How often do taxpayers win at the Federal Tax Court?

The Federal Tax Court, Germany's highest tax court, decides about 40 per cent of cases in favour of taxpayers. This is remarkably high and suggests that tax offices regularly issue assessments that fail judicial scrutiny. Former chief judge Heinz-Jürgen Pezzer captured the problem when he said that much of the work is poorly done. For taxpayers, this means: objecting to a questionable tax assessment pays off more often than many believe, even though the appeal process takes time and sometimes costs money.