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Capital difficulties and their possible remedies in case of limited liability companies

Corporate law, News / / ,

Reading time: 4 minutes

 

The preparation and adoption of the annual accounts each year is an important step in the operation of a company as it clearly shows the results of the previous financial year. Act V of 2013 on the Civil Code (“Civil Code“) provides for a number of capital requirements and the obligation to intervene to remedy them for the purposes of protection of creditors. In our article below, we will examine the possible cases of undercapitalization and the legal solutions available, focusing on the rules governing limited liability companies.

Cases of undercapitalization

The Civil Code defines four cases, when the members are obliged to intervene and provide additional necessary funds or decide on appropriate restructuring of the capital structure. These are, in summary, the following:

  • the company’s equity capital has fallen below the minimum amount of registered capital laid down by law
    • an LLC can be established with a minimum registered capital of HUF 3 million, therefore this case arises if the equity capital is less than HUF 3 million
  • the company’s equity capital has fallen to half of the registered capital due to losses
    • with regard to the case of undercapitalization above, this can only arise if the registered capital exceeds the minimum amount, so for example its amount is HUF 10 million. In this case the members shall intervene, when the equity capital is HUF 5 million, or less
  • the company is threatened with insolvency or has stopped making payments
    • threat of insolvency is a situation where the directors of a company foresee, or with reasonable diligence should foresee, that the entity will not be able to meet its obligations as they fall due
  • the company’s assets do not cover its debts
    • this is the case when the company’s debts (e.g. debt, loans from members, other claims against the company) exceed the company’s total assets.

Obligation to intervene

In the event of undercapitalization, the Civil Code imposes specific obligations on both the managing director and the members.

The managing director shall without delay convene the members’ meeting (sole member) or initiate the decision of the general meeting without holding a meeting in order to take the necessary measures.

Members shall then decide on a solution to the situation and the adopted measures shall be implemented within 3 months. If the undercapitalization is due to the fact that the company’s equity capital dropped to half of the registered capital due to losses, and the members are unable to eliminate this within 3 month, the company’s registered capital must be reduced.

Possible actions by members

Members can remedy the cases of undercapitalization in several ways, as follows:

  • supplementary payment
    • in the event of authorization in the articles of association, the general meeting may impose a supplementary payment obligation on the members to cover losses
    • in addition to the authorization, the articles of association must specify the maximum amount of supplementary payment that members may be required to pay, as well as the frequency with which such payments may be imposed. If these conditions are not met, supplementary payment may not be made even with the support of the general meeting
    • in connection with the supplementary payment, it must be stated that its amount does not increase the financial contribution of the members. The supplementary payment may only be used to cover losses and, as a general rule, any unused supplementary payment shall be returned to the members
  • reduction of capital
    • in this case the members reduce the registered capital of the company, which entails a reduction in the member(s)’ business quotas;
    • it is important to note that this can only happen if the original registered capital exceeds the minimum value of the registered capital set by law, i.e. HUF 3 million
  • to provide equity capital by other means
    • it is clear that, compared to the previous measures, this is an open option, i.e. it is not possible to define in a taxonomy exactly what actions may be appropriate in this regard;
    • such possible solution for example: granting/cancelling loan by the members, assumption of (intra-group) debt from the company. However, it is also important to consider the tax implications of these possibilities
  • transformation, merger, division and dissolution without legal succession
    • if the members do not decide on supplementary payment, reduction of the capital, provision of equity by other means, the members must decide on transformation, merger, division or dissolution without legal succession
    • of course, there is no obstacle to members taking such a decision immediately, if they so wish and if their other conditions for such decision are met

Summary

As can be seen from the above, there are a number of options available to restore the limited liability company’s capital position. Which of these options is the most appropriate cannot be generally determined, as it is always necessary to look at the specific company, its characteristics and the underlying causes of undercapitalization on a case-by-case basis, and to identify which measures offer a real long-term solution.

