Category: Corporate income tax
Review of the requirements for applying the reduced 15% corporate income tax rate to newly incorporated entities carrying out the same activities as their shareholders or related entities
In a recent binding ruling, the Spanish Directorate General for Taxes (Dirección General de Tributos, DGT) concluded that the mere coincidence between the activity carried out by a newly incorporated entity and that previously performed by its shareholders or other entities related to those shareholders is not, in itself, sufficient to deny the application of […]
The Reserve for Investments in the Canary Islands can be materialized in residential housing for rental
This expansion of the investment possibilities of the RIC is carried out with the declared purpose of overcoming the housing emergency situation in the Canary Islands. Since the modification introduced in Article 27 of Law 19/1994, of 6 July (amending the Economic and Fiscal Regime of the Canary Islands), by Royal Decree-Law 12/2006, of 29 […]
Double taxation treaties prevail over domestic law
According to the Spanish National Appellate Court (Audiencia Nacional), Brazilian “juros” must be classified as dividends for the purposes of the double taxation agreement between Spain and Brazil. Therefore, since treaties prevail over domestic law, the treaty-based exemption for such income cannot be denied. Brazilian tax law allows companies resident in Brazil to distribute to […]
For the deduction of the financial burden in leveraged buy-outs, the economic substance of the transactions as a whole must be considered
According to the Directorate General of Taxes (DGT), for the calculation of the ratio applicable to leveraged buyouts, the possible splitting of the debt must be disregarded, i.e., any debt assumed by the entities of the acquired group that is used directly or indirectly to satisfy the acquisition price must be considered. The Corporate Income […]
The Spanish rules on withholding taxes on dividends paid to foreign shareholders are contrary to EU law
According to the Court of Justice of the European Union, the Biscayan rules on non-resident income tax grant different treatment to withholdings borne by national shareholders as compared with those borne by non-resident shareholders, which is contrary to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The distribution of a dividend by a company […]
The Spanish participation exemption on dividends and capital gains is a “full exemption” for the purposes of the Controlled Foreign Company regime
According to the Directorate General of Taxes, exempt dividends and capital gains obtained by foreign holding companies do not have to be declared in Spain. Controlled Foreign Company (CFC) regimes are traditionally anti-abuse rules aimed at avoiding the deferral of taxation of income – normally of a “passive” or non-business nature – in controlled foreign […]