Growing tax compliance demands have not impacted the Bahamian financial services industry as badly as anticipated, the Central Bank is arguing, despite the sector’s continued contraction. The regulator, in its 2017 survey of the sector’s economic contribution, said there were signs that international banks and trust companies were “retaining a… – Continue reading
If all countries have access to info about final beneficiaries, MNCs will not be able to fraudulently assign profits to tax havens Can you imagine how much governments all over the world could improve public services like education, healthcare and access to publicly provided clean drinking water and sanitation with… – Continue reading
KARACHI: Dubai is the offshore destination of choice for Pakistanis to park untaxed money as bulk of funds against declaration of foreign assets under the amnesty scheme were received from the Emirates, a top tax official said on Saturday. “We will disclose more details regarding declarations of foreign assets on… – Continue reading
A bill tabled in Parliament last week aims to strengthen the Government’s ability to detect criminals who want to use Samoa’s offshore banking scheme to hide the proceeds of their criminal activities. That’s what Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi said when the Money Laundering Prevention Amendment Bill 2018 was tabled… – Continue reading
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is poised to receive information about offshore financial accounts in September 2018. This was stated by the spokesperson and member policy Dr Muhammad Iqbal while addressing a press conference on the ongoing Tax Amnesty Scheme on Friday. Due to the initiatives by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and… – Continue reading
Macau and Portugal have signed a deal allowing the Secretary for Economy and Finance to alter a double taxation law between the two jurisdictions Macau (MNA) – A deal has been signed between the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lionel Leong Vai Tac, and the Portuguese Government giving Macau the… – Continue reading
CBDT issues draft notification on interest computation NEW DELHI, JUNE 20 The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) proposes to provide a relief to MNCs on the interest payable by them on the untaxed profits stashed abroad, requiring to be repatriated back to India under the transfer pricing regime. It… – Continue reading
BEIJING, June 19 (Xinhua) — The Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) has begun reviewing a draft amendment to the Individual Income Tax Law at its bimonthly session that opened Tuesday. The draft amendment raises the minimum threshold for personal income tax from 3,500 yuan (about 544 U.S…. – Continue reading
Shell avoids the dividend tax via a tax haven, which would have cost the Dutch treasury – and therefore the taxpayer – at least € 7 billion… The intervention of a ‘trust’ on channel island of Jersey seems to underline the dubious character of the ‘deal’. Pressing Rutte to exchange… – Continue reading
The New Delhi Bench of the Authority for Advance Rulings (AAR) in the application filed by Saudi Arabian Oil Company held that Aramco India would not create a PE for Saudi Arabian Oil Company as per Treaty b/w India and Saudi Arabia. The applicant is a state owned oil company… – Continue reading
The New Delhi Bench of the Authority for Advance Rulings (AAR) in the application filed by the applicant HM Publishers Holdings Limited held that the receipts arising out of a negative covenant not to carry on a business is taxable as business income under Section 28 (va) of the Income… – Continue reading
THE TURKS and Caicos Islands has managed to avoid being placed on the European Union’s tax haven black list. Although the territory was on the anti-corruption watchdog’s grey list in 2017, prudent financial measures including tax transparency and compliance have prevented international sanctions. The EU’s grey list consists of jurisdictions… – Continue reading
(CNS): While the prospect of legal cannabis for recreational use in the Cayman Islands is not expected anytime soon, Canada is just a couple of months away from full legalisation. As that date approaches, legislators have raised concerns that the multi-billion dollar legal weed market could be taken over by… – Continue reading
The New Delhi Bench of the Authority of Advance Rulings (AAR) in the application filed by International Zinc Association held that membership fee and contribution from members received by the applicant from the Indian members would not be liable to Income-tax in India under the provisions of the Income Tax… – Continue reading
MINSK, 18 June (BelTA) – Belarus and France are preparing to sign bilateral agreements on investment protection and double taxation avoidance. This and other upcoming events were discussed during a meeting of Belarusian Ambassador to the French Republic Pavel Latushko and Julien Buissart, Head of the CIS, Balkans and Middle-East… – Continue reading
Islamabad : With suspension of all taxes on mobile phone cards for next 15 days on the orders of Supreme Court (SC) with effect from Wednesday midnight, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is contemplating upon different options including suggesting the apex court to abolish withholding tax (WHT) of 12.5… – Continue reading
Australian tax experts have confirmed that the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is cracking down on cryptocurrency investors this year, local news outlet The New Daily reports Friday, June 15. The ATO had said in early March that they would be using a combination of data matching and “100-point identification checks”… – Continue reading