Image source: Mikhail Nilov, pexels.com

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New provisions on foreign direct investment

Corporate law, News / / , ,

In 2022 the Government issued the Government Decree 561/2022 (XII. 23.) on the different application of certain provisions necessary for the economic protection of business companies in Hungary during the state of emergency („Decree”) under which it imposed restrictions on foreign investors acquiring ownership in strategically important companies owned by domestic investors, citing the crisis caused by the Covid pandemic. At the end of June, Government Decree 163/2025 (VI. 23) (“Amendment“) was published in the Hungarian Gazette No. 75, further tightening the rules on foreign direct investments.

A significant change in the regulations will be brought about by Act L of 2025 on the elevation to the status of acts of the emergency decrees issued in view of the armed conflict in Ukraine (“Act“), which will repeal the Decree with effect from August 19, 2025. It’s worth noting that at the same time, the general parts of the current regulations will be regulated at a statutory level, with some changes and additions. In addition to the currently effective Decree, our article summarizes the most important provisions of the Act applicable from mid-August and the related changes.

Scope of the regulation

In accordance with the regulations, all transactions involving limited liability companies, private share companies and public limited companies registered in Hungary and operating in strategic sectors must be reported to the Minister of National Economy, as the minister responsible for the domestic economy (“Minister”) if it would result in the acquisition of ownership or a certain degree of influence by third-country nationals or, in certain cases, by nationals of other Member States of the European Union, other states party to the EEA Agreement or the Swiss Confederation, where the value of the legal transaction reaches or exceeds HUF 350 million.

In addition, notification to the Minister and acknowledgement thereof are also required for foreign investors or companies over which foreign investors have direct or indirect majority influence to acquire operational rights necessary for the continuation of activities in strategic sectors. Strategic companies include, among others, pharmaceutical manufacturing, retail and wholesale trade, motion picture production, tobacco product manufacturing, temporary employment agencies, construction of residential and non-residential buildings within the construction industry, manufacturing of machinery and equipment, computer programming, consultancy and related activities.

The notification must be submitted to the Minister within 10 days of the conclusion of the legal transaction concerned.

Legal transactions include not only the sale of shares or stocks, but also any acquisition of ownership rights by way of transfer, including contributions in kind, transfer of ownership without any consideration, capital increase, transformation, merger, division and even the establishment of rights (e.g. convertible bonds, beneficial interest).

Natural person or companies that fail to comply with their reporting obligation may be subject to an administrative fine of up to twice the value of the transaction, provided that they are not subject to criminal liability.

After examining the notification, the Minister shall prohibit or acknowledge the legal transaction concerned. A prohibitive decision may be taken in the following cases:

  • if the acquisition of ownership, the acquisition of the bond, the acquisition of the right to usufruct, or the acquisition of the right to operate by the notifying party would harm or endanger the national interests, public security, or public order of Hungary, or if there is a possibility that this could occur;
  • the notifying party is directly or indirectly not controlled by the government of a Member State of the European Union, including state bodies or armed forces, either through its ownership structure or through significant financing;
  • the reporting entity has been involved in activities threatening security or public order in any Member State of the European Union,
  • or there is a serious risk that the reporting entity will engage in activities constituting a criminal offense.

Any legal transaction or corporate resolution that is contrary to a prohibitive decision shall be deemed null and void. The party affected by the prohibition decision may not be listed in the company register or share register, nor may it exercise any rights based on the legal transaction.

Rules applicable from 24 June 2025

  • Longer administrative time limits

As a result of the Amendment, the Minister must decide within 45 working days of the notification whether the circumstances for the prohibition continue to exist. In order to clarify the circumstances, the Minister may extend the period available for the investigation by a further three occasions, each time by 30 working days, thus extending the total period by up to four to five months.

  • Extension of the State’s right of pre-emption

With this amendment, the Government has significantly expanded its preemptive rights. The State may exercise its right of pre-emption through MNV Zrt. or another organization designated by it, under the same conditions as those specified in the relevant legal transaction, within 90 days of the date of the prohibitive decision. This right applies not only to strategic companies engaged in solar power generation activities, but to all companies in sectors of strategic importance.

Rules applicable from 19 August 2025

As mentioned in the introduction, pursuant to the decision of the legislator, the Decree will cease to be effective on August 18, 2025, and certain provisions will be regulated at the statutory level. The differences between the Decree and the Act are summarized below.

