Voters in November could determine whether corporations doing business in Colorado must report and pay state taxes on profits funneled into offshore tax havens. Doing that would create a tax windfall of up to $150 million a year, according to a legislative analysis. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Lakewood, and Rep. Mike… – Continue reading
Swiss banks, for decades the bastions of secrecy, are preaching the virtue of transparency to their U.S. clients as they try to head off billions of dollars in potential fines for helping Americans evade taxes. Faced with the threat of penalties that could bankrupt some of them, almost 100 of… – Continue reading
New Jersey is known for many things. As a burial ground for New York mobsters. Home to an impressive array of environmentally toxic factories. Atlantic City is the established gambling capital of the Eastern United States. Newark, New Jersey: one of the United States’s most criminal-minded cities. And a catchy… – Continue reading
The Minister of Finance for Luxembourg says his country – labelled by critics as a tax haven for multinational corporations – is committed to sweeping international tax reforms being pushed by the G20 and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, as long as they create a “level playing field.”… – Continue reading
International and local experts discuss best judicial solutions for intellectual property and money laundering crimes UAE – Dubai Judicial Institute (DJI), in partnership with the Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) of the U.S. Department of Justice, held a special joint workshop designed to raise more awareness… – Continue reading
Ahead of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) return deadline of 31 May, two recent updates have changed the reporting criteria. UK financial institutions are no longer required to file nil returns Following a recent clarification from the US Internal Revenue Service(IRS) – see question C19 – HMRC has… – Continue reading
Offshore investment entities in the Cayman Islands and many other international financial centers should now start turning their attention to compliance with the Common Reporting Standard (“CRS”) promulgated by GATCA – Global FATCA. They must document all account holders existing on December 31, 2015, with the exception of entities with… – Continue reading
(Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Monday urged the U.S. Senate to take action on a tax treaty with Japan, despite Senator Rand Paul’s long-standing refusal to allow any Senate action on tax agreements with other countries. The White House appeal came just two weeks ahead of an official U.S…. – Continue reading
Who Will Be Next? How To Respond To A Tax Investigation The international political community continues to make the most threatening noises about those who they believe do not pay enough tax. Long gone it seems are the days where it was accepted that a person could properly organise his… – Continue reading
Listed companies in developed market could be avoiding as much as $82b annually London: Listed companies in developed markets are avoiding at least $82 billion (Dh301 billion) of tax a year by using tax havens and other minimisation strategies, according to detailed analysis of more than 1,000 businesses. The revelation… – Continue reading
Homebuyers in Dubai can choose from an apartment block with interiors encrusted in shiny crystals or multimillion-dollar villas on a man-made island. Is investing in these desert dwellings like playing on quicksand or has the city-state learnt the lessons of its 2008 property crash when it nearly went bust? The… – Continue reading
Legal problems have caused a serious strain on the credibility of Europe’s biggest bank HSBC Holdings plc (ADR) (NYSE:HSBC), which is currently up by 0.34% and trading at $44.69, has found itself at the center of a series of serious legal and possibly criminal tangles in recent years. Tax evasion,… – Continue reading
All eyes will be on former Secretary of State, and now presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton as she sets out a policy agenda during the opening months of her campaign. While in recent years Clinton has not gotten into the nitty-gritty of tax policy, she does have a long voting record… – Continue reading
Maryland officials are bracing for a Supreme Court decision this spring that could find a provision of the state’s income tax law unconstitutional, leaving the state and its counties on the hook for as much as $200 million in refunds and facing significant cuts in revenue. Montgomery County stands to… – Continue reading
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development formally invited Costa Rica to apply as a candidate for membership this week, five years after it began its push to join the exclusive club of developed economies. The news of Costa Rica taking one more step closer to joining the league of… – Continue reading
British Virgin Islands entities who have determined that they are Reporting BVI Financial Institutions (“Reporting FIs”) for the purposes of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act of the United States (“FATCA”) and recently registered with the US Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) for a Global Intermediary Identification Number (“GIIN”) should now… – Continue reading
Amid calls for a major overhaul of the federal tax system, a new study shows that 15 major Fortune 500 companies avoided paying taxes on $23 billion in profits in 2014. Moreover, these companies — including CBS Corporation, Mattel, Prudential and Ryder System — paid almost no federal income tax… – Continue reading
