Introduction
On 5 April 2019 the House of Representatives approved
legislation implementing the EU Anti-tax Avoidance Directive
(2016/1164/EC) in Cyprus with the aim of improving the resilience
of the internal market against cross-border tax avoidance
practices.
The provisions relating to interest deductibility, controlled
foreign company (CFC) rules and the general anti-abuse rules
(GAARs) came into effect on 1 January 2019, while the provisions
relating to exit taxation and countering hybrid mismatches are
expected to be introduced after 2020.
Interest deductibility
Rules on interest deductibility aim at limiting the possibility
of deducting interest which is now set at 30% of taxable income
before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA).
Taxable EBITDA is defined as the total of net taxable income
calculated in accordance with Cypriot income tax laws increased by
the exceeding borrowing costs. However, the 30% restriction does
not apply for