Romania will be able to count less on the low taxation advantage in order to attract investments due to growing competition, after eight EU member states have reduced their corporate tax rates since 2017, according to a study released by Deloitte Romania. “Even in the new context, the Romanian corporate… – Continue reading
BRUSSELS, Germany (CMC) — Two Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries are likely to be removed from the European Union list of tax havens next week, when European finance ministers meet here. The Bahamas and St Kitts-Nevis had in the past strongly objected to be included in the list put out by… – Continue reading
JURIST Guest Columnist Inès Soumhi of Pitt Law, discusses the impact of European Law on the French Tax System… In January 2018, the French Parliament formalized – as part of the 2018 Finance Act – several tax changes likely to impact companies including the repeal of the 3% additional tax… – Continue reading
BRUSSELS (Alliance News) – US fast food giant McDonald’s has reshuffled its corporate structure to make tax-avoidance practices less transparent after the EU had opened an investigation into the company’s tax schemes in 2015, a group of trade unions said Monday. The report by a coalition of European and US… – Continue reading
The Macau government is preparing to sign the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement on Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information which will allow automatic tax information exchange with other members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Macau (MNA) – The Financial Services Bureau (DSF) has informed Macau News Agency… – Continue reading
BRUSSELS – Despite initial support, EU ministers are backing out of support for an international tax on digital companies. Over the weekend at a meeting of the Finance Ministers of the EU discussed the recent proposal to levy a tax on the revenues major international online businesses. The taxation of… – Continue reading
THE Deputy Prime Minister yesterday promised that the proposed Beneficial Ownership registry will have “the most stringent controls”, amid industry concerns over the lack of prior consultation. K P Turnquest told Tribune Business that it was “not an unreasonable guess” to suggest that the Bahamas would follow the Cayman Islands’… – Continue reading
Ireland’s tax on sugar-sweetened beverages will come into effect on 1 May after the European Commission (EC) concluded that the levy does not involve state aid. The country had planned to introduce the tax on 6 April – the same day as the UK’s levy started – but it was… – Continue reading
Apple will start paying 13 billion euros in back taxes to the Irish government from May, according to the Financial Times, nearly two years after the European Commission ruled that the company received illegal aid from the country that saw its tax bill significantly reduced over the past few decades…. – Continue reading
The crusade against fiscal havens is not working. According to the BIS, “banks’ outstanding claims on offshore banking centres surpassed their previous peak recorded in 2008 during the Great Financial Crisis (GFC). Outstanding cross-border claims on offshore centres totalled $4.6 trillion at end-2017, compared with $4.3 trillion at end-March 2008.”… – Continue reading
The Bahamas will have “lost the plot” if it allows external pressures to dictate tax reform, a top accountant yesterday warning against any “knee jerk” changes. Gowon Bowe, the Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountants (BICA) president, told Tribune Business that this nation must avoid reform merely for the sake of… – Continue reading
The Government has stripped corporate taxation from its anti-blacklisting response, as a top attorney yesterday warned: “Time is not our friend.” Michael Paton, who co-heads the financial sector working group dealing with the European Union (EU) concerns, told Tribune Business it will be “a long summer” as the Bahamas seeks… – Continue reading
RIGA – The Saeima national economic, rural, environment and regional policy committee today supported amendments to Public Procurement Law, deleting the ban for the companies registered in low-tax or tax-free countries, or the so-called offshore countries, from taking part in public tenders in Latvia. As reported, the Latvian parliament on… – Continue reading
THE Bahamas will be unable to satisfy the European Union’s (EU) demands by merely promising to implement corporate taxation, a prominent attorney has warned. Michael Paton, who co-heads the financial services industry working group assessing the Government’s ‘blacklisting’ response, told Tribune Business in a recent interview that time and the… – Continue reading
The Bahamas could be removed from the European Union’s (EU) ‘blacklist’ as early as this Thursday, with the Government hoping to at least get “an indication” of delisting progress. K P Turnquest, Deputy Prime Minister, told Tribune Business that the Government was yesterday “following up” with EU officials on the… – Continue reading
The Association for the Taxation of Financial Transactions and Citizen’s Action —or Attac for short —staged “die-in” protests at two French Apple stores on Saturday, once again charging the company with exploiting loopholes to avoid paying its fair share of taxes. Around 70 members participated in an action at the… – Continue reading
PROPERTY in the UK, particularly London, has always been popular with GCC investors for many years. It has remained a safe haven and an attractive destination for investors and their families from the GCC region perhaps more than any other major city. Depending on the level of investment, well… – Continue reading
