TFL Vsebine / Revija SIR*IUS

Is the acquisition of own shares subject to a taxation?

S sprejetjem zadnje novele Zakona o dohodnini se je temeljito spremenila davčna obravnava odkupa lastnih poslovnih deležev v d. o. o. Odkup lastnih poslovnih deležev od 1. 1. 2020 ni več obdavčen po pravilih o obdavčitvi dobičkov iz kapitala (oz. izjemoma po pravilih o obdavčitvi dividend, če se ugotovi zloraba), temveč vedno skladno s pravili o obdavčitvi dividend. Navedeno seveda nima nobenega pravnega učinka na samo pravno podlago pridobitve lastnega deleža, kot je zamišljena v okviru korporacijskega prava. Zato je kot uvertura predstavljen sistem pridobivanja lastnega poslovnega deleža, ki pa služi zgolj sistematski obravnavi celotnega postopka odkupa lastnega poslovnega deleža. Članek predstavlja pregled pretekle (do 31. 12. 2019), predlagane in nove (od 1. 1. 2020) ureditve davčne obravnave odkupa lastnega poslovnega deleža v okviru ureditve družbe z omejeno odgovornostjo, s poudarkom na kritiki novega sistema. Bistvo kritike je, da se nova ureditev oddaljuje od obdavčenja po ekonomski vsebini in približuje obdavčenju po formalnih kriterijih, ki pa ne upoštevajo morebitne ekonomske utemeljenosti. Zakonska in dejanska stvarnost se oddaljujeta druga od druge, pri čemer ni popolnoma jasno, v čem je legitimni namen takšne regulacije.

With the adoption of the latest amendments to the Income tax act, the regulatory framework for the taxation of own shares has been thoroughly changed. From 1 January 2020 onwards, acquisition of own shares is not taxed as a capital gain (except for instances when an own stock is acquired through a stock market) but rather as a dividend. While this change has no bearing on the corporate law side of acquiring own shares, it has a significant impact on rationalizing the acquisition of own shares from an economic point of view. This Article will first deal with corporate legislation regarding the acquisition of own shares in an effort to show the systematic whole and to present a better view of things to the reader. The main part of the article is devoted to a presentation of the past, the intended and the new legislation in regard to the taxation of the acquisition of own shares, with an emphasis on criticism of the present regulatory framework. The essence of the critique is the abandonment of the principle of taxing the economic substance of the transaction in favor of a formalistic approach. The legal solution and reality are at odds with each other, and the reason behind it is not clear.