The Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes (OECD) gave Liechtenstein good grades within the context of its 2015 country assessments, declaring that it was “largely compliant”. This means Liechtenstein has the same rating as e.g. Germany and the United Kingdom.
Liechtenstein has for years pursued a rigorous tax conformity strategy, and has already concluded bilateral tax treaties with over 50 states around the world:
With the United Kingdom (August 2009), Germany (September 2009), France (September 2009), the Netherlands (November 2009), the USA (December 2008), Australia (June 2011), Japan (July 2012) and Canada (January 2013),
to mention just a few. List of Liechtenstein`s tax treaties
Administrative Assistance Convention as the basis for the exchange of information upon request
On 21 November 2013 the Principality of Liechtenstein signed the Multilateral Convention of the OECD and the European Council on Reciprocal Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters (MAC), and ratified this on 22 August 2016. The MAC enables the contracting parties to provide administrative assistance in respect of a wide range of taxes. The exchange of information upon request and the spontaneous exchange of information have been applicable since the beginning of 2017. The MAC is simultaneously the basis for the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA), which implements global AEOI standards.
Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI)
The OECD's AEOI standard includes the obligation to exchange specific information about financial accounts in tax matters. Liechtenstein signed the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) with 50 further states on 29 October 2014.
Liechtenstein joined the early-adopter initiative of the G5 states (Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain) concerning the earlier introduction of the AEOI. In a bilateral tax transparency agreement between Liechtenstein and the EU, the introduction of the AEOI was agreed from 2016 with practically all EU member states.
Since November 2016, the Liechtenstein Parliament has approved the activation of the AEOI with a further 60 partner States. Including the EU States, the AEOI in Liechtenstein thus currently comprises 88 countries. In 2020, the expansion by a further 20 agreements to 108 is planned.
These measures consequently mean that investors do not suffer any tax disadvantages when acquiring Liechtenstein investment funds. On the contrary: Liechtenstein investment funds are subject to unrestricted tax liability in Liechtenstein and therefore essentially have the same declaration and cooperation obligations as other taxable companies. Income generated by the assets managed by Liechtenstein investment funds is, however, exempt from tax (Art. 48 Para.1 Letter g of the Tax Act (“Steuergesetz”). As a consequence, Liechtenstein investment funds are effectively not subject to tax. Furthermore, Liechtenstein does not impose withholding tax on investment fund distributions, nor does it impose “taxe d’abonnement” (subscription tax). This means investors only have to pay the taxes imposed in their home countries.