Incentive programs like an employee stock option plan or a virtual stock option plan ("VSOP") are widely used by young technology companies ("Company") to reward and retain talent ("Beneficiaries"). A key feature in these...more
Good news! The second chamber (Bundesrat) has now paved the way for the eagerly awaited and much-debated inclusion of a group privilege in sec. 19a of the German Income Tax Act (“EStG”). German start-ups that have done the...more
Much has been written about the unsatisfactory tax situation of German employees when it comes to equity-based employee stock (option) programs ("ESOP"). Historically, employees were taxed at the time of issuance of shares...more
Mitarbeiterbeteiligungsprogramme spielen für junge Unternehmen eine entscheidende Rolle bei der Gewinnung und Bindung von Top-Talenten. Eine Beteiligung am Unternehmen belohnt Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter dafür, dass sie...more
Employee-ownership programs (or in short "ESOPs") play a critical role in attracting and retaining top talent to fledgling young companies. Stock options reward employees for taking the risk of joining a young, unproven...more
Headed into 2020, start-ups accustomed to easy venture capital (“VC”) dollars already faced leaner times, with VC funding having already cooled in Q4/2019. And then along came COVID-19... When you consider the shock waves...more