Currently, Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs) have no comprehensive federal framework under which to offer employment tax collection and remittance services to their clients. The Small Business Efficiency Act (“SBEA Act”) is set to change this effective as of January 1, 2016, following an interim deadline for the IRS to establish… – Continue reading
The U.S. Congress must find a way to tax offshore profits stored by some of the world’s largest corporations. Currently letting their earnings safely mount up abroad, lawmakers are considering a special “deluxe” tax rate to get money from the companies. A recent study from the Center for Effective Government… – Continue reading
As noted in an earlier update, the deadline for the registration of Cayman Islands Financial Institutions with the Cayman Islands Tax Information Authority was recently extended to 30 April 2015. In anticipation of the upcoming go-live date of the Cayman Islands Automatic Exchange of Information Portal (Portal), the Cayman Islands… – Continue reading
Expats face special challenges in filing taxes Doha, 8 April 2015: With the US tax season in full swing, PwC’s US compliance tax and advisory team are helping Qatar residents with US interests to navigate the complex intricacies of US tax law. For those living in Qatar, the need to… – Continue reading
Labour Party leader Ed Miliband’s vow to close a tax loophole sparked fresh scrutiny on wealthy residents and drew warnings the plan could threaten London as one of the world’s major financial centers. Miliband pledged on Wednesday to abolish the non-domicile status if he’s elected on May 7, allowing some… – Continue reading
New York, NY, April 08, 2015 –(PR.com)– The Knowledge Group/The Knowledge Congress Live Webcast Series, the leading producer of regulatory focused webcasts, has announced today that Conor Crowley, Managing Director, Vizor Software will speak at a 2-hour webcast entitled “FATCA for Government Agencies: What You Need to Know in 2015… – Continue reading
As tax filing season approaches, Canadians should watch their back in light of the new whistleblower initiatives of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), which will reward those who snoop into other people’s affairs and invade their privacy. Frustrated by cutbacks in staffing levels, the CRA has instead set up an… – Continue reading
Vanoli, account holders will be called to testify Central Bank Governor Alejandro Vanoli and the first 10 businesses to appear on the list of undeclared HSBC bank accounts in Switzerland are set to be the next to appear before the Bicameral Commission examining systematic tax evasion and capital flight, its… – Continue reading
Since entering the Illinois Senate race last week, Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth has been running a protectionist campaign, railing against her Republican opponent’s alleged support for outsourcing jobs and overseas tax havens. But financial records obtained by The Daily Caller show that Duckworth has investments in companies that use offshore… – Continue reading
The Obama administration is gaining ground in its war against tax cheats, racking up victories in a global crackdown that has made it harder to escape the Internal Revenue Service. President Obama’s battle against offshore tax evaders hasn’t gotten the publicity of some of his other priorities but under his… – Continue reading
Many Canadian Snowbirds who have become fed up with Canada’s long, hard winters (and there are bound to be many more this year, especially from the Eastern provinces) have purchased winter homes in Southern U.S. states. This has been an especially popular move over the past few years, with U.S…. – Continue reading
By now, most of us know that the ruling Conservatives announced they will release the Federal Budget (calling it Economic Action Plan 2015 – the “Budget”) on April 21, 2015. Once again, I will be in attendance in Ottawa representing CPA Canada and our firm. What do I predict will… – Continue reading
Mylan-Perrigo deal would combine two generic drugmakers that recently left the U.S. for Europe. NEW YORK — In a deal that would combine two generic drugmakers that recently left the U.S. for Europe, Mylan says it wants to buy Perrigo for $205 per share, or $28.86 billion. Shares of both… – Continue reading
For British pension holders in the US, transferring into a Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme (QROPS) is now commonplace. These pension solutions are widely accessible to all US residents or nationals who have accrued pensions from their time working in the UK, and are an invaluable aspect of financial planning… – Continue reading
Suspicions rising that ‘hot money’ is being washed through Vancouver real estate As affluent Chinese buyers – spurred by relaxed regulations and a lower Canadian dollar – flood into British Columbia’s real estate market, warnings are rising that some cash deals may contravene federal money laundering rules. A 2015 report… – Continue reading
An arrest over allegations of price fixing has increased calls for tighter regulation of the booming sector On a late February morning, Yves Bouvier arrived at the Monaco home of one of his best clients. He expected Dmitry Rybolovlev, the Russian billionaire owner of AS Monaco football club, to pay… – Continue reading
