Tax-News.Com Archive

Sponsored by: PEARSE TRUST
Independent advice on corporate and trust structures

ARCHIVE ROOT | TODAY'S NEWS | LOWTAX

Liechtenstein Adopts Tax Reform Road Map
Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels

14 March 2008

On the occasion of the annual tax expert meeting in Vaduz, Prime Minister Otmar Hasler presented the parameters for the revision of Liechtenstein's tax laws, launched in 2006.

“The goal of the reform is taxation of citizens that is as transparent and simple as possible. The income earned on the markets should be taxed only once over the course of the life cycle, and natural and legal persons should be treated equally wherever possible,” the Prime Minister explained.

According to the Liechtenstein government, the reforms will build on existing tax law, and the Liechtenstein tax system will be updated in accordance with the most recent insights of international tax research, taking into account the changed economic and legal environments in Liechtenstein and abroad. In addition to competitiveness and performance, the tax reform will attempt to pay particular attention to constitutional and European conformity.

Noting that tax policy and the tax climate have become more political than ever in Europe, and that national borders are now increasingly porous, Hasler added that:

“Over the last few years and months, many countries within and beyond Europe have carried out tax reforms, including a reduction of their tax rates. This has shown in practice how important a prudent tax policy has become in the competition among business locations."

A working group was commissioned by the government to offer proposals for a revision of Liechtenstein's tax laws in November 2006.

The working group's report was adopted by the government in February 2007 as the 'Future Liechtenstein Tax Roadmap', which contained the essential guidelines and basic ideas for a reform of Liechtenstein tax law.

The FL Tax Roadmap set out the framework for the development of a tax reform concept, but it did not contain any further details. However, the government stipulated that future tax policy must be governed by the principles of "revenue and decision neutrality, competitiveness and performance, conformity with European law, and international compatibility".

While the document acknowledged that this might affect the number, type and rates of taxation in Liechtenstein, the exact nature of the tax reforms and how they will work in practice remains vague.

A comprehensive report in our Intelligence Report series giving background tax and residence information on many of the key offshore jurisdictions is available in the Lowtax Library at http://www.lowtaxlibrary.com/asp/subs_reports.asp and a description of the report can be seen at http://www.lowtaxlibrary.com/asp/description_report4.asp

 


IMPORTANT NOTICE: TAX-NEWS.COM has taken reasonable care in sourcing and presenting the information contained on this site, but accepts no responsibility for any financial or other loss or damage that may result from its use. In particular, users of the site are advised to take appropriate professional advice before committing themselves to involvement in offshore jurisdictions, offshore trusts or offshore investments. All materials on this site copyright TAX-NEWS.COM 1999 to 2007. Contact us for further information.