Place of actual administration in the age of digitalisation & home office
Since the concept of the place of actual administration was incorporated into the law in 1951, digitisation has progressed in great strides. The author explores the question of the extent to which, in the age of home offices and video conferencing via the internet, criteria such as office space, lack of staff, lack of telephone accessibility and address redirection are still contemporary and whether the place of actual administration can still be determined geographically at all in the face of increasing mobility.
Taxation of international workers during the Covid 19 pandemic
René Matteotti, Peter Vogt and Natalja Ezzaini examine how the Swiss authorities dealt with the tax issues that arose as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic, which involved international employees and their work in home offices.
Tax aspects of pension assets of internationally mobile employees
Employees are more mobile than ever. As a result, they often have occupational and private pension assets in several countries. The tax situation becomes confusing at the latest when a cross-border transfer or payment of these pension assets to the beneficiaries is to take place. This article first introduces the basics and presents the respective tax consequences in Switzerland with regard to the payout from the foreign pension forms on the basis of two cross-border practical examples.
STAF transitional rules from an international perspective
Developments in international tax law have increased rapidly in recent years. The BEPS project to combat base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS), initiated by the OECD and the G20 countries, was the main trigger for this unprecedented dynamic. With a comprehensive package of measures consisting of 15 action points, the aim is to take international action against harmful tax competition and aggressive tax structuring and thus prevent undesirable profit reduction and profit shifting.
Memorandum of Understanding between Switzerland and Italy concerning COVID-19 measures
On 20 June 2020, the State Secretariat for International Financial Matters (SIF) reported the conclusion of a new memorandum of understanding between Switzerland and Italy concerning COVID-19 measures.
Consultation agreement with Germany on the taxation of cross-border workers and state support services
On 11 June 2020, the State Secretariat for International Financial Matters SIF concluded a new consultation agreement between Switzerland and Germany on the taxation of cross-border commuters and the treatment of state support services.
Council of States approves various double taxation agreements
At its meeting on 4 June 2020, the Council of States approved various double taxation agreements (DTAs).
SIF updates tax relief tables for various countries (4 June 2020)
On 4 June 2020, the State Secretariat for International Financial Matters (SIF) updated the overviews of tax relief for various countries. This concerns the overviews of the effects (extent of the relief) of the agreements with Bangladesh, China, Chinese Taipei, India, Ireland, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Sri Lanka.
FDK publishes statement on the consultation of the federal law on withholding tax
On 29 May 2020, the Conference of Cantonal Finance Directors (FDK) published a statement on the consultation process for the federal law on withholding tax.
New OECD report on post-pandemic planning for tax administrations published
On 26 May 2020 the OECD published the new report "Tax Administration Responses to COVID-19: Recovery Period Planning". This third COVID-19 report addresses the main issues that tax administrations should consider when planning the recovery period under COVID-19. According to the OECD report, early planning for the resumption of entrepreneurial activity is necessary for both tax administrations and taxpayers in order to identify the most important challenges and opportunities at an early stage and to take preparatory measures.
Automatic exchange of information on financial accounts - Federal Council publishes the audit report on 33 partner states
On 20 May 2020, the Federal Council submitted the audit report on the standard-compliant implementation of the Automatic Exchange of Information to the relevant parliamentary commissions (WAK-N and WAK-S) for consultation. The report examined compliance by the partner states with the audit criteria of the Federal Decree on the Audit Mechanism of 6 December 2017, such as whether data confidentiality is guaranteed.
Consultation agreement with France on the taxation of frontier workers in the case of tele- or home-office work
On 14 May 2020, the State Secretariat for International Financial Matters SIF reported the conclusion of a new consultation agreement between Switzerland and France on the taxation of cross-border commuters in the case of teleworking or home office work.
Intercantonal and international tax differentiation for real estate of business and private assets
ISIS)-Seminar on 11-12 September 2017 - Intercantonal and international tax differentiation for real estate held as business and private assets