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ARTICLE · 09 JANUARY 2025

EU Tax Alert 208

Loyens & Loeff
Loyens & Loeff
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On 10 December 2024, the Council of the EU adopted the Directive on Faster and Safer Relief of Excess Withholding Taxes (FASTER).

NetherlandsTax
Juan Manuel Vázquez
Juan Manuel Vázquez
Liselot Bakker
Liselot Bakker
Daan Both
Daan Both
Gino Sparidis
Gino Sparidis
Bram Middelburg
Bram Middelburg
Emma Van Doornik
Emma Van Doornik
Bruce Van Schaik
Bruce Van Schaik
Gijs Groenewoud
Gijs Groenewoud

1. Highlights in this edition

FASTER Directive adopted by the Council of the European Union

On 10 December 2024, the Council of the EU adopted the Directive on Faster and Safer Relief of Excess Withholding Taxes (FASTER). The FASTER Directive introduces a unified framework for withholding tax (WHT) relief procedures for dividends and interest on publicly traded instruments. It aims to make WHT relief processes faster and more efficient as well as to prevent tax fraud and abuse.

The text of the FASTER Directive adopted by the Council is aligned with the compromise text politically agreed by the Member States in May 2024 (see our previous web post and EU Tax Alert 206).

Core elements of the FASTER Directive are the introduction of:

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