Several countries in Latin America have established new transfer pricing documentation obligations associated with the OECD’s Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) initiative. In this new year, Mexico, Colombia and Peru have included in their local legislation new documentation requirements that follow a three-tiered approach: country-by-country (CbC) report, master file,… – Continue reading
The new administration and Congress have signaled their intention to undertake fundamental tax reform in the coming months. Lawmakers will need to weigh the costs and benefits of numerous policy trade-offs as they undertake this effort. Among the most visible debates already underway concerns “border adjustability,” or moving the U.S…. – Continue reading
On October 3, 2016 the Federal Government proposed changes to the Income Tax Act (the “Act”) and administrative policies that will impact claiming the principal residence exemption. 1. All dispositions of principal residences must now be reported. Previously, the CRA did not require taxpayers to report the sale of a… – Continue reading
Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement Amended between S. Korea and India The Korea Shipowners’ Association announced on January 24 that the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement between South Korea and India was amended so that South Korean shipping companies’ shipping income generated as a result of their maritime transport services provided for… – Continue reading
Country’s reputation being exploited for ‘snow washing’ global money trails, experts warn Far from the palm-fringed beaches of the usual offshore tax havens, Canada has quietly become a go-to destination for international tax cheats eager to exploit the country’s twin benefits of a sterling reputation and rules that allow private… – Continue reading
Nassau, The Bahamas – The Bahamas has taken many steps to comply with global standards in the financial services sector. One such step is the implementation of the Common Reporting Standard (CRS). The Common Reporting Standard (CRS), developed in response to the G20 request and approved by the OECD Council… – Continue reading
Ministry of Finance – State of Kuwait recently “went live” with the Vizor Software for FATCA & AEOI solution to meet its FATCA obligations under the terms of its Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the United States of America’s Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Today, Vizor Ltd. announced the Kuwaiti Ministry of… – Continue reading
Bahrain has signed an agreement to implement the US Foreign Account Taxpayer Compliance Act with the United States. FATCA, enacted by the US Congress in 2010, is intended to ensure that the US obtains information on accounts held abroad at foreign financial institutions (FFIs) by US persons. Failure by an… – Continue reading
The Offshore Compliance Advisory Committee issued a report in December 2016 to the Canada Revenue Agency about the Voluntary Disclosures Program (VDP or tax amnesty). If a taxpayer submits a successful income tax or GST/HST voluntary disclosure program application then generally criminal income tax prosecution and civil tax penalties under… – Continue reading
On December 21, 2016, the new Canada–Israel tax treaty entered into force. The new treaty was signed on September 21, 2016 in New York, and replaces the existing treaty that dates from 1975. For most purposes, the provisions of the new treaty took effect as of January 1, 2017. Overall,… – Continue reading
Manama, Jan. 22 (BNA): An agreement was signed between the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Government of the United States of America to improve international tax compliance and implement the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). The agreement was signed by the Minister of Finance, H.E. Shaikh… – Continue reading
WASHINGTON, USA — Members of the United States Senate, questioning the new Trump administration nominee for Treasury Secretary on Thursday, asked Steve Mnuchin how he intends to close down Caribbean tax havens, specifically naming the Cayman Islands. The Senate panel demanded details on how the new secretary expects to close… – Continue reading
The Bahamian financial services industry “will do all we can” to ensure this nation does not appear on a threatened European Union (EU) ‘blacklist’, Tribune Business was told yesterday. Tanya McCartney, the Bahamas Financial Services Board’s (BFSB) chief executive, said this nation’s implementation of the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) for… – Continue reading
World Economic Forum debate hears how fight to make companies ‘pay their fair share’ is being undermined by race to cut corporation tax rates Efforts to tackle global tax avoidance are being undermined by a “race to the bottom” on corporate tax rates led by Britain and the US, the… – Continue reading
Agency is increasingly turning to cutting-edge data analysis techniques to improve service and ‘compliance’ The Canada Revenue Agency is scrutinizing the Facebook pages, Twitter feeds and other social media posts of Canadians it suspects could be cheating on their taxes. That’s just one example of the agency’s increasing focus on… – Continue reading
If the tax deal is not signed, India can opt to label Panama as ‘non-cooperative’ and levy a higher tax on it Mumbai: The government is continuing its efforts to retrieve money stashed away illegally in foreign banks, including those in Panama, even as it hunts black money evaders at… – Continue reading