  • Shorter administrative time limits

Under the Act, the Minister must decide within 30 working days of the notification whether the circumstances for prohibition exist. An important element of statutory regulation is that the Minister has no opportunity to extend the deadline for investigation. With these changes, the legislator returns to the regulation that was in force prior to the June amendment.

  • Restriction of the state’s right of pre-emption

The extension of the right of pre-emption is also excluded from the provisions of the Act, meaning that, going forward, the State will not have a right of pre-emption, except in the case of strategic companies engaged in activities related to solar power plants.

  • Extended deadline for pre-emptive rights in the qualified sector

Under the Act, in the qualified energy sector, the time limit related to the State’s pre-emption right exercised through MNV Zrt. is increased – in deviation from the regulatory provisions – from 60 working days to 90 working days, counted from the date of receipt of the notification sent to the notifying party. At the same time, the response period of the minister responsible for energy policy in this matter is also doubled, i.e., increased from 15 working days to 30 working days.

  • Possibility of contesting the decision

From August 19, 2025, prohibitive decisions may be challenged in administrative court proceedings in numerous cases. For example, the prohibitive decision concerned may be contested if the Minister assessed incorrectly that the conditions establishing the notification obligation specified in the Act were fulfilled.  This right can still only be exercised at the Budapest-Capital Regional Court. Another new feature is that immediate legal protection is now also available in the event of an appeal. However, it is questionable whether the provision of further legal remedies in itself influences foreign investors during the stage of considering the structure of their investments.

Summary

Given that, according to our current knowledge, the provisions of the Act – will be applicable until December 31, 2026, foreign investors and Hungarian companies should take into account that the State will continue to have very widespread rights during transactions related to company acquisitions (M&A). It can be considered a positive step forward that, on the one hand, the scope of the State’s right of pre-emption is being narrowed and, on the other hand, the possibility of legal remedy against prohibitive decisions is being introduced. However, in overall, Hungarian regulations remain strict compared to international standards. It is therefore advisable to carry out a classification at the planning stage of the transaction, and to consider the possibility of state intervention in the letter of intent and the contract.

Image source: Andrea Piacquadio, pexels.com

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The deadline for publishing annual accounts is approaching – company law matters to do

News, Corporate law / / , , ,

The preparation and approval of annual accounts is an important part of the operation of any company in each year and requires the involvement of an auditor if certain conditions are met. Depending on the outcome of the accounts, there may be cases where the capital situation needs to be reviewed and adjusted. In this newsletter, we set out the main points to be noted with regard to the general deadlines for the adoption and publication of the annual accounts.

The importance of the annual accounts

The annual accounts of companies required by Act C of 2000 on Accounting (the “Accounting Act“) must be published annually by the last day of the fifth month following the balance sheet date of the financial year in question, i.e. 31 May for companies with a financial year ending on 31 December and are available to the public.

The purpose of the accounts is to give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the company and of changes in those assets and liabilities, including to enable third parties to obtain a true and fair view. The accounts include the company balance sheet, which details the company’s assets and liabilities, and the profit and loss account, which shows the company’s assets and liabilities for the previous year and the current year in a comparable manner.

Necessity of an audit

The preparation of the accounts is essentially the responsibility of the management, and their adoption is the responsibility of the supreme body. Under certain conditions, the adoption of the accounts may be subject to an audit. This includes the auditor’s responsibility to determine whether the annual accounts have been prepared in accordance with the law and whether they give a true and fair view of the company’s financial position.

The Accounting Act requires all companies keeping double-entry books to have a statutory audit. Exceptions to this requirement are those companies whose annual net sales did not exceed 600 million Hungarian Forints (until 31 December 2024, 300 million Hungarian Forints) on the average of the two financial years preceding the financial year under review, and whose average number of employees was less than 50. In other words, if any of these conditions are not met, the company is obliged to be audited. If the company is subject to an audit, the auditor’s report is a prerequisite for the lawful adoption of the annual accounts. Of course, companies that are not otherwise required by law to have an auditor may also decide to audit the accounting documents.

