PhiLab is happy to invite you to the Geneva Centre for Philanthropy’s event.
Philanthropic organization and business activity: what are the tax issues?
Wednesday 11 September 2019
12:00 – 2:00 pm | Uni Dufour, room 260
Doors open at 11:45 am
RSVP online before Thursday 27 August 2019 >>
Can a philanthropic organization develop a business activity for self-financing purposes? If yes, to what extent? Would such an activity threaten its tax-exempt status? Is the present situation in Switzerland satisfactory?
The above questions, which preoccupy a great number of academics and practitioners, do not have straightforward answers. From a tax law perspective, a philanthropic organization benefiting from favourable tax conditions is required to limit its business activities. In Switzerland, as well as in numerous foreign jurisdictions, only donations to tax-exempt public purpose entities benefit from tax reliefs at donor level. In recent years however, an increasing number of charitable entities expressed their wish to finance their non-profit activities directly or indirectly through commercial activities, blurring the line between the profit and non-profit sectors.
In this framework, Prof. René Bekkers will share his knowledge of the Dutch legal system, whereas Prof. Xavier Oberson and Federal Judge Raphaël Gani will discuss Swiss tax law aspects as well as the relevant case law.