This is a new Safe Harbour included in the January 2026 OECD Side-by-Side Tax Package (see: Tax Challenges Arising from the Digitalisation of the Economy – Global Anti-Base Erosion Model Rules (Pillar Two), Side-by-Side Package) that deems the top-up tax for a jurisdiction to be zero insofar as it relates to ‘Qualified Tax Incentives’ (QTIs).
The Top-up Tax that relates to QTIs is the difference between:
(i) the Top-up Tax for the jurisdiction calculated with the amount of QTIs used in the year being added to covered taxes (subject to a cap), and
(ii) the Top-up Tax if the SBTI Safe Harbour election hadn’t been made.
A QTI is defined as a generally available tax incentive calculated based on expenditure incurred, or on the amount of tangible property produced in the jurisdiction.
The SBTI Safe Harbour is to apply from fiscal years beginning from January 1, 2026.
Aside from the main election for the SBTI Safe Harbour to apply, the detailed rules for this contain two additional elections.
Tax Credits Election (Art 4)
An MNE group can make an annual election to treat a Qualified Refundable Tax Credit or a Marketable Transferable Tax Credit as a QTI.
Substance Cap Election (Art 4)
The substance cap referred to above for determining the amount added to covered taxes is generally 5.5% of the higher of (1) Eligible Payroll Costs in the jurisdiction or (2) the depreciation and depletion recorded in FANIL for Eligible Tangible Assets located in the jurisdiction.
However, an MNE group can make a 5 year election for the jurisdiction for the substance cap to be 1% of the carrying value of Eligible Tangible Assets located in the jurisdiction (excluding land and other non-depreciable assets) for that Fiscal Year
On August 7, 2026, Germany published a regulation that gives domestic legal effect to a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction list of qualifying Pillar Two jurisdictions.
On August 8, 2026, Mauritius issued its QDMTT regulations to implement its QDMTT.
On 3 August 2026, Korea’s Ministry of Finance and Economy released its 2026 Tax Reform Proposal. Among its international tax measures are proposed amendments intended to implement significant elements of the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework’s January 2026 Pillar Two Side-by-Side Package.
Decision No. 12 of 2026 introduces a seven-month registration period, transitional deadlines and a five-year notification regime for UAE entities within the domestic minimum top-up tax framework.
Qatar’s General Tax Authority (GTA) activated its Global and Domestic Minimum Tax registration service through the Dhareeba tax platform on 2 August 2026.
On 30 July 2026, the Portuguese Government published Portaria No. 318/2026/1, approving Model 64 – the Pillar Two Top-up Tax Return – and its accompanying completion instructions. The Ministerial Order entered into force and took effect on 31 July 2026.
Analysis of the domestic implementation of the Pillar Two Global Minimum Tax rules in Monaco for accounting periods beginning on or after December 31, 2026.
Monaco has published draft legislation introducing a Qualified Domestic Minimum Top-up Tax (QDMTT) for multinational enterprise groups. The measure is contained in Bill No. 1129 on the minimum taxation of multinational enterprise groups, dated 14 July 2026 and received by Monaco’s Conseil National on 28 July 2026.
On July 23, 2026, Canada has released a proposed targeted amendment to its Global Minimum Tax Act that would broaden the circumstances in which an intra-group financing or investment arrangement must be neutralised when applying the transitional Country-by-Country Reporting (“CbCR”) safe harbour.
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