Appointment of an auditor

The appointment and engagement of an auditor is necessary for the company to be able to fulfil its audit obligations. The first auditor must be appointed in the instrument of incorporation. The mandate of the auditor must last at least until the adoption of the accounts following his/her election, with a maximum duration of 5 years. In view of this, the supreme body must decide on the election of an auditor several times during the operation of the company (at least every 5 years), which must be notified to the court of registry in the context of a change registration procedure. Once the appointment has been made and accepted by the auditor, the management must conclude a contract with the auditor within 90 days, in accordance with the conditions laid down.

In view of the above rules, companies typically determine the end of the auditor’s mandate by 31 May. With regard to the upcoming deadline for the adoption of the annual accounts, it is worth checking whether the company is required to have an audit and whether it currently has an appointed auditor to fulfil its obligations under the Accounting Act.

Capital position analysis

Once the annual accounts have been drawn up and adopted, the company’s economic result, which may be negative, becomes clearly visible. The Civil Code imposes a number of capital requirements on companies, which are not met if

  • the equity of the company decreased to half of its original value due to losses;
  • the equity of the company decreased under the minimum limit of initial capital determined by law (currently HUF 3 million for a limited liability company);
  • the company is threatened with insolvency or has stopped making payments; or
  • the assets of the company do not cover its debts.

In the case of limited liability companies, the law imposes an obligation to intervene, which must be remedied by the most appropriate and long-term solution for the company, and the result of which must be reported to the court of registry, if necessary.

There are a number of solutions to remedy a negative capital situation, but they will only be effective if they respond to the cause of the capital shortfall and take into account the short and long-term company law related effects. Experience over the years has shown that we always recommend that, in addition to our company law lawyers, accountants and auditors should be involved in preparing the appropriate decision – even before the adoption of the accounts, if necessary.

Image source: Nataliya Voitkevich, Pexels.com

The deadline for publishing annual accounts is approaching – company law matters to do Read More »

New year’s changes related to TEÁOR codes

News, Corporate law / / ,

Introduction

Over the last two decades, the economy has undergone a major transformation, as a result of which the previous statistical classification of economic activities (“TEÁOR”) could no longer adequately reflect real business processes. In response to that, the European legislator has amended the NACE classification system, which means that from 1 January 2025, TEÁOR’08 – used since 2008 – will be replaced by TEÁOR’25. In our article, we have collected the most important information and obligations related to the change of TEÁOR.

The process of the conversion:

  • In case of the main activity

As of the first days of January 2025, the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (“KSH”) has converted the main activity codes of all economic entities according to TEÁOR’25, which will automatically change the statistical identifier of all companies. It must be stated that it is possible that the new main activity automatically defined by the KSH may not fully reflect the real business activity of the enterprise, as the scope of activity defined under the previous classification may have been split into several different new classification categories.

  • In case of other business activities

In the case of other business activities, the National Tax and Customs Administration of Hungary (“Tax Authority”) carries out the conversion. However, for these activities, the Tax Authority only performs its task if the codes are clearly conversable according to the official translation key (i.e. 1:1 correspondence between the old and the new TEÁOR system). Therefore, in cases where an activity code cannot be converted explicitly (i.e. the previous code is split into several parts), the Tax Authority does not modify the activities. In that case, if the entity concerned does not initiate the change to the new nomenclature by 30 June, the non-transferable activity will be deleted.

The KSH also informs businesses about the change of the main activity via the company gate, at the same time the codes of the translated main activities will be sent to the Tax Authority. The Tax Authority is obliged to forward the main activity codes it receives, and other activity codes converted by itself to the company registration authority by 31 January at the latest. Companies will therefore also be able to find out their activity codes according to TEÁOR’25 through the Companies Gazette and the services of the company information service available on the internet for a free of charge.

If the company concerned does not wish to accept the main activity code set by the KSH, or if the automatic conversion of other activities has not been carried out, it may request the NAV to amend the activities concerned or to record new activities by 30 June, using a form provided for that purpose. If a company does not initiate the change, that will be deemed to have accepted from 1 July. As a result, the main activity code will be the one provided by the KSH, whereas other business activity codes that cannot be expressly converted will be deleted by 31 August at the latest.