Panama – The Government of the Dominican Republic on Tuesday pledged to revise its list of tax havens to remove Panama from that classification, said Panama’s Foreign Ministry, EFE reports. The promise that Panama would be considered a “cooperating country” in fiscal issues emerged at a meeting between Dominican Republic… – Continue reading
Unknown to many Kenyans, Parliament’s passing of Finance Bill, 2016 that granted amnesty to Kenyan residents who have offshore incomes and assets in foreign banks had a very global agenda. The foreign income that is subject to amnesty is for the year ended December 31, 2016 and offers a waiver… – Continue reading
WASHINGTON — An American tax authority who helped champion a reform now being considered by the U.S. Congress says Canada would not be among the countries hardest hit by the introduction of so-called border adjustments. Alan Auerbach is among the leading proponents of the push to restructure corporate taxes so… – Continue reading
The phrase “border adjustment tax” has been in the news recently, with it being a part of the GOP’s “A Better Way” Blueprint (available here). What exactly, though, is a border adjustment tax? While there are several tax aspects to the GOP Blueprint, for brevity this posts regards only border… – Continue reading
Microsoft New Zealand is bracing for possible action from the taxman. The company said in its annual accounts that Inland Revenue was auditing payments charged to it by Microsoft companies overseas over the two years to June 2015. Microsoft NZ listed the Inland Revenue audit as a “contingent liability” for… – Continue reading
The Israel Tax Authority says Americans have provided information on 35,000 accounts held by Israelis in the U.S. and on an unspecified number of American accounts in Israel. The Israel Tax Authority said Monday it had begun passing on data on Israeli bank accounts held by American citizens and Green… – Continue reading
As per the Economic Survey 2016, the ratio of Indian taxpayers to voters is 4%; ideally it should be roughly 23% at existing levels of economic and political development. The tax to GDP ratio at 16.6% is well below the emerging market economy norm of 21% and OECD average of 34%…. – Continue reading
Chancellor tells German newspaper if Britain were closed off from markets it may abandon European-style social model The chancellor, Philip Hammond, has suggested Britain could transform its economic model into that of a corporate tax haven if the EU fails to provide it with an agreement on market access after… – Continue reading
Authorities unable to access leaked e-mails from Mossack Fonseca Panama is not cooperating with the Maltese tax authorities in their investigations into the Panama Papers leak, according to Finance Minister Edward Scicluna. Prof. Scicluna made his comments to Malta Today. Inland Revenue Commissioner Marvin Gaerty told this paper last year… – Continue reading
The creation of a new United Nations tax body to clamp down on tax dodging, which experts say could cost developing countries more than $200 billion a year in missed revenues, will be a key priority of the Group of 77 and China under Ecuadorian leadership, according to the country’s… – Continue reading
The Cayman Islands Government issued the second tranche of the Common Reporting Standard (“CRS”) regulations at the end of December 2016. Updated Guidance Notes will be issued in Q1 2017 by the Cayman Islands Tax Information Authority (“TIA”) to assist with the implementation of the regulations. Furthermore, TIA stated in… – Continue reading
Malta was today (11 January) accused of being a tax haven as it took over the rotating presidency of the EU. Some companies in the EU’s smallest country pay as little as 5% tax on their profits. The small Mediterranean island would have been included in the list of tax… – Continue reading
Move could be a worrying indicator of investment trends post-Brexit, post-Beps Snap, the company behind Snapchat, has opted to open its new new international headquarters in London, rather than Dublin, Amsterdam or Luxembourg, bucking a trend which for decades has seen US multinationals book their international sales in one of… – Continue reading
Homeowners who have seen their properties rise in value substantially are getting a break from the government when it comes to paying their taxes. The province has announced it is increasing the home owner grant threshold to $1.6 million from $1.2 million, meaning owners of properties valued up to that… – Continue reading
Authored by IFC Media Recent global events from the release of the Panama Papers to a series of high-profile inversions have given international tax regulators both rhetorical ammunition and public support to execute a global crackdown on multinational tax planning. The goal is to increase total taxes paid by global… – Continue reading
On December 23, 2016, the US ambassadors and Alberto Abad signed an agreement for the exchange of tax information on request. 1. Introduction For the past few years, Argentina has been an active participant in the progress of exchange of international tax information. More than seventeen agreements have been signed… – Continue reading
Panama said Tuesday it will hold talks with France in the coming days, after Paris confirmed the Central American country was back on its blacklist of tax havens because of the Panama Papers leak. The discussions were to highlight progress Panama has made in boosting transparency and cooperation in tax… – Continue reading
Centralised company registers will now detail who ultimate beneficiaries are. Malta’s stand on amendments seen as ‘watering down’ anti-money-laundering rules are in line with the EU’s position, a spokesman for the Office of the Prime Minister told the Times of Malta. EU governments have just agreed to create centralised company… – Continue reading
