Austrian Administrative Supreme Court (VwGH) about the certificate of residence for capital gains tax relief

Following up on recent case law from the tax court (BFG), in a different legal matter, the Austrian Administrative Supreme Court (VwGH) now also addressed the requirement to provide a certificate of residence on specific Austrian forms (ZS-QU1 or ZS-QU2) to benefit from a withholding tax relief at source in its decision dated 9 October […]

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BFG confirms: Relief from KESt at source only with timely certificates of residence on the ZS-QU2 form

In its decision dated 24 January 2024 (RV/1100179/2019), the Austrian Federal Financial Court (BFG) confirms the strict view of the Austrian tax authorities that, in order to be granted relief from capital gains tax (KESt) at source based on the applicable double taxation agreement, it is compulsory for the certificate of residence to be submitted […]

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Russia suspends parts of the double taxation agreement with Austria

By decree of 8 August 2023, Russia unilaterally suspended the application of major parts of the provisions of the double taxation agreement between Austria and Russia. This has implications for Austrian taxpayers. Background In response to Western sanctions (such as the EU adding Russia to its “blacklist”), the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian Ministry […]

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Changes concerning withholding tax for Software-as-a-Service and Infrastructure-as-a-Service

Under many Austrian double tax treaties, the remuneration for “industrial, commercial or scientific equipment” is treated as royalties subject to withholding tax (WHT). In a change from the previous interpretation, the Austrian Ministry of Finance has now stated that intangible assets (e.g. software) do not fall under the category of “equipment”. This has significant implications […]

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