Claude and Lisa both went to university. Actually Lisa was the cleverer of the two. That was evident in the seminars they both attended, and their marks. Both were not only clever, but were also good looking and came from solid middle-class families. Fate had been kind to them. No-one was therefore really surprised, when shortly after completing their university studies, they announced their marriage. We celebrated together and welcomed their restrained but obvious happiness. Read More »
Category: My Blog
Export Controls and Sanctions
Export Controls legislation regulates the export of dual-use and military goods. Trade Sanctions restricts trade with certain countries and entities. To comply you must know which of your products are regulated and, for a given transaction, which country the goods are coming from or going to, the business parties involved and the end-use. Read More »
Soll man sich das Guthaben der Pensionskasse auszahlen lassen? (Mitschnitt einer Unterhaltung)
Ich sass am Flughafen und wartete auf meinem Flug. Ich las in meinem Unterlagen.
Zwei Herren 50+ in Anzug mit Aktenkoffern kamen und setzten sich neben mich.
“Wenn das so weiter geht, wird der Umwandlungssatz für die Pensionskassen bald bei 0.0 sein”, sagte der kleinere der beiden.
“Ja das ist gut möglich, ” antwortete der andere.
“Dann wird sich nicht mehr lohnen eine Rente zu beziehen. Man müsste sich das Kapital dann auszahlen lassen.”
“Recht hast du, das Kapital wird bei Bezug nämlich zu einem reduzierten Steuersatz besteuert.
Um das zu optimieren musste man vielleicht noch kurz vorher irgendwo ins Ausland ziehen, wo es gar nicht besteuert wird.”Read More »
Should one withdraw the Pension Fund balance? (Recording of a conversation)
I was at the airport waiting for my flight. I was reading my documents.
Two men in suits, 50+, carrying briefcases came and sat beside me.
“If it goes on like this, the Pension Fund conversion factor will soon be 0.0”, said the smaller of the two.
“Yes, that’s quite possible” replied the other. “Then it won’t be worth drawing a pension. One would have to withdraw the capital.”
“You’re quite right, if the capital is withdrawn, it’s taxed at a lower rate.To make the most of that, perhaps shortly before doing so one should move somewhere abroad, where it is not taxed at all.”Read More »
New Zealand – special report on NZ GST and remote services
New Zealand IR has today released the special report on NZ GST and remote services.
It’s a pretty good document but doesn’t cover every scenario/issue.
This is a short insight into the systematics:Read More »
Meeresblick, Seesicht
Mal wieder in Ascona. Ich geniesse es. Wasser, Luft, Berge. Gutes Essen, guter Wein, nette Leute. Rummel und Ruhe, ja nach dem wonach es einem gerade ist. Nach dem Frühstück eine gemütliche Fahrt mit einem Minidampfschiff. Die Begeisterung des Eigentümers, der die ganze Maschinerie selbst entworfen und konstruiert hat, ist ansteckend.Read More »
Room with a view
Back in Ascona. I enjoy it. Water, fresh air, the mountains. Good food, good wine, friendly people. The bustle and the peace, depending on what one wants at the time. After breakfast, a leisurely trip with a mini-steamer. The enthusiasm of the owner, who designed and built all the machinery himself, is catching.Read More »
Wenn der Job keinen Spass mehr macht
Bei mir ist Edgar und er macht einen sehr zerknitterten Eindruck. Seit sechs Monaten hat er einen zwölf Jahre jüngeren Chef. Seit diesem Zeitpunkt macht ihm sein Job keinen Spass mehr. Am Anfang hat er sich über den neuen Chef und seine vielen Ideen gefreut. Ganz nach dem Motto “toll, ein neuer Wind”. Schnell hat sich aber gezeigt, dass der neue Chef viele Ideen hat, seine Führungsqualitäten aber sehr zu wünschen übrig lassen.Read More »
When the job is no longer enjoyable
Edgar is in my office and he makes a very down-trodden impression. For six months he has had a 12 years younger boss. Since then his job has no longer been enjoyable. In the beginning he enjoyed his new boss and his many ideas. Just like the saying “a breath of fresh air”. But it quickly became apparent that the new boss had many ideas, but his leadership qualities leave a lot to be desired.Read More »
Alternative ways of receiving Italian VAT refunds
Italian VAT law provides for a number of simplifications, which might be used in order to avoid being charged with VAT or recover the input VAT incurred in a faster way compared to the refund, in particular:
Michaela Merz 