Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 2 October 2008 (reference for a preliminary ruling from the Finanzgericht Hamburg — Germany) — Heinrich Bauer Verlag Beteiligungs GmbH v Finanzamt für Großunternehmen in Hamburg

(Case C-360/06) (1)

(Freedom of establishment - Tax legislation - Corporation tax - Valuation of unlisted shares in limited companies)

(2008/C 301/09)

Language of the case: German

Referring court

Finanzgericht Hamburg

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicant: Heinrich Bauer Verlag BeteiligungsGmbH

Defendant: Finanzamt für Großunternehmen in Hamburg

Intervener: Heinrich Bauer Verlag KG

Re:

Reference for a preliminary ruling — Finanzgericht Hamburg — Interpretation of Article 52 of the EC Treaty (now, after amendment, Article 43 EC) and Article 58 of the EC Treaty (now Article 48 EC) — Valuation of unlisted shares in limited companies — Difference between the valuation of a share in a national partnership and a share in a partnership established in another Member State

Operative part of the judgment

In the absence of valid justification, Articles 52 of the EEC Treaty (subsequently Article 52 of the EC Treaty, and now, after amendment, Article 43 EC) and 58 of the EEC Treaty (subsequently Article 58 of the EC Treaty, and now Article 48 EC) preclude the application of tax legislation of a Member State which, for the purposes of valuing the unlisted shares of a company in circumstances such as those in the main proceedings, causes that company's holding in a partnership established in another Member State, subject to the condition that such a holding is capable of allowing it a definite influence on the decisions of the partnership established in the other Member State and enabling it to determine its activities, to be assigned a greater value than its holding in a partnership established in the Member State concerned.

(1)  OJ C 310, 16.12.2006.