W&I insurance in M&A transactions
In recent years we have seen an increase in W&I insurance and it is expected that this trend will continue. This does not come as a surprise as W&I insurance can help establishing deal certainty and peace of mind post-closing. We frequently receive questions on what W&I insurance is and how it works in practice.
Mergers and (partial) demergers in case of negative net equity
Mergers and (partial) demergers in case of negative net equity Although nothing in Belgian company law or tax legislation explicitly indicates that companies with a negative net equity are not allowed to participate in a merger (or demerger or partial demerger), legal doctrine is divided as to whether such a transaction is possible if
Santa Claus has brought us a new tax framework for ELTIF investment funds to boost our Belgian economy !
Some good news on the tax and economic fronts. Belgium is getting equipped with the appropriate investment vehicle for its long-term financing needs in private-public infrastructure, SMEs, digitalisation, greening of the economy, social projects, etc. The draft law on various tax provisions currently before the parliament proposes to extend the tax regime of Belgian regulated
Update of the Belgian EBITDA rule provides opportunities for infrastructure and energy sector
Recently the Belgian legislator published a Royal Decree containing some clarifications on the repair law of 20 December 2020 containing changes to the 30% EBITDA rule. As mentioned in our previous Newsflash of 6 January 2021, the Belgian legislator published on 20 December 2020 new legislation in order to address criticism of the European Commission
Debt waivers without a tax cash out (?)
Last week, Belgian Minister of Finance Van Peteghem announced to extend the scope of the existing Belgian tax exemption for debt waivers to non-judicial debt reorganizations. This is very relevant for debt restructurings involving Belgian debtors, especially as the 2018 Belgian tax reform introduced a cap on the amount of certain tax attributes (such as
Brexit does not only impact fishing territories but also M&A transactions
During the holidays and after lengthy negotiations, the EU and the UK agreed on a Brexit – deal. As foreseen, on 1 January 2021, the transition period during which the UK was still considered a Member State of the EU and European Economic Area (EEA) has ended. Among a variety of topics, this is
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
Consolidation of Joint Ventures not always required for the 30% EBITDA rule
As from assessment year 2020 (FY starting as from 1 January 2019) a 30% EBITDA rule limits the maximum amount of interest relief, whereby ‘exceeding borrowing costs’ are only tax deductible up to the higher of 30% of the tax-adjusted EBITDA or €3m. This de minimis rule should be calculated at Belgian group level. Based
