The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) which is now saddled with the onerous task of getting alternative sources of revenue for the federal government has since adopted a stick and carrot approach to bringing tax payers into the tax net. Assistant Editor, Nduka Chiejina looks at the issues contained in… – Continue reading
DAVOS, Switzerland—Google said Friday that it has struck a deal with U.K. authorities that will settle a tax dispute and boost its corporate taxes in Britain, part of a broader effort by European governments to wring more out of big firms in the tech sector. As part of the settlement,… – Continue reading
GE division makes millions in sales to health service, and is net beneficiary from UK Exchequer One of the biggest suppliers of equipment and testing services to the NHS pays barely any corporate tax in the UK, despite receiving hundreds of millions of pounds a year from medical sales to… – Continue reading
Coinciding with the World Economic Forum in Davos this week Oxfam has issued a report – entitled An Economy for the 1% – outlining how wealth inequality has grown to the stage where 62 of the world’s richest people own as much as the poorest half of the world’s people… – Continue reading
Multinational companies are facing severe constraints on their ability to avoid taxes on their activities in Europe as regulators seek to close loopholes laid bare by the LuxLeaks scandal Pierre Moscovici, the EU’s tax policy chief, will set out plans next week to curb practices such as using debt interest… – Continue reading
After designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana spent almost eight years battling in Italian courts to protect their brand and their honesty — Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana was officially cleared of all tax evasion charges this week. “Finally,” Dolce’s lawyer, Massimo Dinoia, told WWD about the end of… – Continue reading
While most computer users are likely familiar with Adobe products, they are probably not aware of the company’s tax-dodging practices. The maker of the ubiquitous PDF reader and Flash software earlier this week released its annual report, which revealed the company is rapidly diverting profits offshore. Its stash of “permanently… – Continue reading
A group of businesses in the Welsh town of Crickhowell have gone offshore as part of a campaign to try and get HMRC to change tax laws. The Welsh town of Crickhowell is spearheading a unique campaign to get HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to change the laws so companies… – Continue reading
London-based international law firm Edwin Coe has become a member of a global alliance of lawyers spread across 41 countries. The International Alliance of Law Firms, founded in 1990, already has 60 member firms in EMEA, the US, Latin America, Canada, and Asia-Pacific. Its website describes itself as “an international… – Continue reading
Tax dodging by the super-rich is one of the main drivers of global income inequality and must be sharply curtailed, according to a new report from the global nonprofit Oxfam. Citing research by Berkeley economist Gabriel Zucman — a protégé of Thomas Piketty, author of the global bestseller on inequality,… – Continue reading
Ireland’s insistence that it is not a tax haven and that in fact other EU countries have tax regimes that facilitate tax dodging by multinationals will be borne out by a study to be released next week. But while this will be good news to Finance Minister Michael Noonan a… – Continue reading
THE BUREAU of Internal Revenue (BIR) filed with the Department of Justice a criminal complaint against a “grey market” luxury car importer for P638.36-million tax evasion. In a Thursday briefing, Commissioner Kim S. Jacinto-Henares said the BIR found Eddie M. Estallo, Jr. liable for the tax after he filed inaccurate… – Continue reading
Apple Inc. is pushing back against an European tax investigation that could force the iPhone maker to pay more than $8 billion in back taxes. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook met with the European Commission’s antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager in Brussels on Thursday to press the company’s case. After the… – Continue reading
As from 1 January 2016, new rules have become effective in the Netherlands that require multinational enterprises (“MNEs“) to comply with new transfer pricing documentation requirements, including the obligation to prepare a Country-by-Country Report (“CbC Report“), a Master File and a Local File. These rules essentially implement Action 13 of… – Continue reading
Budget to implement some of OECD’s standards on profit-shifting NEW DELHI, JANUARY 21: Large multinational enterprises (MNEs) may be required post-Budget to furnish to Indian tax authorities information on their global incomes and taxes. This move — a fallout of India agreeing to OECD’s Action Plan on Base Erosion and… – Continue reading
The Yomiuri Shimbun Four international organizations will join forces to devise unified global tax rules aimed at preventing tax evasion by multinational companies. The four entities involved are the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The OECD — whose… – Continue reading
Largely as a result of interaction between the Estonian Tax and Customs Board and entrepreneurs on the subject of incorporation, 157 more people have started to pay payroll taxes and have paid altogether 210,000 euros in such taxes in three months, the tax authority said, cites LETA/BNS. “In connection with… – Continue reading