The Mauritius Revenue Authority on June 11, 2018, warned those financial institutions required to report information on the accounts of US persons under the US Financial Account Tax Compliance Act that declarations are required by Jule 31, 2018. The statement said: “FATCA information in respect of the year 2017 will… – Continue reading
G7 countries are committed to working towards a consensus-based solution to the tax challenges of the digital economy, according to the final communique issued at the conclusion of the G7’s summit in Charlevoix, Canada. Expressing support for the OECD’s work in this area, the communique states that the impact that… – Continue reading
US congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) has introduced legislation designed to amend the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act so that incentives for US corporations to shift income and production overseas are reduced. Introducing the bill, DeFazio said: “The new tax law [the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act] allows multinational corporations to… – Continue reading
The walls continue to close in on Offshore property holding companies in Portugal. Once a popular solution for home ownership, these structures are based in low-tax jurisdictions that allow shareholders to take advantage of certain “loopholes” to avoid paying Capital Gains tax when selling. Over the past 15 years, successive… – Continue reading
Offshore finance centres are not the hotbeds of tax evasion everyone seems to believe, according to a new study. Debunking myths about tax havens, think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs argues tax havens have a key economic function helping the wealthy and businesses with tax planning. And although this… – Continue reading
The highly concentrated nature of Ireland’s corporation tax receipts represents “an unacceptable level of risk,” according to parliament’s Public Accounts Committee. The PAC has published a new report on Ireland’s corporation tax receipts. Corporation tax accounted for 15 percent of total tax receipts in 2016, with 70 percent of all… – Continue reading
Liberia has signed the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters, as amended by the Protocol amending the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) The Convention provides a multilateral basis for a wide variety of administrative assistance including… – Continue reading
NAIROBI, June 12 (Xinhua) — Kenya on Tuesday signed an agreement with Singapore to phase out double taxation and attract investments from the Southeast Asian country in key sectors like agro-processing and financial services. Henry Rotich, the Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury and Planning, said the elimination of double taxation… – Continue reading
It emerged that Russian oligarchs, members of ‘Russian mafia’, and many other owners of real estate in Spain have neither Spanish citizenship nor residential permit and successfully evade national taxes. Mansions in Marbella purchased by Russians officially belong to offshore companies incorporated in Gibraltar, a tiny British Overseas Territory. The… – Continue reading
The IMF has said that the recent changes to the US tax system could make Canada a less attractive destination for investment. The IMF has published the report from its latest Article IV mission to Canada, in which it noted that “external risks are more acute than in the recent… – Continue reading
The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (Fatca) is a US legislation that is part of the 2010 Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act, and forming part of four new sections incorporated into the US Internal Revenue Code. It is a law designed to improve offshore US tax collection by… – Continue reading
HNWs need to be on top of their tax or face the Revenue’s ‘death ray’, writes Danny Bentley-White Bad news: the number of tax evasion cases identified by HMRC for the 2017/18 year was 3,809, an 18 per cent rise on 3,216 in 2016/17. These aren’t your ‘cash = No… – Continue reading
Taxation by county governments on transit goods is holding back plans to eliminate trade barriers between East Africa Africa Community countries, Cabinet minster Peter Munya said at the weekend. The Cabinet Secretary for East African and Northern Corridor Development said said double taxation will stiffle the growth of the East… – Continue reading
A delayed tax agreement between Portugal and Macau will be signed later this year, according to Mr António Mendonça Mendes, the Portuguese Secretary of State for Tax Affairs on Sunday Macau (MNA) – A delayed tax agreement between Portugal and Macau will be signed later this year, Mr António Mendonça… – Continue reading
A recent proposal to amend HMRC rules for offshore is about to make tax investigations even more onerous, writes Colin Senez UK tax is complicated and convoluted and in certain circumstances can be tortuous. If you then add offshore taxation to the equation then the position can be even more… – Continue reading
For the next long-term EU budget 2021-2027, the Commission is proposing measures to make tax and customs cooperation between Member States better and more efficient. Continued funding of these programmes will help the EU to progress in offering businesses unfettered and easy access to the EU’s Single Market so that… – Continue reading
