Well, I expect most of this to be thrown around elsewhere on the forum, but it'd be nice for business owners to have one thread to find information on how to make the best of having a gmbh. For example - company car? Health cover through the company? Apartment? etc etc

Your German improves a lot as you try to understand all the bits of paper you have to fill in etc.

Cheers,
Nick

Thanks...but that presupposes German is cool.

You can write off the latest and bestest IT equipment in year 1. That is cool .

In the forum overview, this thread only shows as "Cool things you can do with your ..."

After reading the circumcision thread I am extremely grateful that the next word isn't ... you know what.

When you winded it up you can do amazing things with the pension fund

Jim

Anyone who can add a few words about the benefits of putting your car in the company rather than owning it privately? Obviously paying for the (running) costs out of pre-tax company income is nice, but is there a punative 'fringe-benefit' clawback in your personal tax?

(my previous place of residence also made the personal tax cost of a company car prohibitive, except for cars over 15 years old for which the personal tax addon was negligible... but you do have to know about this before you can take advantage (and of course don't mind driving an older car ).

Yes, and it's expensive. I wouldn't do it again.

More on company cars...

From another forum post (here) I understand that:
0.8% of the value of the car is added to your income for tax purposes each month

So lets assume a 50,000 CHF car, and 35% marginal tax rate. That works out at 0.8/100*12*50000*0.35 = 1680 CHF per annum of additional tax.

I think that this classifies as a pretty cool thing to do with your GmbH - surely the depreciation and running costs are higher than 1680/(1-0.35) = 2584 CHF/annum which is the pre-tax equivalent break-even point? Just the annual depreciation would surely be more than this.

Although for second hand cars this is definately not cool, as I understand that the new (list) price counts and not the market value.

So 2011 is over and I am trying to plan 2012 tax wise for my company, the (paid) advice I have received regarding "fringe benefits" paid by the company seems to sugest that it is not such an attractive option here. By that I mean the value of the benefits paid by the company are simply added to your salary and taxed at the same rates.

I was hoping medical insurance, gym membership or childcare ect might get through at a lower rate but it does not appear that way.

So anyone else in regard to the OP's questions found a loophole or cool thing to do with your GmbH?

Being in the Furniture making / Building trade I now have all the tools I ever dreamt of (and could claim the Mwst back) which is kind of cool.

well, if your business requires a lot of travel (mine does), you can claim all your transportation costs, even your fuel for weekend trips.

If 4 or 5 people are having lunch and pay their parts, and you get the receipt, you get basically a free lunch. But you can't do it often, as the tax men would require justification.

All communication costs, such as internet and phone, can also be put on the company expense.

If you work from home, you can sub-rent the office space from your apartment to your company.

All IT hardware, of course, goes to your company expenses. Of course e-book readers and iPads and other "personal" devices may not fit into this category.