New freedoms mean you can move your pension abroad. We show you where you’ll pay the least tax It is the ultimate dream for many people – to work hard, build up a nest egg and retire abroad to a climate with year-round sunshine. Now there is an added financial… – Continue reading
Advocacy group’s founders involved in crimes, bankruptcy, and offshore relocation. One of the newly-elected board members of the Bitcoin Foundation—the 2.5-year-old organization that was meant to bring order to the famously open-source and freewheeling cryptocurrency—has declared the group “effectively bankrupt.” While the Bitcoin Foundation obviously does not have control over… – Continue reading
It’s been five years since the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) became law and while the intentions were good – to crack down on those hiding money offshore and avoiding taxes, compliance comes at a price for individuals and corporations. “The upside of FATCA is that it is forcing… – Continue reading
Law360, New York (April 06, 2015, 3:10 PM ET) — A draft report released Friday by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on strengthening controlled foreign-company rules to crack down on tax evasion said there are substantial disagreements among member states about how to best define CFC income. The… – Continue reading
The best week in American sports is upon us. The NCAA basketball championship is tonight. The Masters starts Thursday. And today is Major League Baseball’s Opening Day. More than any other sport, baseball is a game whose fans and historians cherish numbers: 61 (73*), 755 (762*), .366, 4,256, 56, 511,… – Continue reading
NEW YORK ( The Deal) — Hudson City Bancorp (HCBK – Get Report) and M&T Bank (MTB – Get Report) on Monday said they will “take a short period of time to review the situation” after the Federal Reserve on Friday said that it won’t be able to complete its… – Continue reading
On April 1, Italy’s Minister of the Economy and Finance, Pier Carlo Padoan, signed two decrees that modify Italy’s “black lists,” and announced on the same day that Italy and the Vatican had signed their previously agreed tax information exchange agreement (TIEA). The two decrees follow the guidelines laid down… – Continue reading
According to recent estimates, the number of wealthy Russians investing in the United States ballooned in 2014 as a result of political turmoil and a disintegrating ruble causing Russians to seek a safe haven for their wealth abroad. The amount of private net capital flowing out of Russia hit $120… – Continue reading
Rupert Murdoch’s media empire in the US has siphoned off $4.5 billion of cash and shares from his Australian media businesses in the past two years, virtually tax free. According to calculations by University of NSW accounting academic, Jeffrey Knapp, over the past 10 years, Mr Murdoch’s companies here have… – Continue reading
On April 3, 2015, as part of its Action Plan on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS), the OECD released a discussion draft entitled “BEPS Action 3: Strengthening CFC Rules” (the Draft) for comments. The Draft stresses the importance of CFC rules in countering base erosion and profit shifting, and… – Continue reading
Law360, New York (April 06, 2015, 4:47 PM ET) — Microsoft Corp. recently brought to light the IRS’ hiring of litigators from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP to assist with examining the tech company’s transfer pricing activities, and some tax professionals say the agency’s unprecedented move is troubling. In… – Continue reading
Law360, New York (April 06, 2015, 3:00 PM ET) — AbbVie Inc. asked an Illinois federal judge on Friday to dismiss a Shire PLC shareholders’ lawsuit claiming that it misrepresented the importance of tax incentives for the companies’ $55 billion merger that fell apart last year after the Obama administration… – Continue reading
You may be forgiven for thinking that once you no longer live in the United States, that your ongoing US tax obligations may be relatively simple or even non-existent, particularly if you have never held a US Passport or lived in the US. However the definition of US citizen is… – Continue reading
Writing for the Washington Post’s Wonkblog, and seizing the occasion of a House Ways and Means Committee vote to eliminate the federal estate tax, Matt O’Brien shines a momentary light on the estate tax, and comes up with some numbers that took me by surprise. Nominally, the inheritance tax takes… – Continue reading
Law360, New York (April 03, 2015, 8:10 PM ET) — Three limited liability companies have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Third Circuit decision finding that the Internal Revenue Service could require them to pay the full tax burden for a technology company transaction despite transfers of interest… – Continue reading
Last month US Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) introduced a budget amendment SA 621 to repeal the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) FATCA requires foreign financial institutions to disclose to the IRS about their U.S. customers’ accounts. The U.S. loses an estimated $150 billion in tax revenue each year to… – Continue reading
Law360, New York (April 03, 2015, 10:12 AM ET) –One of the tougher issues buyers face when engaging in preliminary discussions regarding a potential going-private transaction is whether and when an amendment to required U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission stock ownership disclosures needs to be filed as steps are taken… – Continue reading
