Belgian Lawyers Win Privilege Fight Over EU DAC 6 Rules (1)

Belgian lawyers are excluded from reporting obligations required by the European Union’s early-warning system against abusive tax structures, according to a judgment Thursday by the European Court of Justice.

In justifying its decision, the court invoked Article 7 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, which protects the confidentiality of all correspondence between individuals and their clients.

The ruling expands taxpayer privacy rights at a time when the European Union is pushing for greater collection and sharing of company information to crack down on tax avoidance and evasion.

Orde van Vlaamse Balies—a Flemish bar association—and ...