Information about Germany

The Federal Republic of Germany is a democratic state in the center of Europe.
Capital City: Berlin
Language: German
The Federal Republic of Germany consists of 16 federal states, often described as federal countries or countries. These are:
Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, North-Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein,Thuringia

Economy
Germany is an industrial country. With a gross national product (GIP) of approximately 2.4 trillion Euro, the Federal Republic of Germany is the world’s fourth biggest national economy and industrial nation. The most developed industries are the following: chemical industry, mechanical engineering, electrical and automobile industry

Import
Amongst others, Germany imports mechanical engineering parts, automotive parts, food and raw materials

Export
Germany is the world’s second biggest exporter. Amongst other, Germany exports cars, machines and machine parts, chemical products, metal products, food and textiles.

Legal entities in the Federal Republic of Germany
The basic forms of partnerships are the following:

• General partnership [OHG]
• Limited liability company [GmbH], special form: small partnership with limited liability [Mini-GmbH]
• Limited partnership [KG], special form: limited partnership with a limited liability company as general partner [GmbH & Co. KG]
• Joint-stock company [AG], special form: partnership limited by shares [KGaA]

Taxes in Germany for partnerships:
income tax – tax on the income of individual persons
value-added tax [VAT], currently 19% / 7%
Corporate income tax – only for corporated entities: joint-stock companies, limited liability companies, small partnerships with limited liability (Mini-GmbH)
Business tax – tax on business only for legal entities such as joint-stock companies, limited liability companies, small partnerships with limited liability [Mini-GmbH], limited partnerships, general partnerships – the tax rate is fixed by the respective community.