The European Federation of Employee Share Ownership (EFES) has published its new edition of the “Barometer of Employee Share Ownership Policies in European Countries”.

The report indicates that policy developments in Europe have been paving the way towards higher incentives for employee share ownership and it confirms a positive trend in growth of employee shareholders throughout Europe.

Policy Development Highlights

According the report, highlights in policy development for 2018 include the following: –

• Austria – a third employee share scheme will be made available in Austria which provides exemption from tax and social contribution up to €4,500 annually;

• France – employers’ social contribution on restricted share units will be reduced from 30% to 20% in France;

• Ireland – Ireland will introduce the Key Employee Engagement Programme (KEEP), a share option incentive scheme designed to support SMEs in attracting employees in a competitive international market;

• The Netherlands – The Netherlands will introduce favourable tax treatment for stock options granted to employees of innovative start-up companies; and

• Sweden – Sweden will provide a tax exemption for shares received as Christmas, anniversary or special memorial gifts and ease the taxation of stock options in start-up companies.

To access the full report, please click here.

Pett, Franklin & Co. LLP are experts in employee share schemes, executive incentives and share valuation. To find out more about how we can help you or your client, please call 0121 281 5798 or email enquiries@pettfranklin.com.