Only just over 3 per cent of houses sold or transferred in the March quarter went to foreigners, Stats NZ data shows. Of the properties which transferred to new ownership in the three months, 3.3 per cent went to people who were not citizens or residents, up from 2.9 per… – Continue reading
ASTANA – The 31st plenary session of Kazakhstan’s Foreign Investors’ Council themed “Accelerated modernisation” discussed digital transformation, new technologies and prospects for further economic growth at a June 6 meeting here. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev briefed the session on Kazakhstan’s efforts to ensure the stability of the national economy in… – Continue reading
Ukraine and Spain will sign an agreement on avoidance of double taxation. The document has already been prepared and agreed. This issue was discussed during talks involving President Petro Poroshenko in Spain, the press service of the head of state reported. “We have clearly raised the issue of speeding up… – Continue reading
Both large and small businesses in the United States expect the measures included in the recently enacted tax reform legislation, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, to have a positive effect on their operations, according to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT). In a recent statement, Hatch… – Continue reading
As June 30th deadline to file returns with Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) fast closes in, a section of rich Kenyans who have hidden assets overseas are rushing to return the assets to avoid paying taxes. Tax consultants told Business Daily that the wealthy lot is repatriating the cash to avoid… – Continue reading
Concerned about the tax implications of buying property in Portugal? Good news! Foreigners who want to buy in Portugal and meet certain criteria may be exempt from paying tax on most forms of overseas income. Here’s how! In a bid to bounce back from the 2008 financial crisis, Portugal has… – Continue reading
Genting Singapore Ltd has gained formal approval from the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority of Singapore to transfer its legal domicile from the offshore tax jurisdiction of the Isle of Man, to Singapore. Genting Singapore runs the Resorts World Sentosa casino resort (pictured) in Singapore. The company made a net… – Continue reading
According to figures released earlier this year, SMEs are in fact paying more corporation tax than larger more complex organisations. Specifically, the rate paid by SMEs in 2016 was 21.7%, while it was 20% for businesses with a turnover of £1billion. The research was conducted by accountancy firm Moore Stephens,… – Continue reading
Peru has completed the necessary steps to become a party to the OECD Multilateral Convention on Mutual Assistance in Tax Matters and also the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions. On May 28, 2018, Peru’s Minister of Economy and Finance, David Tuesta, deposited… – Continue reading
The OECD has released the first peer reviews of the country-by-country (CbC) reporting initiative, reporting that practically all countries that serve as headquarters to large multinationals have introduced new transfer pricing documentation requirements to improve transparency. Country-by-country reporting will see tax administrations worldwide collect and share detailed information on all… – Continue reading
AMMAN — Jordan’s income tax draft law will enable the Kingdom achieve a “positive credit rating” and enhance ongoing fiscal reforms in Jordan, according to a report by credit ratings agency Moody’s. The report, a copy of which was obtained by the Jordan Times on Sunday, indicated that the bill… – Continue reading
London and Cyprus have tightened the regulations for banking operations, and the accounts belonging to Russians face blocking. Last weekend, Britain said it could block the bank accounts of about 100 foreigners. The assets will be frozen unless their owners provide information on the source of the money. At the… – Continue reading
Stepping up efforts to curb illicit fund flows, Switzerland plans to amend its anti-money laundering law wherein financial intermediaries will be required to verify information on beneficial owners. The Alpine nation, known for its banking secrecy practices, has been taking various measures in the fight against black money amid intense… – Continue reading
AMMAN, June 3 (Xinhua) — A Jordanian official said on Sunday that a nationwide dialogue will be launched to reach a consensus on the controversial income tax bill. “The dialogue will include all segments of the society including professional associations and stakeholders from all segments of society,” the official told… – Continue reading
The first-time Double Tax Treaty (DTT) between Cyprus and Luxembourg signed on 8 May 2017 is effective as from 1 January 2019 based on a recent update of the Cyprus Ministry of Finance. The DTT provides for a 0% withholding tax (WHT) rate on interest and royalties. For dividends, a… – Continue reading
The OECD has endorsed New Zealand’s crackdown on multi-national tax evasion, despite significant criticism from local businesses that it departs from OECD standards, Thomas Coughlan reports. David Bradbury, head of the OECD’s tax policy and statistics division, told Newsroom that the OECD was “very pleased with the strong support that… – Continue reading
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has said the government will consider several scenarios in determining its 2019 tax revenue target while adhering to its commitment to maintaining a conducive investment climate and pushing for tax reform. “The tax revenue target will be set in consideration of current global and national… – Continue reading
