EFAMA commented on the current VAT rules for financial services and their functioning, as well as on possible changes to these rules, in a public consultation of the European Commission.
EFAMA discusses all relevant tax topics with importance to the European asset management industry, such as Tax transparency packages or EU FTT, OECD topics including several actions inserted in the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project, and all kinds of national developments in case they have an impact on regulated EU investment funds. The focus lays on mainstream funds but we may discuss alternative investment fund tax-related issues, if they are of broad relevance.
EFAMA commented on the current VAT rules for financial services and their functioning, as well as on possible changes to these rules, in a public consultation of the European Commission.
The Commission launched a public consultation ahead of the presentation of a legislative proposal to introduce an EU Digital Levy by January 2023. For EFAMA, any new tax legislation on “digital activities” (or “digital transactions”) should not be borne by the end-investors. Our understanding is that the industry’s activities should not be in scope of the new tax.
The fund and asset management industry is a highly regulated industry operating under significant and specific legal, regulatory, transfer pricing and tax frameworks.
Pillar 1: Investment funds are structured as tax neutral investment pooling vehicles as a matter of
public policy.
Pillar 2: The role that investment funds play in providing investors with a diversified portfolio and global market access is essential.
With the release of this proposal, the Commission is replicating the OECD / BEPS Inclusive Framework (OECD) Pillar Two Global Anti-Base Erosion (GloBE) Model Rules that came live in December 2021 and addresses how Member States will implement them in a coherent and consistent way across the EU. The work of the Commission and the alignment with the work of the OECD / BEPS Inclusive Framework are to be welcomed.
EFAMA fully supports the Commission’s initiatives to fight tax avoidance and aggressive tax planning. The work of the technical teams that acknowledged our industry’s special requirements and the proposal of carve-out rules to protect investment structures and end-investors are, to a certain extent, to be welcomed.
Register now for our Investment Management Forum next week! High-calibre panels and keynote speakers promise rich, informative and thought-provoking exchanges between European policymakers, investment managers and regulators on
- the Competitiveness of our industry
- the EU retail investment strategy
- the latest in global standards for sustainability reporting
- challenges and opportunities of alternative investment regulations
- the impact of digitalisation on asset management
- and more...
The report aims to provide a unique and comprehensive set of facts and figures on the state of the industry at the end of 2018 but also to highlight the fundamental role of asset managers in the financial system and wider economy.