The Netherlands will be at the forefront of efforts to combat multinationals’ tax avoidance, its finance minister has said. The comments come amid a dispute with the European Commission over his country’s tax treatment of Starbucks. The Commission, the EU’s executive arm, will propose a new set of binding rules… – Continue reading
The European Commission has ordered Belgium to recover €700 million from 35 large companies in back taxes in the EU executive’s biggest move yet to crack down on tax avoidance by multinationals. The Commission said Belgium’s “excess profit” tax system, whereby multinationals’ economies of scale can enable them to reduce… – Continue reading
Documentary Evidence European Union lawmakers sitting on the TAXE committee investigating corporate tax evasion in Europe say they have become frustrated at changes to their mandate and the unwillingness of the European Commission to hand over documents for their investigation. The matter is all the more personal as Commission President… – Continue reading
AB InBev says it’s `disappointed’ and is assessing its options Vestager lashes out at `double non-taxation’ schemes BRUSSELS – The European Union ordered Belgium to recover about 700 million euros ($763 million) in illegal tax breaks given to at least 35 companies, including Anheuser-Busch InBev and BP, as regulators continued… – Continue reading
The European Union ordered Belgium to recover about 700 million euros ($762 million) in illegal tax breaks given to at least 35 companies, including Anheuser-Busch InBev NVand BP Plc, as regulators continued a crackdown on overly generous tax schemes throughout the 28-nation bloc. The European Commission told Belgium to recoup… – Continue reading
Two more top banks getting away with paying NO corporation tax in the UK: Credit Suisse and Citigroup are latest to admit using previous losses to slash their bills Seven foreign investment banks in London now pay no corporation tax Fines and lawsuits used to slash their tax bills by… – Continue reading
Italy has already brought several cases against global technology companies that have headquarters in low-tax nations like Ireland to avoid paying higher taxes in other countries, like Italy. Tax officials won’t say what Apple has agreed to pay, but citing local reports, the Times reports it may be around $350… – Continue reading
SEATTLE — When someone in Seattle buys a copy of Office at a Microsoft Store, that cash doesn’t take the short route to the company’s area headquarters. Instead, after accounting for state taxes, the profit goes to a Microsoft sales subsidiary in Nevada. From there, much of that money begins… – Continue reading
Current system viewed as unfair and too easy to circumvent Abolition of corporation tax is to be considered by a new cross-party group of MPs and peers who will subject ministers and business leaders to public interrogations in a bid to secure fairer and more responsible tax policies. The all-party… – Continue reading
Tax avoidance is a big issue in the United Kingdom these days. The discussion usually revolves around a large multinational company that “goes offshore” by using creative accounting methods to reduce or avoid paying British taxes on its profits. But in a small town in central Wales, local business owners… – Continue reading
LONDON (Reuters) – Seven of the biggest investment banks operating in London paid little or no tax in Britain last year, despite reporting billions of dollars in profits, a Reuters analysis of corporate filings shows. In recent months, the seven investment and corporate banks operating in London reported figures showing… – Continue reading
Netflix the online movie rental service did not pay any UK corporation tax last year, despite generating an income of £200million in Britain. The world’s biggest internet movie streaming service has five million subscribers in the UK alone and has proved a hit by offering U.S. shows like House of… – Continue reading
On December 8, there was a brief note in the media about the fact that Malta had managed to include a reference to flexibility into a European Council communiqué on taxation. You would be forgiven for overlooking it, assuming it was just a pedantic attempt to score political points. Think… – Continue reading
The European Commission has extended its investigation into a tax ruling provided by the Irish Government to Apple. The Commission has asked the Irish authorities for additional information on the case. Irish media reports that the Government does not anticipate a decision until 2016. In late November, Finance Minister Michael… – Continue reading
Coffee chain Starbucks said it paid £8 million in corporation tax last year after posting record UK profits. The UK arm of the US-based chain said pre-tax profits jumped to £34.2 million in the year to September 27, compared with less than £2 million a year ago – as it… – Continue reading
Stricter Tax and documentation requirements for foreign transactions “Amazon, Facebook, Google and Starbucks pay little taxes …” or “Luxembourg attracts international corporations” – headlines like these have 62 states and the OECD called into action. The result was “base erosion and profit shifting” BEPS shortly. Even the German SME sector… – Continue reading
A European Union investigation into whether Apple’s bespoke tax arrangement with the Irish government amounts to illegal state aid has been delayed again, as officials in Brussels continue to gather more information. “We do not expect any decision until after the new year,” a spokesperson for the European Commission told… – Continue reading
