Luxembourg: Luxembourg Pillar Two Draft Law: Side-by-Side Solution and Safe Harbours

On 11 September 2026, the Luxembourg government published the updated draft law implementing the OECD Pillar Two Global Anti-Base Erosion (GloBE) rules, incorporating significant technical refinements following EU Directive 2022/2523. The draft introduces a unique “side-by-side” solution allowing multinational enterprise (MNE) groups to compute top-up tax under both the Income Inclusion Rule (IIR) and the Undertaxed Profits Rule (UTPR) simultaneously, alongside new transitional safe harbours and clarifications on constituent entity definitions, joint ventures, and acquisition mechanics.

Key Takeaways

  • Side-by-Side Computation Mechanism: Luxembourg’s innovative approach permits MNEs to calculate GloBE top-up tax under both IIR and UTPR concurrently, providing flexibility in managing jurisdictional tax exposures and avoiding double counting of covered taxes.
  • Expanded Safe Harbour Provisions: New transitional CbCR safe harbour, routine profits test safe harbour, and simplified calculation safe harbour are codified with Luxembourg-specific thresholds and election procedures, reducing compliance burden for qualifying groups.
  • Technical Clarifications on Complex Structures: Detailed rules on investment entity treatment, insurance group allocations, and minority-owned constituent entities address previous ambiguities, with specific guidance on the interaction between Luxembourg’s participation exemption regime and Pillar Two effective tax rate calculations.

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