Germany’s Statutory Treatment of Special Payments in Transnational Cases

Abstract

In the field of business taxation, the German and Austrian concepts of co-entrepreneurship (Mitunternehmerschaft) take special positions. Following these concepts, partnership profits are attributed to partner shares and, accordingly, the partners are taxed independently under the transparency or pass-through principle (Transparenzprinzip) based on their respective shares and the special payments they receive from the partnership. Special payments (Sondervergütungen), for instance, interest on a loan granted to the partnership by a partner, are treated as income from commercial business according to domestic law. Therefore, section 50d, paragraph 10, of the Income Tax Act (Einkommensteuergesetz [EStG]) determines that the special payments are treated as a business profit for treaty purposes. As a result, Germany waives the right to tax the partner as a German permanent establishment (PE). In transnational arrangements, the unique German system often results in conflicts of qualification. On this account, our paper points out the consequences resulting from the treatment of special payments. Based on case studies with inbound and outbound investments, we outline the current status of the German treatment of special payments in transnational dealings and summarize future prospects.