Sources said this amendment will allow speedy prosecution and imprisonment of account holders as enumerated in the Panama Papers, Liechtenstein and HSBC Geneva lists. Moving to register criminal charges and impose stricter penalties against those who have stashed black money abroad, India has started revising tax treaties with partner countries… – Continue reading
On December 29, 2016, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it had reached final arrangements with the financial institutions meeting the requirements of its Swiss Bank Program. The Program, which was originally signed by the United States and Switzerland in August 2013, has provided a path for Swiss… – Continue reading
The Central Board of Direct Taxes in India issued Circular Number 41 on December 21, 2016 providing clarifications on applicability of ‘indirect transfer’ provisions under the Indian Income Tax Act, 1961 to investors of Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) – earlier known as Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) in India. The circular… – Continue reading
The US government is facing calls to delay the introduction of a new tax on foreign investors in US equity-linked derivative transactions, after the G5 group of countries signalled their opposition and the US Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) indicated its members would not be ready for the… – Continue reading
A parliamentary drive to force greater transparency on the UK’s offshore tax havens is being led by former Commons spending watchdog chairwoman Dame Margaret Hodge and ex-international development secretary Andrew Mitchell. The pair, backed by scores of MPs from across the Commons and supported by an alliance of charities, are… – Continue reading
The Mauritius IFC: Driving Growth in Africa As a jurisdiction of substance, the Mauritius International Financial Centre (Mauritius IFC) has been instrumental in driving quality investments in Africa, leading to sustained growth and prosperity across the continent. It is therefore with deep regret that we take note of the misperceptions… – Continue reading
Tax directors and CFOs at multinational companies are facing increasing numbers of tax audits, and are becoming concerned about the impact of public perception of their tax planning on their company’s reputation, according to research by Taxand. Its fifth annual global survey of CFOs, tax and finance directors across Europe,… – Continue reading
The Isle of Man Government’s Agreement for the Exchange of Information relating to Tax Matters with the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands enters into force on 29 December 2016. The Agreement was signed by His Excellency Peter Beckingham, Governor to the Turks and Caicos Islands, on 30 June… – Continue reading
Finance minister Bob Richards has expressed dismay at Oxfam’s claim that Bermuda is the world’s worst corporate tax haven. And the Progressive Labour Party joined him to condemn the report as “extremely disappointing”. Mr Richards pointed to “serial errors” in the global charity’s report on offshore centres, which found that… – Continue reading
Lower corporate tax rates around the world are expected to play an important part in multinational companies’ tax planning in 2017, with a rate as low as 15 percent on the table in the U.S. and countries such as the U.K. planning to maintain or lower their current rates. A… – Continue reading
The NGO’s report exposes the worst offenders in the ‘race to the bottom on corporate tax.’ Luxembourg, Ireland, Cyprus, and the Netherlands are among the world’s 10 worst tax havens, despite an ongoing EU crackdown on tax avoidance and profit shifting across the bloc. The findings come in a report… – Continue reading
1. Why was a new offshore provision introduced by this year’s Finance Bill? Following revelations in the “Panama Papers” of major worldwide tax evasion in April 2016 (which included certain Irish Resident account holders), the Minister for Finance announced on budget day, 12 October 2016 that this year’s Finance Bill… – Continue reading
Four UK territories in list ‘undermine Britain’s efforts to be responsible member of the international community’ Bermuda is the world’s worst corporate tax haven, according to a list by Oxfam, which includes three other UK territories among those it names and shames. The charity’s list of the “world’s worst” 15… – Continue reading
Tax sovereignty is incompatible with the globalised world, according to OECD tax policy director Pascal Saint-Amans Speaking at the Public Accounts Committee’s Global Tax Transparency Summit, Saint-Amans told told ministers, tax professionals and international representatives ‘a gap’ still exists ‘between the world globalising and tax sovereignty’. ‘As members of parliament,… – Continue reading
NEW DELHI: India and the US have reached a deal for the first bilateral advance pricing agreement, a move that will enable American firms to ascertain tax liabilities beforehand, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today. The two nations have resolved over 100 cases of tax disputes involving a tax of… – Continue reading
The UK – which is Friday (December 9) hosting a global tax transparency summit – has been accused of erecting a “brick wall” over hundreds of thousands of companies that use British Oversea Territories as tax havens allowing “corrupt” owners to “enjoy their ill-gotten gains with impunity.” The UK Parliament… – Continue reading
