Germany: Cash Register Law 2 and Income Tax Reform 2027: DStV President Lobbying

Throughout September 2026, DStV President StB Torsten Lüth conducted a series of high-level meetings with finance policy spokespersons of the governing coalition parties in the German Bundestag following the summer recess. The discussions centered on two flagship legislative projects: the Second Cash Register Law (Kassengesetz 2) and the Income Tax Reform 2027. President Lüth presented the profession’s consolidated position papers, emphasizing practical implementation concerns for the estimated 800,000 affected businesses and advocating for transitional relief measures. Regarding the Income Tax Reform, the DStV pushed for simplification of the trade tax credit mechanism, preservation of the investment allowance for SMEs, and clearer definitions for the proposed “digital permanent establishment” concept targeting platform economies.

Key Takeaways

  • Implementation Timeline Negotiations: The DStV secured agreement in principle for a 12-month hardship deferral for businesses with annual turnover below €500,000, allowing phased adoption of certified cash register systems without penalty exposure.
  • Reform Financing Transparency: Coalition counterparts acknowledged the need for a formal impact assessment on the proposed rate cuts, committing to publish distributional analyses by income decile before the second parliamentary reading in November 2026.
  • Digital Taxation Alignment: Both sides agreed to coordinate the domestic “digital permanent establishment” definition with the OECD Pillar One Amount A framework to avoid double taxation disputes for German-headquartered digital service providers.

Disclaimer: This article is compiled and summarized by the AI based on publicly available information and is for general information purposes only. It does not constitute any form of formal tax advice, legal opinion, or basis for performance. Please consult a qualified professional tax advisor or legal counsel for tax advice.

Source: Read Official Announcement