Sometimes it's a thank-you for many years of voluntary work in caring for the elderly, sometimes it's a token of appreciation for a great commitment to environmental protection: when non-profit associations honour their members, recognise their achievements or invite them on a joint outing, they also have to comply with tax regulations. Up to now, the maximum cost of such gifts has been 40 euros. In Baden-Württemberg, this non-objection limit will now be increased to 60 euros retroactively to 1 January 2019.
In the case of gifts to association members, a distinction is made between two occasions. If the gift is for a personal reason such as a birthday, wedding or anniversary, a single gift may cost up to 60 euros (previously 40 euros). If it concerns donations for a special association event such as the Christmas celebration or an excursion, the association may spend now likewise 60 euro per member in the year (so far 40 euro).
ELSTER - electronic tax returns are becoming increasingly important
Since mid-March, the employees of the tax offices have been processing the income tax returns for 2018, with more and more citizens relying on the electronic tax return ELSTER.
"By using the digital services of the tax administration, citizens can communicate effortlessly and quite conveniently with the tax office," explains Katja Konnerth, head of the tax office Öhringen. "Two thirds of citizens in Baden-Württemberg already submit their income tax returns digitally. And more and more of them are using MY ELSTER, a platform-independent, personalized and barrier-free product for this purpose, which enables them to process their own tax returns and applications as flexibly as possible," says the head of the office.
In addition to the option of filing tax returns, My ELSTER also offers various electronic applications and notifications that can be sent to the tax office electronically. Appeals can also be filed electronically with My ELSTER.
The "ELSTERFormular" tax software, which was also offered previously, will be available for the last time for 2019 tax returns.
"People should therefore waste no time and switch over immediately. With just one click, citizens can conveniently export their data to My ELSTER and use it there for a data transfer as usual," Konnerth underlines the efforts of the tax administration to make the electronic submission of tax returns even easier and more convenient.
The free program ELSTER and further information on preparing your electronic tax return can be found at https://www.elster.de. Or use the extended ELSTER service offered by the tax office Öhringen. If you have any questions about the ELSTER software or authentication, we will be happy to answer them by telephone(07941/604-282 or 07941/604-283), by e-mail(Elsteransprechpartner-76@finanzamt.bwl.de) or in person at the ELSTER office hours every Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment at the ELSTER point in the Central Information Office.