budgetary control exercise. To keep the budget on track, among others the following tax measures have been agreed: Reform of the Belgian corporate income tax regime. The corporate income tax regime will be reformed in order
Long-awaited MiFID II Delegated Acts published
This MiFID II Delegated Directive brings clarity on some contentious investor protection issues, and confirms some key changes that firms need to accomplish in several important areas. The progress of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II) has been slow, stuttering and at times unpredictable, and the complexity and scale of the regulation
ESMA publishes final guidelines on sound remuneration policies under UCITS and AIFM Directives
In its newest report, ESMA sheds light on the guidelines relating to the remuneration policies and practices for management companies and their identified staff. On 31 March 2016, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) published its final guidelines on the remuneration policies for management companies and their identified staff (the Guidelines). These Guidelines refer
