In a resolution, published on 7th February 2017 (though already passed on 28th November 2016), the German Federal Tax Court (“Bundesfinanzhof” (BFH)), decided that the so-called “Decree on Turnaround” (“Sanierungserlass”) issued by the Federal Ministry of Finance (“Bundesministerium der Finanzen” (BMF) contravenes principles of the lawfulness of the administration and is therefore nil and void. Now, so-called “turnaround-profits” might be taxed, a fact which seriously endangers future turnarounds.
German economy in January 2017 – Healthy start with mixed signals
According to preliminary figures, German GDP increased by 1.9% in the whole of 2016 and by around 0.5% in the last quarter. Main driver of growth were exports and state consumption which increased from 2.7 to 4.2% in one year. And this rise in state consumption is mainly attributed to the costs for the refugees which are assessed to be around Euro 22bn in the last year. This figure puts the budget-surplus of around 6bn into perspective…
The German economy in December 2016 – mixed end to a disturbing year
After a rollercoaster rarely seen in recent history, the year ends relatively patchy for the German economy:
General suspension of insolvency filing requirement?
After the Bavarian Minister of Justice had already proposed a suspension of the obligation for at timely insolvency filing in cases of natural disasters in the summer of 2016, the Ministerial Conference of the State Ministers of Justice now followed this proposal in November 2016. They agreed that the three-week insolvency application period of § 15a InsO does not take into account the special situation surrounding natural catastrophes. In the short time frame foreseen by § 15a InsO, it is often not possible to clarify as to whether the damage inflicted can not be offset by various compensations (e.g., by insurance companies).
The German Economy in November 2016 – Trump ante portas
Until 8 November the month began rather “ordinary” and did not continue the rebound from September. Obviously, everybody was waiting for the outcome of the US Presidential elections. And then the unthinkable (at least from the viewpoint of the MSM) happened – Trump was voted President. And then, again, the unthinkable happened: stocks did not only NOT crash but – especially in the US – started a rally rarely seen.
BGH: Creditors have to examine turnaround concepts
With a judgment published in May 2016, the German Federal Court of Justice (“Bundesgerichtshof”, “BGH”) further tightened the requirements creditors have to meet in order to defend a claw-back of monies received prior to insolvency according to sec. 133 German Insolvency Act (“Insolvenzordnung”, “InsO”).
The German economy in October 2016 – rebound?
While in September the clouds hanging over the German economy rather indicated the end of the world (“On the edge“) current October figures seem to indicate a moderate to strong rebound:
The German economy in September 2016 – on the edge
The question raised at the end of August (“seasonal slowdown or new trend?“) might indeed be answered in the very near future – at least, if Deutsche Bank’ shares contiue to plunge. But I am getting ahead of myself…
Germany: Turnaround playing field not ready for the crash
In September 2016, I published a comprehensive analysis (in German) of the potential impact of an economic crisis on the restructuring prospects for companies in Germany. The analysis is based on a total of seven theses, which I discussed in a (non-representative) survey among representatives from banks, funds, research and consulting.