Over the past few years, the international tax landscape has shifted towards increased tax transparency and enhanced tax conformity across many industries and professions. As a result, Luxembourg underwent a significant tax reform in 2017, which created — amongst others — new tax-related criminal offenses. In this context, and in response to the Luxembourg fund industry’s concerns, the CSSF issued Circular 20/744 that introduced nine tax indicators to identify potential tax crimes, on top of the 21 tax indicators already presented in Circular 17/650.
The CSSF Circular 20/744 applies to all professionals from the asset management sector that the CSSF directly supervises. By systematically tackling potential tax risks, they aim to enhance the existing tax governance frameworks and strengthen the Luxembourg fund industry’s robustness and stability.
After Circular 20/744 was published in July 2020, the CSSF included 9 new indicators in the scope of its 2021 audits and began sending specific observations in December 2021 requesting dedicated procedures on the Circular. Going forward, both circulars and their implementation will be a key consideration of the CSSF.
To mitigate their exposure to these potential tax risks, professionals must adapt their tax compliance policies and AML frameworks by integrating these nine indicators into their risk assessment processes.
The information contained herein is of a general nature and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Although we endeavor to provide accurate and timely information, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. No one should act on such information without appropriate professional advice after a thorough examination of the particular situation.