AN outspoken QC is backing the introduction of corporate and personal income taxes as a way to reduce “the gulf between rich and poor” in the Bahamas. Fred Smith QC, the Callenders & Co attorney and partner, has added his voice to those urging the Government to use the European… – Continue reading
Speakers corner: Delano asked Raymond Krawczykowski, partner and tax leader at Deloitte Luxembourg, “In your view, what have been the key changes in EU & Luxembourg tax rules in 2017, and what major shifts could be in store for 2018-19?” His response was clear: Beps and Atad. The Base Erosion… – Continue reading
THE Bahamas’ ‘blacklisting’ response threatens to “cause a lot of damage” to its IBC business and create “much less certainty” for the financial services industry, a top attorney is warning. Michael Paton, a former Bahamas Financial Services Board (BFSB) chairman, told Tribune Business that the proposed Multinational Entities Reporting Bill… – Continue reading
The Government’s planned legal reforms pave the way for the introduction of “corporate taxation” on a wide range of Bahamian financial services products, it was revealed yesterday. Carl Bethel QC, the Attorney General, confirmed to Tribune Business that legislation intended to address the European Union’s (EU) ‘blacklisting’ concerns was designed… – Continue reading
The European Commission is to take steps to ensure that EU external development and investment funds cannot be channelled or transited through entities in countries included on the EU’s “blacklist” of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions. The Commission has published guidelines which set out the applicable legislation on how EU funds should… – Continue reading
The assessment to companies like Google, Facebook or Apple would raise 5 billion a year Google, Facebook and Apple have specialized in locating in a fictitious way their operations in microaffiliates located in territories or countries where corporate tax is low or even practically nil. And they have thus turned… – Continue reading
Malta has reiterated its commitment to fighting aggressive tax planning, joining other EU member states who have unanimously agreed to amend the EU’s tax information sharing law, the Directive on Administrative Cooperation. The amendments to the Directive, which were agreed last week by EU finance ministers, will require intermediaries, such… – Continue reading
IN THE aftermath of The Bahamas’ blacklisting by the European Union for being a tax haven, Financial Services Minister Brent Symonette says it might be time for The Bahamas to consider appointing an ambassador to the EU to increase dialogue on matters concerning this country. The St Anne’s MP said… – Continue reading
Coinbase has announced that it is the first crypto exchange to obtain a U.K. bank account. According to CNBC, the account is with Barclays. Coinbase, which has nearly 12 million users, also announced it was granted an eMoney license by the U.K. regulator the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). “The license… – Continue reading
European Union countries have agreed on new rules to crack down on cross-border schemes that help companies evade taxes. Tax professionals who fail to inform authorities about these ploys will be hit with penalties. European Union finance ministers on Tuesday backed transparency measures requiring financial advisors, accountants, lawyers and banks… – Continue reading
THE Bahamas’ failure “to read the tea leaves” and introduce a corporate income tax “for ourselves” has contributed to Europe’s planned ‘blacklisting’, a financial executive argued yesterday. Paul Moss, Dominion Management Services’ president, told Tribune Business that implementing such a tax would mean the European Union (EU) “cannot accuse us… – Continue reading
Luxembourg Finance Minister Pierre Gramegna has said that any special tax measures against large digital companies should respect European Union law. Gramegna made the comments during an official visit to Paris earlier this month where he held a series of working meetings with French government counterparts. “Pierre Gramegna stressed that… – Continue reading
The Deputy Prime Minister and minister of financial services were yesterday travelling to Europe in a last-ditch bid to plead the Bahamas’ case against being ‘backlisted’. Carl Bethel QC, the Attorney General, confirmed to Tribune Business that both K P Turnquest and Brent Symonette are leading a government delegation that… – Continue reading
The European Commission has criticised Luxembourg and six other EU member states for overly favourable tax treatment of multinational corporations. “The @EU_Commission is today stressing the issue of aggressive tax planning in seven EU countries: #Belgium, #Cyprus, #Hungary, #Ireland, #Luxembourg, #Malta and The #Netherlands. #FairTaxation,” Pierre Moscovici, the European finance… – Continue reading
According to Reuters, the European Union will soon remove Saint Lucia, along with the Marshall Islands and Bahrain, from its blacklist of countries deemed to be tax havens. The decision was made by the EU Code of Conduct Group of tax experts from the 28 member states following “specific commitments”… – Continue reading
THE GOVERNMENT recently held bilateral talks with the Code of Conduct Group (COCG) to discuss tax transparency and fair taxation in the territory. A press release from the Office of the Premier issued on Tuesday (February 27), said Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson and other TCI representatives met with the COCG… – Continue reading
