Federal Ministry of Finance publishes draft tax bill outlining new measures effective 1 January 2020.
By Tobias Klass
The Federal Ministry of Finance has released its first draft tax bill on the contemplated real estate transfer tax (RETT) reform, setting out the general framework to which market participants must conform. German political debate has focused on strengthening German RETT laws for some time. The Conference of the German Ministers of Finance added weight to this political debate in June 2018, requesting that tax department heads of the federal and state ministries of finance transfer the resolution into a draft bill. Consequently, market participants have structured transactions to account for considerable uncertainties as regards RETT consequences.
The proposed draft measures are consistent with those outlined in June 2018, however, for the first time, market participants are gaining more clarity about when the new rules likely will apply. Generally speaking, the new rules will only apply to transactions as of 1 January 2020.
So-called share deal structures have been the focus of German political debate about real estate transfer tax (RETT) for some time. The coalition agreement already contains the governing parties’ political letter of intent to end allegedly fraudulent tax structurings regarding RETT through share deals. The background of said structures are transactions in which land or real estate is not sold directly, but indirectly, by selling the shares of the property holding company. Provided that a purchaser acquires less than 95% of the shares, RETT is not triggered under current law. If a corporation is involved in these structures, a co-investor typically will acquire the remaining shares of more than 5%. Alternatively, if a partnership is involved, the shares remain with the seller, as the mere change of shareholders in the amount of at least 95% of the partnership interests would already trigger RETT. As market participants have merely adapted to the current legal situation, referring to fraudulent structures is generally inaccurate. However, these structures became the focus of tax authorities, rendering them politically targeted.