Meg Hillier has a tough act to follow. This parliament’s Public Accounts Committee chairwoman had a ringside seat watching her predecessor, Margaret Hodge, tear into tax avoiders and the tax man. “It is very exciting – you see all the guts of Whitehall spilled out in front of you,” she… – Continue reading
Tax evasion costs the EU €1 trillion a year in lost tax revenue, according to the European Commission. The Lux leaks scandal showed that EU countries sometimes court multinationals with advantageous tax schemes. These practices were investigated by the Parliament’s special committee on tax rulings. MEPs adopted its report last… – Continue reading
Cash doesn’t flow directly from buyers’ pockets to Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Wash. Instead, the company operates through three regional sales units, centered in Ireland, Singapore and Puerto Rico. These groups control the rights to profit from Microsoft products around the world. By conducting sales from places with small populations… – Continue reading
After the LuxLeaks affair in November 2014, the European Parliament established a special committee “on tax rulings and other measures similar in nature or effect” (TAXE) in February 2015. The committee’s report was adopted in a plenary session of the European Parliament on 25 November 2015. The Conference of Presidents… – Continue reading
MUMBAI: India has been an active participant in the Base Erosion and Profit Sharing (BEPS) action plan, the final package of which was rolled out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in October. The action points, set down by the OECD, aim at closing loopholes that enable… – Continue reading
The EU Council has adopted a new transparency directive aimed at preventing corporate tax avoidance The directive, which was proposed by the European Commission (EC), is aimed at improving transparency on tax rulings given by member states to companies about how their taxes are calculated. Under the new directive, member… – Continue reading
The EU Commission should investigate why Google offers its “Android” operating system only in conjunction with other Google services and also why manufacturers allegedly may not pre-install rival products; MEPs say in a response to the Commission’s annual competition report for 2014. Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee MEPs approved the… – Continue reading
£300 penalties would be dwarfed by millions in potential profits for firms that take advantage of tax-avoidance schemes Huge multinational companies that dodge millions of pounds in tax in the UK and around the world face “laughable” fines of £300 under new rules proposed by HM Revenue and Customs. The… – Continue reading
MUMBAI: India has been an active participant in the Base Erosion and Profit Sharing (BEPS) action plan, the final package of which was rolled out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in October. The action points, set down by the OECD, aim at closing loopholes that enable… – Continue reading
x MUMBAI: India has been an active participant in the Base Erosion and Profit Sharing (BEPS) action plan, the final package of which was rolled out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in October. The action points, set down by the OECD, aim at closing loopholes that… – Continue reading
The Luxembourg government said on Friday that it would appeal against the European Commission’s decision ordering it to recover 20-30 million euros ($22-33 million) of back taxes from Fiat Chrysler. The Commission ruled in October that Fiat had benefited from illegal tax deals with the Luxembourg authorities, as well as… – Continue reading
Lawmakers seek late deal to scale back ‘Cadillac tax’ Lawmakers are making a late push to repeal or scale back Obamacare’s “Cadillac tax” by the end of the year, eying inclusion of changes in a broader tax package, wrote Peter Sullivan of The Hill. But lawmakers in both parties say… – Continue reading
The U.S. multinational will likely be investigated for evading taxes with Luxembourg’s help, following a report by trade unions earlier this year. McDonald’s is under investigation by European Union regulators for illegal tax deals with Luxembourg, according to sources close to the inquiry. The multinational—joining a list of EU tax… – Continue reading
The European Commission’s use of state aid rules to challenge corporate tax agreements is causing uncertainly for businesses in Europe, Luxembourg finance minister Pierre Gramegna has said. Gramegna told the Financial Times this week that the situation “raises so many issues about predictability and certainty”. The Commission announced in October… – Continue reading
The 28 nations of the European Union lose up to $1 trillion per year in revenue thanks to multinational corporations that use a spider’s web of completely legal constructs to lower their taxes. Now, Europe’s law enforcers and lawmakers want to wipe away these intricate tax-avoidance systems. If they have… – Continue reading
When it comes to planning for tax season, corporate tax reporting should be considered as part of Enterprise Performance Management. As Margaret Mitchell exclaimed in the classic novel, Gone with the Wind: ‘Death, taxes and childbirth! There’s never any convenient time for any of them.’ And while I hope that… – Continue reading
The European Parliament has overwhelmingly approved a suite of corporate tax reforms that will ensure multinational companies pay taxes where profits are made and increase transparency. A total of 508 MEPs voted in favour of the adoption of recommendations put forward by the Special Committee on Tax Rulings last month…. – Continue reading
