Sanctions and their effects, part 1

Sanctions have been in fashion for centuries, and are being broken. The widow Barbe-Nicole Clicquot-Ponsardin, in reaction to Napoleon’s Russian campaign, was concerned with the embargo that the Russian Tsar had imposed on French products in 1812. The widow hired a Dutch ship, had it loaded with over 10,000 bottles of the 1811 vintage, and […]

Additional financing of company pension schemes (bAV) subject to wage tax

When do employees face a double insolvency risk with occupational pension schemes and additional tax burdens? The subject of the BMF letter of 6 December 2017 (IV C 5 – S 2333/17/10002; DOK 2017/0989084) is, among other things, also the future treatment of incorrectly structured company pension scheme (bAV): Accordingly, special payments by the employer […]

Underwriting of life insurance policies

The BGH has decided that – completely independent of the revocation – a claim for damages can also be sufficient for the reversal of a life insurance policy – oh for contracts concluded from 2008 onwards.   In its current ruling of 28 June 2017 (Case No. IV ZR 440/14), the Federal Court of Justice […]

Company pension scheme: Paying twice

The Federal Minister of Finance announced the future treatment of incorrectly structured company pension schemes (bAV): According to this, special payments made by the employer for employees are subject to wage tax if the provider makes calculation errors. Employers and employees are thus doubly liable for this “tax savings model”.   First of all, subsequent […]

Occupational pension provision – to be used with caution

The Federal Minister of Finance (BMF, letter dated 28.09.2017 – draft dated 04.10.2017) announced the future treatment of incorrectly structured occupational pension schemes (bAV): According to this, special payments by the employer in the event of calculation errors by the provider are liable to pay income tax for employees. Employers and employees are thus doubly […]

Comment: The imposed benefit

How the new law on the strengthening of company pensions is driving out the desire of employees for popular harmful guarantees.   On 1 June 2017, the German Bundestag passed the new Company Pension Strengthening Act (BRStärkungsG) (ep reported). The official aim is to promote the spread of occupational pension schemes (bAV) in small businesses […]

UK of the bAV can permanently reduce insolvency assets

Assets are protected from the insolvency administrator – in the event of death the situation is different: The Federal Court of Justice (BGH, ruling of 08.12.2016, ref. IX ZR 257/15) ruled that the general and insolvency-independent waiver of surrender of the (residual) assets of a provident fund (UK) for occupational pension provision (bAV) can be […]

ECJ: Tax advice to residents by foreign consultants

In its ruling of 17.12.2015 (Case C-342/14), the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that foreign tax consulting companies are authorised to provide tax advice in Germany. According to the Advocate General’s opinion to the ECJ, this requires “the recognition of the company and the appointment of its management bodies as tax advisors” (StB) – […]