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 June 26, 2026, Cyprus issued Decree 272/2026 to confirm entry-into-force dates for the main January 2026 OECD safe harbour package
On June 22, 2026, the UAE issued Ministerial Decision No. 96 of 2026 to implement the OECD Side-by-Side Tax Package.
On June 26, 2026, Turkey announced an extension to the filing of its GloBE tax return and payment from June 30, 2026 to July 31, 2026.
On June 16, 2026, the Dutch Ministry of Finance opened an internet consultation on the Draft Safe-Harbour Bill. The consultation closes on 14 July 2026 and provides draft legislation to implement the OECD Side-by-Side package into the Dutch domestic regime.
On June 15, 2026, the Cyprus Tax Department issued two announcements on the domestic implementation of the Pillar Two framework. The first concerned the European Commission’s position on Cyprus’ Income Inclusion Rule (IIR). The second addressed filing deadlines and compliance obligations for Cypriot constituent entities and joint ventures under Law 151(I)/2024.
On June 10, 2026, the EU issued the ‘Manual for MNE Groups on Global Minimum Tax (Pillar Two) Compliance Obligations‘. This provides country level analysis of Pillar Two filings in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Sweden.
A practical overview of the Dutch GloBE Information Return (GIR) filing process, including BIA terminology, deadlines, XML format, Digipoort submission, security, validation, notification obligations and governance controls.
Singapore has opened a consultation on the proposed Finance (Income Taxes) Bill 2026, a package that would amend the Income Tax Act 1947 and the Multinational Enterprise (Minimum Tax) Act 2024.
On June 8, 2026, the OECD released the Guidance on the use of the GIR XML Schema for the first GloBE filing and exchange cycle. This provides guidance for the use of the GIR XML Schema for first GloBE filings and exchanges in 2026 including practical fixes, workarounds and the switch-off of certain validation rules.
This website is not affiliated with or related to the OECD. We provide independent insights and analysis on the OECD Two-Pillar Solution
© 2026 OECDPillars.com
All Rights Reserved