Tasks in connection with the articles of association

Given that only the company itself can amend its articles of association, the question may arise as to the timing at which companies need to implement changes related to the new TEÁOR codes.

Although the wording of the legislation and the information letters issued by the authorities raise a number of questions of interpretation, in our view, an enterprise that accepts the code automatically translated by the KSH for its main activity must amend its articles of association at the first other data change (affecting the articles of association and the register of companies itself) after 1 July. On the other hand, if the company concerned does not agree with the translated code, it must notify the new TEÁOR code identifying its main activity to the Tax Authority (by 1 July at the latest) on the basis of the new TEÁOR’25 code and at the same time arrange to notify the change in the data in its articles of association to the commercial court by amending its articles of association.

Companies are required to transfer changes to other activities and to initiate the corresponding change registration procedure when they make their first change to their data in the other companies register after 1 July.

An advantage in relation to the amendment of the instrument of incorporation is that the procedure at the Court of Registration is free of charge of fees and publication costs if the amendment of the instrument of incorporation is made solely to comply with TEÁOR’25.

Summary

It is clear from the above that the shift to TEÁOR’25 will affect all economic operators. To ensure that the changes take place in accordance with the real economic activity of the company, it is worth monitoring the process, and in the first weeks of February comparing the former and current status, so to ensure that the company’s list of activities is uptodate.

(Image source: Adem Podrez, Pexels.com)

New year’s changes related to TEÁOR codes Read More »

Welcome two new lawyers to the CLVPartners© team!

News, team / / , , ,

CLVPartners© Law Firm is pleased to announce two new talented professional team members, Eszter Bohati and Anikó Hrebenku who have recently joined our team.

Eszter has more than 10 years of experience in the legal profession, 8 of which she spent in international law firms, advising on labor law, immigration, and data protection issues. She assists the law firm’s Clients in solving their everyday legal problems in  English and Hungarian and draws on her previous experience to provide personalized, high-quality solutions.

Anikó graduated from Eötvös Loránd University in 2017 and successfully admitted to the Budapest Bar Association in 2021. She gained remarkable experience at several law firms through the years in civil and labor law. She mainly supports our Clients in employment law, company law, and data protection issues in English, German, and Hungarian.

Please join us in welcoming Eszter and Anikó to our team. We are convinced that with their diverse backgrounds and exceptional skills, their arrival will further enhance our firm’s capabilities and performance to deliver excellent services to our Clients.

Welcome two new lawyers to the CLVPartners© team! Read More »

Our law firm retains Top-Tier Firm Rankings in The Legal 500 EMEA 2024 Edition

News, Ranking / / , ,

We are delighted to announce that we have again been ranked as a top-tier firm in The Legal 500 EMEA 2024 edition. Our services have been ranked in Employment and Commercial, Corporate and M&A practice areas. The reviewers appreciated among others our multinational clientele in various sectors, a key area of strengths in assisting our clients with digital transformations, and our extensive expertise in cross-border transactions.

The Legal 500 EMEA guide provides researched coverage of over 80 countries and over 2,700 ranked law firms. Researchers are free to make ranking decisions on merit alone. Ranking is conducted annually, providing a detailed qualitative assessment of various factors including work conducted by law firms over the past 12 months and historically; experience and depth of teams; specialisms and ancillary services; and, importantly, opinions of law firms” clients,

It is a special honour to be part of this publication and we are thankful to our clients who provided these excellent feedback on our performance.

We are happy to share some of the Testimonial given by our Clients to Legal 500 EMEA team:

“The team is proactive, quick to respond and eager to find a business-satisfactory solution to all problems.”

„I have received the answer to our queries quickly and professionally, the problems were reviewed from a wide perspective and always a bigger picture was taken into account to find a satisfactory solution to the query or challenge.”

„Our direct contacts are Anna Katalin Papp and Barbara Seregély. They are always available for us, we can always count on their cooperative work, they are professionally well prepared. If there are some changes in the legislation, they always draw our attention to them.”

„Working for many years with CLV, we met young and experienced colleagues, and all gave their full expertise in their fast replies. CLV is capable of working on an international level in relation to multinational tasks, which is important for us.”

