Institute for Tax Law

Welcome to the Chairs of Professor Dr Joachim Englisch and Professor Dr Marcel Krumm!

The Institute for Tax Law at the University of Münster was officially founded in 1934. On 12 April 1934, the Ministry for Science, Art and Education authorized Ottmar Bühler, who was the first holder of the chair, to use the term "Institut für Steuerrecht" (Institute for Tax Law) as the official name of what had formerly been known as "Seminar for Steuerrecht" (Seminar for Tax Law). Thus, the Institute for Tax Law is the oldest of its kind in Germany.

After Bühler retired, Friedrich Klein acted as Director from 1950 to 1974, before Paul Kirchhof, later Judge at the German Federal Constitutional Court, chaired the Institute from 1975 to 1981. In 1982, Dieter Birk was appointed Director and held the chair for almost 30 years. 

Since 2011, Joachim Englisch has been Director of the Institute; since 2018, he has shared the co-directorship with Marcel Krumm. 

Substantive rule of law calls for an equal distribution of the tax burden upon individual taxpayers. [...] The issues of tax justice are not transcendental; they need to be solved here, here and now.
Klaus Tipke
Reforming the tax system may not be easy or popular in the short term, but it holds out the prospect of significant economic gains and hence the promise of higher living standards in the long term.
Tax by Design – The Mirrlees Review
© Verlag Dr. Otto Schmidt KG

New Commentary on the Minimum Tax Act

At the end of July, the commentary on the Minimum Tax Act (MinStG), edited by Prof. Englisch in collaboration with Dr. Nadia Altenburg and Andreas Benecke, was published. It is the most comprehensive and in-depth commentary to date on the minimum tax legislation harmonized under EU law in the German-speaking world. The team of authors consists of representatives from the consulting industry, in-house counsel, academia, and financial administration. In this commentary, Prof. Englisch has edited the provisions on the safe harbor rules as well as significant portions of the introduction and the appendix on EU law.

© Institut für Steuerrecht

Seminar at the European Court of Justice: Equality of Taxation

From July 8 to July 10, the seminar on tax equity took place in Luxembourg during the summer semester of 2026. Part of the program included a visit to the European Court of Justice. During a mock trial, the students had the opportunity to experience the Court’s multinational work firsthand. A meeting with a staff member from Advocate General Kokott’s office—which was made possible thanks to her generosity—provided additional in-depth insights.

Over the next two days, various fundamental issues in German tax law were discussed in depth. Even a few hiccups—including getting stranded—on the train ride home couldn’t dampen the wonderful memories of the seminar.

© Institut für Steuerrecht

TuS Tax Running Team Participates Again in the 24th Leonardo Campus Run

A team of running enthusiasts from TuS Tax, consisting of research assistants and student assistants from the Institute for Tax Law, took part in this year’s 24th Leonardo Campus Run.
In sweltering heat and bright sunshine, the TuS Tax running group wore their TuS Tax running shirts and delivered an impressive performance in the flagship event, the 10-km “ZfS-Münster Run.” All runners once again completed the course in well under an hour.

We are already looking forward to next year’s Leonardo Campus Run.

Keynote Presentation at the IFSt Annual Conference

On June 24, Prof. Englisch delivered the keynote address at the annual conference of the Institute Finance and Taxation (IFSt) in Berlin, focusing on recent developments in European Court of Justice (ECJ) case law in the area of value-added tax. His analysis focused on the VAT implications of transfer pricing adjustments driven by income tax considerations, as well as conflicting rulings regarding the timing of input tax deductions. This was followed by a lively discussion both among the panelists and with the audience. The presentation will be published in the IFSt conference proceedings.

© Joachim Englisch

Forum de Lisboa

From June 1 to 3, 2026, Prof. Dr. Englisch attended the XIV Forum de Lisboa. This conference is organized by two Brazilian universities (IDP and FGV) and the University of Lisbon, and is primarily aimed at a Brazilian audience. The approximately 500 participants focused primarily on constitutional law issues spanning a very wide range of topics. Prof. Dr. Englisch gave a presentation on the Federal Constitutional Court’s limitations on the effects of its rulings and also participated in numerous other sessions. A panel discussion on the use of AI in the Brazilian judicial system proved particularly relevant to an ongoing research project, as Brazil is already well advanced in this area compared to Germany, where such developments are still in their infancy. Prof. Dr. Englisch also used the event to maintain and expand his professional network with Brazilian colleagues.

Seminar Announcement

Professor Joachim Englisch will be offering an seminar on the topic 

Influencing Behaviour through Taxation

during winter semester 2026/27 as part of the major in tax law. Detailed information may be found on the German website. 

Conference in Rimini

On 29th May 2026, Professor Joachim Englisch delivered a short presentation at a conference held in Rimini on “70 Years of Constitutional Protection in Tax Law.” In his presentation, he critically analyzed the evolving role of the ability-to-pay principle in the German Federal Constitutional Court’s case law over the past 15 years. The approximately 100 participants included primarily Italian tax judges as well as the Vice President of the Italian Constitutional Court responsible for tax cases.

© Joachim Englisch

On May 28, 2026, Prof. Dr. Englisch delivered the keynote speech at a seminar on the “Global Minimum Tax” held at the University of Bologna. He outlined the theoretical foundations of the international effective minimum tax and compared them with the current status of its design and implementation in practice. Following the seminar organized by Prof. D’Angelo (University of Bologna), four colleagues from Italy also gave presentations; the other participants included primarily postdoctoral researchers and doctoral candidates. Prof. Dr. Englisch also used his several-day stay at the University of Bologna to conduct research on Italian case law and legal doctrine regarding the "ability-to-pay" principle.

© Lukas Dallaff

Lukas Dallaff attends IBFD Academic Conference in Amsterdam

On 21 and 22 May, Lukas Dallaff, Research Assistant and PhD Candidate at the Institute for Tax Law, attended this year’s IBFD Academic Conference in Amsterdam. The conference focused on the ‘ability to pay’ principle – a central tenet of tax justice – and examined it from various perspectives. Despite its fundamental role in various tax systems, it has become clear that this principle has many caveats and therefore requires further academic assessment.

© Joachim Englisch

Colloquium in Zagreb

On 21st to 22nd May, 2026, Professor Joachim Englisch participated in a colloquium in Zagreb organized by the University of New South Wales. The interdisciplinary event focused on the topic “Managing Tax System Complexity in the Digital Age: Domestic and International Perspectives.” Together with approximately 30 other scholars from Asia, Europe, and Africa, Prof. Englisch discussed nearly 20 papers and chaired one of the sessions. The interdisciplinary exchange proved to be very inspiring for all participants.