German tax law is one of the most complicated in the world. Tax law is found in particular in the Tax Code (AO), as well as in numerous different individual laws, which, for example, contain the respective taxable events (e.g. Income Tax Act, Sales Tax Act, etc.). In addition, German tax law is characterized by a large number of tax law jurisprudence. European law (e.g. EU regulations) often also has to be taken into account in tax law. Due to the unmanageable and complex nature of the matter, tax law is difficult for laypeople to understand and an expert such as a tax advisor or lawyer should always be consulted.
Tax law is part of public law and includes the entirety of all legal norms that deal with the determination and collection of taxes.