„They all speak a high level of English and are well prepared. In terms of timing of meetings, we always received flexibility according to our needs. In case of very specific questions, they have experts to provide the adequate explanation.”

„The relationship is really good, and open minded. The advisor is ready to think out of the box, and not tied strictly to the question, if they can help with their advice.”

Our law firm retains Top-Tier Firm Rankings in The Legal 500 EMEA 2024 Edition Read More »

As of 1 January 2024, the rules of Act V of 2006 on company registration, court proceedings and winding-up (Ctv.) will be amended and new provisions will be introduced.

News, Corporate law / / ,

We describe below the most important changes.

1. Changes to the company registration procedure

As of 1 March 2024, the Court of Registry will provide the Articles of Association attached to the application with an electronic signature and electronic time stamp and will ensure that the Articles of Association is accessible through the registry. The searchability and quick access of the company documents is made possible by displaying a link in the company details section of the Articles of Association. This service will be available for applications registered on and after 1 March 2024 for the articles of association of incorporation (changes), i.e. in a staggered manner.

In the case of applications for company registration and registration of changes submitted on and after 1 January 2024 the procedure will be simplified, legal representatives will not be required to provide each document with a qualified electronic signature and a qualified time stamp but will only need to sign the application itself in this way.

2. Change in the details of a pledge on a quota of an Ltd.

As of 1 January 2024, in the case of a limited liability company, the registry will not only contain the fact of the pledgee, but also the amount of the claim secured by the pledge or the amount up to which the pledgee may seek satisfaction and, if stipulated, the prohibition of alienation and encumbrance or prohibition of alienation of the quota.

A novelty is that data on the secured pledge created by pledging a quota is also included in the business register. The quota pledge is registered or cancelled on the basis of a request for change registration by the member (pledgor) or the pledgee.

The Court of Registry only examines the contract of pledge whether the details of the company and its member in the contract of pledge match the details in the registry and whether the details requested for registration match the contents of the contract of pledge.

In the case of a quota pledge already registered before 1 January 2024, the new data must be requested in the next amendment to other data of the registry, submitted by 31 December 2024 at the latest, without payment of fees and publication costs. After the deadline, the submission has the general fee and publication costs.

3. Changes related to the new legal instrument of detachment

Prior to the amendment, a legal person could be divided into several legal entities by way of complete division or partial division under the Civil Code. In complete division, the legal person shall terminate and its assets shall pass to two or more legal persons created by the division as legal successors. In partial division, the legal person shall continue to operate and a part of its assets shall pass to another legal person created by the division as a legal successor

With the amendment, a new legal institution, detachment has been introduced as a sub-case of partial division. In the case of a detachment, the separating legal person survives and creates the successor legal person with part of its assets by becoming its sole member.

4. Data transfer

The data received (updated) through the Business Registers Interconnection System (BRIS) must be entered in the Hungarian registry by the Court of Registry. However, the data content received may not fully correspond to the data content required by the company register. According to the law effective as of 1 March 2024, the court will enter the information received via BRIS in the registry and, if it finds that not all the data required by the relevant act are included in the registry, it will simultaneously call on the company to report the missing data within 60 days.

As of 1 January 2024, the rules of Act V of 2006 on company registration, court proceedings and winding-up (Ctv.) will be amended and new provisions will be introduced. Read More »

Changing company law rules

Company groups, Corporate law, Medium-sized companies, News, Start-ups / / , , , , ,

As of 1 January 2022, the Civil Code has been amended on several points. In this article, we have summarised the issues that affect our clients the most.

Regulations affecting the organisation

Changes affecting the supervisory board
Although at first glance it seems that the previous provision on the supervisory board, that not less than a majority of votes may be required, has been deleted, it is still valid under the general rules and it is important that the companies concerned continue to comply with this rule.
A clarification has been made in the legislation: where the supervisory board member is a legal person, a natural person must be appointed to effectively perform the duties.