Having companies pay their tax where they make their profits is the best way to resolve unfair tax competition between member states, Competition Commissioner Margarita Vestager said yesterday. She was responding to a European Parliament reporting calling for countries to forfeit tax that the Commission say companies should pay when… – Continue reading
The implementation of place of effective management (POEM) rules in the current scenario in India could not only hurt the nation’s outbound investments, but also discourage overseas multinational companies from setting up their regional hubs here, feel industry watchers. The draft guidelines for implementing POEM, which was released on December… – Continue reading
With the issue of tax evasion a political priority and firmly in the media spotlight, the Public Accounts Committee kick-started 2016 with an evidence session with top HMRC officials as part of its inquiry into: Tackling tax fraud: how HMRC responds to tax evasion, the hidden economy and criminal attacks…. – Continue reading
Hong Kong’s newly signed double tax deal with Russia is said to support the territory’s ongoing efforts to expand its tax treaty network with jurisdictions along “the Belt and Road.” The Belt and Road, or the Silk Road Economic Belt, is a Chinese Government economic development project, which is primarily… – Continue reading
MUMBAI: In what could lead to an increase in domestic tax liabilities of many Indian conglomerates and multinationals, the government is set to introduce a framework for Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS), a global agreement to check tax avoidance by multinationals, in the upcoming Budget. Industry sources expect the… – Continue reading
Jan. 19 — Foreign financial institutions will have more time to certify whether their pre-existing accounts are owned by U.S. taxpayers under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, the IRS said in Notice 2016-8. The Jan. 19 notice answers many significant questions raised by taxpayers on compliance with the law…. – Continue reading
People using trusts to shelter income and thereby avoid tax could be hit with higher bills under a review by the Australian Taxation Office. The agency has told Fairfax Media it is conducting a pilot program to determine whether trusts are complying with tough anti-avoidance rules when they distribute income… – Continue reading
BANGKOK—Thai prosecutors charged the Thailand subsidiary of global tobacco giantPhilip Morris International Inc. with tax evasion for allegedly under-declaring the value of cigarettes imported from the Philippines. The Office of the Attorney General said in a statement Tuesday it has filed a complaint with a Thai court after a long-running… – Continue reading
Two weeks remain to influence draft legislation which reduces the ability for individuals to convert income distributions from a company into capital gains by way of winding-up that company, an expert has warned.19 Jan 2016. Proposals amending the Transactions in Securities (TIS) rules were published by HMRC on 9 December… – Continue reading
Cayman Islands has introduced limited liability company (LLC) legislation that combines the key features of a company and a partnership, intended to increase the structuring options for US investment funds. US clients have reportedly been requesting this legislative development for some time to provide a better match with the Delaware… – Continue reading
China’s central bank said on Monday it will start implementing a reserve requirement ratio (RRR) on offshore banks’ domestic deposits, in what appears to be its latest attempt to stem speculation in the yuan and manage money flowing in and out of the country. Confusion over China’s foreign exchange policy… – Continue reading
LONDON: India and the UK today agreed to strengthen their economic cooperation in infrastructure and financial services as they vowed to address cross-border tax evasion and avoidance. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who held talks with his UK counterpart George Osborne as part of the 8th India-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue… – Continue reading
What is the fate of taxpayers on double taxation provisions? The National Tax Policy (NTP) acknowledges this challenge when it states, “elimination of multiple taxation must be of major concern to government at all levels. This is because increased demand to grow internally generated revenue has led to the exercise… – Continue reading
The proceeds from illegal tax breaks brokered between an EU state and a multinational company, known as clawbacks, should be returned either to the EU budget or to the coffer of other states unfairly deprived of the money, according to MEPs. The idea was endorsed by the European parliament in… – Continue reading
Residents of Brazil with undeclared offshore assets can now voluntarily declare and regularise their tax affairs without facing criminal prosecution and only face a one-off charge and penalty. All individuals and legal entities who were resident or domiciled in Brazil on 31 December 2014, can voluntarily declare previously undisclosed goods… – Continue reading
Three leading cellular operators have made a joint representation to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) that the scheme of taxation contemplated by the Ninth Schedule of the Sales Tax Act 1990 in relation to both items – SIM cards and handsets – is legally impermissible and unconstitutional and practically… – Continue reading
