HIDE

Other Publications

Insights

Publications

French Budget 2025 – Significant Provisions Affecting Individuals

French Budget 2025 – Significant Provisions Affecting Individuals

The French Budget for 2025 reflects significant political instability reflecting two factors. The first is the fragmentation of the French Parliament after elections last summer. The second is a significant budgetary deficit. It was adopted with limited debate on February 14, 2025, after an earlier Finance Bill was rejected in December 2024, resulting in a change of government. Key measures to note include, inter alia, (i) Introduction of enhanced social contribution on high incomes, with an instalment that was due in December 2025, (ii) reform of the tax and social security treatment of management packages, including those already in existence, (iii) an overhaul of the tax framework for the B.S.P.C.E., one of the main employee shareholding tools, (iv) tax incentives for gifts received to acquire a new primary residence or to finance energy-efficient renovations, (v) Introduction of a special reassessment period in cases of misreported tax residence, (vi) clarification on the supremacy of treaty law in determining tax residency, (vii) additional social contributions for companies with revenues over a €1 billion, and (vii) a tax on capital reductions linked to share buybacks by companies with revenues exceeding a €1 billion. Philippe Stebler, the founder of Stebler Avocats, Paris, explains these and other provisions. The takeaway is that, if you thought French taxes in 2024 could not get any higher, you were mistaken.

Read More

Albermarle: Refund Claims Relating to Foreign Tax Credits

We analyze a recent U.S. Court of Appeals case, Albemarle Corp. v. United States, that affirmed certain refund claims were barred by the statute of limitations. The case involved withholding taxes on payments of interest to Albemarle Corp. from its Belgian subsidiary during the years 1997 to 2001. The court held that the taxpayer’s claims for refunds, attributable to foreign tax credits, were time-barred in certain years.

Read More

Inadequate Gift Description – I.R.S. Tries for a Second Bite at the Apple

What constitutes adequate disclosure? This topic continues to be a source of dispute between taxpayers and the I.R.S. Sheryl Shah and Nina Krauthamer discuss the statute of limitations consequences when a taxable gift that is not “adequately shown.”

Read More

Insights Vol. 1 No. 10: Updates & Other Tidbits

Read Publication

ISRAEL ANNOUNCES ADOPTION OF O.E.C.D.’S COMMON REPORTING STANDARD

Israel has announced that it will adopt the Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information: Common Reporting Standard (“C.R.S.”) issued by the O.E.C.D. in February 2013.

The C.R.S. establishes a standardized form that banks and other financial institutions would be required to use in gathering account and transaction information for submission to domestic tax authorities. The information would be provided to domestic authorities on an annual basis for automatic exchange with other participating jurisdictions. The C.R.S. will focus on accounts and transactions of residents of a specific country, regardless of nationality. The C.R.S. also contains the due diligence and reporting procedures to be followed by financial institutions based on a Model 1 F.A.T.C.A. intergovernmental agreement (“I.G.A.”).

At the conclusion of the October 28-29 O.E.C.D. Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes, about 50 jurisdictions had signed the document. The U.S. was notably absent as a signatory to the agreement. In addition to the C.R.S., the signed agreement contains a model competent authority agreement for jurisdictions that would like to participate at a later stage.