The Dutch government said Friday it will appeal an EU ruling that the Netherlands gave Starbucks an illegal tax break and ordered the coffee giant to pay some 30 million euros ($34 million). “The government is of the opinion that the Commission does not convincingly demonstrate that the tax authority… – Continue reading
Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan has said that he no longer expects that the European Commission will release its decision on the legality of a tax ruling provided to Apple before Christmas. Noonan confirmed that the Commission had requested additional information on the ruling. He said it will take the… – Continue reading
The Isle of Man’s role as an offshore finance centre will come under the spotlight on television following a Welsh town’s experiment in how to avoid paying UK tax. Independent traders in Crickhowell, led by the salmon smokery, the local coffee shop, the adventure clothes shop, the optician, the book… – Continue reading
Brussels – Google and Facebook were among US companies facing questions on Monday from European Union lawmakers about their tax-reducing techniques, a month after regional antitrust regulators raised the stakes by ordering Starbucks and a Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV unit to repay millions of euros in back taxes. The queries… – Continue reading
The need for robust, well-informed intangible asset valuations for the purpose of transfer pricing is becoming ever more invaluable for MNEs TRANSFER pricing has been the buzz-word of the moment with extensive media coverage in recent years of multinational enterprises (MNEs) repositioning profits to more favourable tax jurisdictions. This movement… – Continue reading
€1 trillion a year: that’s how much tax evasion and tax avoidance is costing European tax payers every year, according to the European Commission. Parliament set up a special committee to investigate these practices in the wake of the Luxleaks scandals and came up with plans to ensure multinationals pay… – Continue reading
The FINANCIAL — Apostle Matthew was a tax collector in Galilee — perhaps the most hated occupation in the ancient world. By quitting his job and deciding to follow Jesus, Mathew accomplished one the greatest transformations possible in a person’s life. Modern tax inspectors are certainly not expected to follow… – Continue reading
* G20 leaders say they will deliver on vow to lift global growth * G20 promise not to surprise markets with policy decisions * World leaders agree to tackle tax dodgers, pledge to cooperate on migrants (Adds details, background) BELEK, Turkey, Nov 15 The heads of the world’s 20 largest… – Continue reading
Luxembourg and Netherlands must recoup unpaid tax from Fiat and Starbucks of €20m-€30 each The European Commission has ordered Luxembourg and the Netherlands to recover unpaid tax from Fiat and Starbucks in the region of €20 million to €30 million each. On October 21st, competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager condemned tax… – Continue reading
Companies such as Apple, Starbucks, and Amazon are well known for legally using international law to their advantage when it comes to tax. Now a small Welsh town is mimicking their tactics. Independent traders in Crickhowell are moving their businesses “offshore” to avoid paying tax. The local businesses – including… – Continue reading
Irish corporation tax returns are behaving oddly: the Department of Finance estimates that they are running €2 billion (74 percent) ahead of forecast for the year. Economist Seamus Coffey has described these figures as “very strange”. Coincidentally (or perhaps not) the global accounts of the Apple corporation revealed an increase… – Continue reading
Apple chief executive Tim Cook said he was feeling “pretty good” ahead of the European Union’s judgement on its Irish tax arrangements, as the company announced 1,000 new jobs in Ireland on Wednesday. Ireland’s tax arrangements with the US tech giant are under investigation by the EU to see if… – Continue reading
European Union lawmakers have called 13 multinational companies to a meeting next week to talk about the low-tax deals they have struck with EU jurisdictions, reports CBC News. Among the companies to be questioned on Nov. 16 will be Amazon.com, Disney, Coca-Cola Co, Anheuser-Busch InBev NV, HSBC Holdings, Ikea Group… – Continue reading
The European Union’s top antitrust official lauded rulings ordering two companies to repay tens of millions of euros in back taxes as she considers similar decisions involving Apple Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. European Union competition chief Margrethe Vestager told lawmakers Monday that the rulings last month against Starbucks Corp. and… – Continue reading
The Powys tax rebellion, led by traders including the town’s salmon smokery, local coffee shop, book shop, optician and bakery, could spread nationwide When independent traders in a small Welsh town discovered the loopholes used by multinational giants to avoid paying UK tax, they didn’t just get mad. Now local… – Continue reading
Where the likes of Google and Starbucks avoid paying huge amounts of tax in the UK by being registered in tax havens, this town is using the same accountancy loophole A whole town of independent traders in Wales are turning the tables on tax loopholes used by the world’s largest… – Continue reading