The US’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network has announced it will be investigating the individuals behind secretive all-cash purchases of high-end luxury real estate in a six-month trial programme intended to enhance the treasury’s anti-money laundering efforts. The initiative will focus on all-cash property purchases of over $3 million in New… – Continue reading
There will be no end to the inequality crisis until world leaders end the era of tax havens, once and for all, according to a report from charity Oxfam. In its report, “An Economy for the 1%”, published ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Oxfam has challenged world… – Continue reading
The U.S. Treasury Department has launched a new initiative aimed at identifying anonymous cash buyers of luxury properties. Currently, purchasers can hide their identities by acquiring real estate through limited liability companies or other shell vehicles that prevent their names from being linked to any specific address. The new rule… – Continue reading
The change in definition of an Indian resident company under the Income-Tax Act—from one whose affairs are wholly controlled and managed in India to one whose Place of Effective Management (PoEM) is in India—and the subsequent draft guidelines are giving anxious moments to votaries of simplifying the investment climate in… – Continue reading
Court of Appeal decision on tax residence provides more certainty In a case potentially impacting all New Zealanders who move overseas, the Court of Appeal has decided in favour of the taxpayer, finding that property which a person has never lived in nor intends to live in cannot be their… – Continue reading
China’s central bank said on Monday it will start implementing a reserve requirement ratio (RRR) on offshore banks’ domestic deposits, in what appears to be its latest attempt to stem speculation in the yuan and manage money flowing in and out of the country. Confusion over China’s foreign exchange policy… – Continue reading
The Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI) has submitted a budget recommendations to the government which include suggestions on central value added tax (CENVAT) Credit, deductibility of spectrum fees paid and tax withholding on distributors margin on sale of SIM cards and prepaid vouchers among many others. The recommendations said… – Continue reading
Barclays (BARC.L) has sold its offshore trust business to an independent investor group but will keep a 20 percent stake in the new company, renamed as ZEDRA, for at least three years. The sale marks another step in the British bank’s efforts to simplify its wealth and investment management activities…. – Continue reading
The Financial Services Council has proposed a new tax package calling for company tax to be cut to 22% from its current 30%. The industry body also wants to see “lower, flatter, indexed” income tax rates. The FSC said its tax reform package is designed to “grow the economy and… – Continue reading
NEW DELHI: Indian businesses are anticipating a “more aggressive” stance by tax authorities as their tax arrangements come under greater scrutiny, says a survey. The findings are part of leading consultancy Deloitte India’s BEPS (Base Erosion and Profit Shifting) survey titled ‘Anticipating BEPS India impact’. Indian businesses are anticipating a… – Continue reading
Nearly a third of the 26 large foreign banks operating in Australia, including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Lloyds and BNP Paribas, had no taxable income in 2014, data released by the Australian Taxation Office shows. Eight banks with total revenue of $9 billion had no taxable income, while Credit Suisse, which… – Continue reading
The only thing worse than paying taxes is the idea that other people avoid paying their fair share of them. On the subject of tax avoidance by other people, I can think of at least three principal feelings. As the kids say, I feel all the feelings. Outright tax fraud… – Continue reading
The beneficiaries included Anheuser-Busch InBev NV, BP Plc, BASF SE, Proximus SA, Atlas Copco AB, Wabco Holdings, and Celio France SAS. proximus SE This estimate does not include any benefits associated with a successful appeal of the decision, nor does it reflect guidance we expect to receive from the Belgian… – Continue reading
LAHORE: Nearly 40% of Pakistan’s companies that provided IT services have moved their business to the United Arab Emirates, largely due to the 8% additional tax on revenues levied by the government in 2015-16, said Sajjad Syed, chief executive officer of Excellence Delivered (ExD) Private Limited . ExD outsources non-core… – Continue reading
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), the world’s company by market capitalization, may face more than $8 billion tax bill in connection with the investigation of the European Commission regarding its tax policies, according to Bloomberg. Matt Larson, a litigation analyst Bloomberg Intelligence analyzed the European Commission’s investigation against Apple, which was accused… – Continue reading
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia has maintained third in the global ranking for ease of tax payment, according to the latest release of the Paying Taxes report by the World Bank and PwC. With the least demanding tax framework, well below the world average, the Kingdom has a total tax rate of… – Continue reading
European Commission is due to rule on Apple’s tax affairs in March But recent rulings suggest that report is likely to go against tech giant Probe investigating if firm negotiated low tax rate with Irish authorities If taxes are recalculated at higher rate, Apple could end up owing $8bn Apple… – Continue reading
