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Federal Finance Court Shuts 11th Senate After Caseload Drops

President Thesling has urged lawmakers to review restrictive appeal criteria following the transfer of VAT cases to the 5th Senate before November property tax hearings

Overview

  • The BFH closed its 11th Senate effective August 1, reducing its panels to ten as new filings fell 49% since 2000.
  • Value-added tax cases handled by the dissolved senate were moved to the 5th Senate with no expected delays.
  • Two judges retired and their positions were cut while three remaining judges were reassigned to other senates under joint savings plans.
  • Thesling highlighted a 14% success rate for non-admission complaints in 2024 and called for easing strict admission thresholds.
  • Oral hearings on the federal property tax model are set for mid-November, with state-model hearings slated for early 2026.