On Sunday, June 30, 2019, the EU and Vietnam signed the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the Investment Protection Agreement (IPA) in Hanoi. The EU has described the FTA as the “most ambitious” free trade deal ever concluded by the EU with a developing country.
On July 2, 2019, the bill to implement the amendment to the EU Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive (ATAD2) was presented to the Lower House. As a result of this amendment, the Directive now combats both hybrid mismatches among EU Member States and between EU Member States and third countries.
On July 3, 2019, the Court of Justice of the European Union (‘CJEU’) rendered judgment in the University of Cambridge case (C‑316/18). This case concerns the VAT recovery right of a university that collects gifts and donations and subsequently invests them in order to use the proceeds to finance part of its business activities.
Who will be elected by the members of the Conservative Party? Will it be Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt? For the time being, Boris Johnson seems to be the favourite. On 22 July it will be announced who will be the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Leon Kanters, Brexit expert and partner of KPMG Meijburg & Co, explains the current developments in his blog.
On July 12, 2019, the Supreme Court published the judgment in a case litigated by Meijburg & Co concerning the question whether the allocation of bonus shares can be placed under the fixed exemption of the work-related costs rules. In this judgment, the Supreme Court formulated reference points for applying the standard practice criterion (gebruikelijkheidtoets).
On July 12, 2019, the bill to implement the EU Directive on mandatory disclosure (DAC6), which took effect on June 25, 2018, was presented to the Lower House. This Directive provides for the mandatory automatic exchange of information on reportable cross-border arrangements. A public consultation on a draft of the bill took place at the end of 2018/beginning of 2019; see our previous memorandum on this. The bill that has now been presented to the Lower House is addressed below.
This is the third edition of our Tax Update for the Shipping & Offshore sector, in which we inform you about national and international developments, various court decisions, bills and practical experience, which are both current and relevant to the sector. Please use it to your advantage!
Shipping & Offshore Market Group
KPMG Meijburg & Co