Repeated meeting of the supreme body
The quorum of the decision-making body shall be constituted when more than half of the votes that may be cast are represented by a person entitled to vote. If the quorum is not present at the general meeting of members of the limited liability company (Kft.) or the general meeting of the private company limited by shares (Zrt.), a new meeting shall be held. In the past, the Civil Code provided for a mandatory minimum and maximum period of time between the initial and the reconvened meeting, which was not practical and made decision-making unnecessarily difficult.
To remedy this, as of 1 January, the statutory time limits are discretionary, i.e. a repeated general meeting may be called for a date other than the date set in the Civil Code.

Composition of the Board of Directors of a Zrt.
The chairman of the Board of Directors of the company has so far been elected by its members. However, as from the first day of the year, this power of decision is only conferred on the members of the Board of Directors if the General Meeting has not exercised it.

Changes concerning limited liability companies

Deferred cash contribution
Although the wording of the legislation changes significantly, it mainly clarifies an objective that has been achieved in practice so far: members may make a cash contribution out of their dividends. Thus, if a member has an outstanding cash contribution, the dividend will first “make up” for this and, if there is still a dividend fund after the settlement, the members may decide on the actual payment of the dividend. It is important to underline that the new rule will only apply to company proceedings commenced after 1 January 2022, so companies applying the previous, partially more favourable rules will not have to change their articles of association due to the amendment of the Civil Code.

One member – several shares
A change is that the Civil Code now states that a member can own more than one share (a so called quota) in a company. Another new rule is that splitting is possible at any time with the consent of the general meeting. The new provision may be of importance in cases where there is an encumbrance (e.g. pledge, other option) on each share, as it will now be possible to separate the obligations on the shares, even though they are concentrated in one company.

Undercapitalised status
One of the rules on undercapitalisation is that if a company’s equity capital falls below the subscribed capital defined for the company form for two consecutive financial years, the supreme body must decide on a capital replacement or, failing that, on a transformation, dissolution without legal success or merger. Such an undercapitalised situation typically occurs when a company has a high level of registered capital or has been making large losses for a long period of time. The clarified wording makes it clear that in all cases two full financial years covering twelve months must be taken into account to determine the undercapitalised status, so in case of so-called ‘split’ financial years, the first shorter financial year need not be examined in such context.

Additional payment
An additional payment is typically a legal instrument used to temporarily resolve a capital shortage situation. It allows the owners of a company to inject capital into the company specifically to restore solvency. Until now, the capital injection were regulated at the rules of limited liability companies, but from 1 January 2022, general and limited partnerships, and companies limited by shares will be able to use this option. The amended text stipulates that the supreme body may decide that the additional payments not necessary to make up for the loss do not have to be repaid to the members – in a decision which, in our view, can be taken or even modified even after the additional payment has been ordered. It is a reasonable new provision that in case of a one-person limited liability company, no amendment to the deed of foundation is required to make the decision to make a top-up payment.

Should you have any questions regarding the above, feel free to contact us.

 CLVPartners news

Changing company law rules Read More »

Certain Tax and Corporate Deadline and Processes

Company groups, Corporate law, Medium-sized companies, News, Start-ups, Trade affairs / / , , , , ,

During the state of emergency and the implemented partial curfew, the continuous decision-making of companies could easily become impossible. In order to prevent this, as of 11 April 2020 different rules apply to the decision-making process of the obstructed companies, and the mandate term of certain company officers is also extended for this period.

By definition, the decision-making rules do not apply to companies not obstructed by the exceptional circumstances, for example in the case sole member companies.

During the emergency and until the 90th day after its end, the term of managing directors, board members (e.g. supervisory board members) and auditor may not be terminated as a result of expiration or resignation and these officers shall continue to carry out their duties during this time. This provision also applies to unhindered companies, but of course it is also possible to elect new officers during the state of emergency.

A new rule to be applied to all taxpayers is that the deadline for preparing, disclosing, depositing, publishing and submitting financial statements of the Accounting Act due after 22 April 2020 is extended until 30 September 2020. In the case of the main types of tax (corporate and dividend tax, small business tax, local business tax, etc.), the tax assessment, declaration and payment obligations, as well as the tax advance assessment and declaration obligation to be fulfilled simultaneously with the annual tax returns can also be fulfilled by this extended deadline.

Certain Tax and Corporate Deadline and Processes Read More »

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