SUMMARY: The European Union has come under increasing pressure from the public to force global technology companies to pay their fair share of tax. Whilst Amazon is facing renewed criticism in the US for its tax structures, with reports that will effectively play zero federal tax this year, the European… – Continue reading
EU MEPs have supported plans to require intermediaries promoting aggressive, cross-border tax schemes to report those plans to the authorities. Under the proposal, service providers who design or promote such plans would be required to provide details of their schemes in a central directory. The disclosed information would then be… – Continue reading
Businesses must report to a central EU database which will pass information onto their respective national tax authority THE EU has dealt a blow to businesses contributing to cross-border tax avoidance. MEPs overwhelmingly voted to back a new proposal which states that companies must now report their plans for any… – Continue reading
The Government of the Netherlands has announced a comprehensive package of tax anti-avoidance proposals designed to bring the jurisdiction’s rules into line with new European Union anti-avoidance laws and fulfill its obligations under the international BEPS agenda. The plans were detailed in a parliamentary paper sent by State Secretary for… – Continue reading
The European Central Bank on February 14 published an opinion (CON/2018/8) on a proposal from lawmakers in Slovenia on a draft law on the return of monetary funds to the country from designated “tax havens” and the imposition of a penalty tax, providing an outline of the proposed regime. Before… – Continue reading
MEPs follow UK Treasury approach Allegations the Isle of Man was used as a base for international tax evasion have triggered a fresh investigation in the European Parliament. It comes precisely three months after the Paradise Papers claimed to expose widespread exploitation of VAT loopholes facilitated by the Island’s aircraft… – Continue reading
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Pierre Moscovici said Monday that bank secrecy was no longer a reality in Europe since EU tax authorities automatically exchanged information about bank accounts opened within the bloc. “Bank secrecy no longer exists in Europe. If anyone has a bank account in Switzerland we are immediately being… – Continue reading
The European Commission has recommended that the EU Council approve a request from Italy to derogate from the VAT Directive in introducing a mandatory electronic invoicing obligation on all taxable persons established in Italy except exempt small firms. In its request, Italy submitted that introducing an obligation to provide such… – Continue reading
The European Union is taking eight countries and jurisdictions off its tax avoidance blacklist after they made commitments to meet EU requirements. Barbados, Grenada, Macao, Mongolia, Panama, South Korea, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates were removed after agreeing to tighten their tax laws. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire… – Continue reading
Also, multinational companies with a physical presence in Israel will soon get their first tax bill Israel will need to amend its corporate tax policies to counter the effects of US President Donald Trump’s tax reform, the head of Israel’s Tax Authority head acknowledged — but only slightly. “There will… – Continue reading
“Financial secrecy provided by the U.S. has caused untold harm to the ordinary citizens of foreign countries,” said the Tax Justice Network. While European Union, EU, officials busied themselves with listing 17 countries or overseas colonies as being dicey tax havens – notably excluding Switzerland and the United States from… – Continue reading
The Antigua and Barbuda government is to take steps to harmonise the offshore and onshore tax rates for financial services to avoid the European Union making good on a threat to blacklist the country if it fails to comply. The European Council of Finance Ministers last month published a list… – Continue reading
VALLETTA, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) — Malta has generated 518 million euros since it started its citizenship by investment scheme, according to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. Replying to a parliamentary question on Wednesday, Muscat said that of the total revenue generated, 363 million euros had entered in the country’s National Development… – Continue reading
UAE was confident of swift removal from the tax haven list in 2018. The UAE, along with seven other countries, has been removed from the European Union’s list of Uncooperative Tax Havens as the country further enhanced its transparency in tax procedures. As a mark of strengthening ties with EU… – Continue reading
The Macau SAR has been removed from the European Union list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes, joining a separate category of jurisdictions ‘subject to close monitoring,’ the European Union (EU) announced on Tuesday Macau (MNA) – The Macau SAR has been removed from the European Union list of non-cooperative… – Continue reading
The Norwegian Government is considering possibilities for the taxation of multinational companies’ “value creation” in Norway, including in the area of value-added tax, although it said that it would prefer a multilateral agreement on any new measure. In a letter to the parliamentary finance committee dated January 18, Finance Minister… – Continue reading
(CMC) – The St Lucia government Friday said it expects to join fellow Caribbean Community (CARICOM) neighbours, Barbados and Grenada, in being removed from a new list of global tax havens by the European Union. The EU has signalled its intention to remove the CARICOM countries after they submitted plans… – Continue reading
