CFC rules in Bulgaria
17 June 2019Corporate Clients, Corporate Tax
International tax legislation, also known as CFC (Controlled Foreign Company) rules, is applied by a number of countries as a means against the reduction of tax payments.
The various rules against tax evasion practices that directly affect the functioning of the domestic markets are outlined in Council Directive (EU) 2016/1164, also known as the Taxation Directive or the Anti Tax Avoidance Directive, that was adopted on July 12, 2016.
In Europe, CFC rules are widely applicable in the UK, Germany, Russia, France, and in various other places.
On November 11, 2018, the Bulgarian Parliament adopted changes to the Corporate Income Tax Act as per Directive (EU) 2016/1164.
The mechanism of Controlled Foreign Company operation is as follows:
A taxpayer with a CFC company must include the company’s income when calculating the relevant tax base for the current year and pay the applicable tax in the country of which he or she is resident.
This company is considered to be a Controlled Foreign Company, if the taxpayer, together with related parties, has a direct or indirect controlling participation in the capital, has voting rights or can share in the profit of the company; or when the tax paid by CFC is lower than the established by the legislation threshold.
Once a company is considered a Controlled Foreign Company, fundamentally any revenue from that company should be included in the tax base of the taxpayer.
In order to avoid double taxation, states can allow the taxpayer to pay a tax credit for taxes paid by the CFC, or reduce the tax base of the taxpayer by the amount of distributed revenue from the Controlled Foreign Company.
CFC rules will not be widely applicable in Bulgaria
Some experts identify two main problems with the functioning of the CFC rules in Bulgaria.
The first is that CFC rules do not apply to taxes of individuals. If the company is controlled by a physical person who is a Bulgarian tax resident, the Bulgarian Controlled Foreign Company rules do not matter.
The second problem is that if a potential CFC is not subject to corporate tax in its jurisdiction, it will not be considered a Controlled Foreign Company, and the new rules will not affect it.
If you would like more information, please contact NBLO at [email protected]