procedure. The request must reach the Disbursing Agent by December 15 of the current year and is irrevocable. In addition, subject to certain requirements and restrictions, the Disbursing Agent credits foreign withholding taxes levied on income from capital investments in a given year regarding securities held by the security holder in the custodial account with the Disbursing Agent.
Due to recent legislative changes, losses arising from the fact that a receivable is fully or partially irrecoverable or is written off due to an impairment and losses arising from a transfer of an impaired receivable to a third party or from any other default, in each case suffered after December 31, 2019, can be offset against other income from capital investments only up to an amount of EUR 10,000 per year. Any loss from any such circumstances exceeding EUR 10,000 can be carried forward and may be offset against capital investment income in future years up to EUR 10,000 per year. This limited off-setting of losses must be taken into account in the security holder’s tax return. As these legislative changes do not concur with current administrative guidance, in particular the effects on the withholding tax procedure are not foreseeable at present.
Securities Held by Tax Residents as Business Assets
Payments of interest on the securities and capital gains from the disposal or redemption of securities held as business assets by German tax resident individuals or tax resident corporations (i.e., corporations whose legal domicile or place of effective management is located in the Federal Republic), including via a partnership, as the case may be, are generally subject to German income tax or corporate income tax (in each case plus solidarity surcharge and, if applicable, church tax). The interest and capital gain will also be subject to trade tax if the securities form part of the property of a German trade or business.
If the securities are held in custody, or are administered, or if their disposal is executed, by a Disbursing Agent (as defined above), tax at a rate of 25% (plus a solidarity surcharge of 5.5% of such tax and, if applicable, church tax) will also be withheld from interest payments on securities and generally also from capital gains from the disposal or redemption of securities held as business assets. In these cases the withholding tax does not satisfy the income tax liability of the security holder, as in the case of the flat income tax, but will be credited as advance payment against the personal income or corporate income tax liability and the solidarity surcharge (and, if applicable, against the church tax) of the security holder, or will be refunded in the amount of any excess.
With regard to capital gains from the sale, transfer, disposal or redemption of securities no withholding will generally be required in the case of securities held by entities tax resident in Germany, provided that in the case of corporations of certain legal forms the status of the entity has been evidenced by a certificate of the competent tax office. The same applies upon notification by use of the officially prescribed form towards the Disbursing Agent in the case of securities held by individuals or partnerships as business assets.
Securities Held by Non-Residents
Payments of interest on securities and capital gains from the disposal or redemption of securities are not subject to German taxation in the case of non-residents, i.e., persons having neither their residence nor their habitual abode nor legal domicile nor place of effective management in the Federal Republic, unless the securities form part of the business property of a permanent establishment maintained in the Federal Republic, or for which a permanent representative has been appointed in the Federal Republic. Interest may, however, also be subject to German income tax if it otherwise constitutes income taxable in the Federal Republic such as income from the letting and leasing of certain German-situs property or income from certain capital investments directly or indirectly secured by German situs real estate.
Non-residents of the Federal Republic are, in general, exempt from German withholding tax on interest and capital gains and from solidarity surcharge thereon. However, if the interest or capital gain is subject to German taxation as set forth in the preceding paragraph and the securities are held in custody, or are administered, or if their disposal is executed, by a Disbursing Agent (as defined above), withholding tax will be levied as explained above at “— Securities Held by Tax Residents as Business Assets” or at “— Securities Held by Tax Residents as Private Assets,” respectively.
Please note that depending on the terms of the relevant securities, an investor may only realize a negative yield. This would be associated with the following tax consequences:
Security holders will only realize a taxable capital gain if they receive, upon a disposal of the securities, an amount (after the deduction of actual expenses directly related thereto) in excess of the issue price (or the purchase price they paid for the securities).
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