An inter-governmental economic organisation could help tackle tax evasion across the Irish border following Brexit, the UK’s Treasury has suggested. The UK’s only land border with an EU state is in Northern Ireland. Without the European institutions, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) could help facilitate dialogue with… – 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
In his Budget speech on 11 October 2016, the Minister for Finance announced a comprehensive programme of targeted intervention against offshore tax evasion. Positive action is required ahead of 1 May 2017 for those with undeclared income and gains from offshore assets. Finance Act 2016, which includes legislative changes required… – Continue reading
On 29 October 2016, the Austrian Ministry of Finance provided interesting guidance on the tax consequences of an alienation of a participation in a Hungarian partner- ship by an Austrian partnership consisting of German partners. The case revolved around an operative Austrian partnership (GmbH & Co KG) with German resident… – Continue reading
Montenegro has concluded double taxation treaties with more than 35 countries, and this number continues to grow. The most recently signed treaty is the one concluded with Montenegro. The agreement affects persons who are residents of one or both of the contracting states and applies to the Portuguese personal income… – Continue reading
KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Malaysian Customs Department is considering amendments to the Goods and Services Tax Act (GST Act) to start taxing foreign online service suppliers, said deputy director-general Datuk Subromaniam Tholasy. “E-commerce is pretty much catered for, except business-to-consumer (B2C) for example, downloads from overseas, how do we tax… – Continue reading
The government has quashed calls to look at extending the requirement to publish a public register of people with significant control to companies incorporated in the Crown dependencies and overseas territories, as part of a bid to increase tax transparency, saying new rules on the automatic exchange of information are… – Continue reading
In efforts towards global transparency, over 100 countries have agreed to automatically exchange information relating to financial accounts (AEOI) with each other under the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters (Convention). The OECD had also developed the Common Reporting Standards (CRS) which set out the common information to… – 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
The Australian Taxation Office has its sights on a $30 billion-a-year natural gas export bonanza expected over the next few years, warning oil and gas giants not to follow the lead of the big miners and “inappropriately shift profits” by selling through tax haven Singapore. At the same time, it… – Continue reading
Coalition’s proposed diverted profits tax could capture billions in revenue from multinationals using profit-shifting practices, says Tax Justice Network One of the biggest critics of multinational tax avoidance has welcomed the Coalition’s proposed “Google tax”, saying a similar tax in the UK looks likely to increase corporate tax payments by… – Continue reading
Bloggers and celebrities who receive undisclosed gifts or payment to flog products and services under the guise of celebrity endorsement could ultimately wind up in jail for tax evasion. The rise of ‘Instagram celebrities’ and ‘Influencers’ who post endorsements of everything from their clothes and make-up to where they spent… – Continue reading
Given the recent developments in the Indian economy, the upcoming Union Budget will certainly be critical and important in determining the future outlook of the economy. The financial services industry has been one of the key drivers of growth due to its strong cause and effect relationship with the economy…. – Continue reading
KUALA LUMPUR: The Inland Revenue Board (IRB) has its eye on tax evaders and tracking them down will be one of its priorities in 2017. IRB deputy chief executive Datuk Mohd Nizom Sairi said this is part of the agency’s plans to meet its target of RM127 billion in tax… – Continue reading
The Israeli Tax Authority has issued an official draft circular to clarify the tax guidelines that apply to bitcoin adopters. In an announcement last week, the Israel Tax Authority released its draft [PDF] on the proposed taxation of virtual currencies which are considered “assets”. Pointedly, the announcement also cites the… – Continue reading
Belarus and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China signed an agreement on the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of income and capital tax evasion on 16 January, BelTA learned from the Belarusian embassy in China. Specialists believe that the agreement on the avoidance of… – Continue reading
India has signed a bilateral advance pricing agreement with the Indian subsidiary of a Japanese company, India’s Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has announced. The APA was signed on January 13. With this, India and Japan have concluded three bilateral APAs, all of which include roll-back provisions. Overall, the… – 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
The Kuwaiti Ministry of Finance on Sunday signed a protocol with India amending the agreement between the two countries to avoid double taxation on income and to prevent tax evasion. The protocol amends the types of Kuwaiti taxes in Article two of the agreement, as well as Article 26 on… – Continue reading
British chancellor Philip Hammond has infuriated German politicians for implying a “hard” Brexit would see London adopt a new role as a tax haven before the gates of the EU. Driving speculation ahead of Tuesday’s Brexit address by prime minister Teresa May, Mr Hammond said he preferred seeing Britain remain… – 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
Trade agreement would have to include strict rules to prevent Britain becoming offshore haven, Dutch deputy PM says The Netherlands will block any EU trade deal with the UK unless it signs up to tough tax avoidance regulations preventing it from becoming an attractive offshore haven for multinationals and the… – 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 Russian government will no longer consider Hong Kong a Chinese-affiliated tax haven that doesn’t share tax information. Russia will strike Hong Kong from its list of offshore jurisdictions following ratification of a double tax treaty signed by the two parties last January and ratified by Russia in July, according… – Continue reading
The comprehensive Double Taxation Convention between Uruguay and the United Kingdom has taken effect from 1 January 2017. The United Kingdom and Uruguay signed a convention to avoid double taxation and prevent fiscal evasion related to taxes on income and on capital on 24 February 2016 in Montevideo. The document… – Continue reading
This, like previous initiatives, seems nothing more than a thinly veiled revenue measure. A new amnesty scheme is being considered to allow those who hold wealth abroad to bring it back into the country without facing a penalty other than paying a nominal amount of tax on the value of… – Continue reading
The Australian Treasury is consulting on plans to increase administrative penalties for multinationals that fail to adhere to tax disclosure obligations. The new rules will apply to companies with global revenue of AUD1bn (USD749.7m) or more. From July 1, 2017, penalties relating to the lodgment of tax documents to the… – Continue reading
THE Panama Papers, the world’s biggest leak, highlighted the complex ways used by companies and individuals to conceal who the actual beneficiaries of a company are. Some of them put their money into offshore accounts such as in Labuan, which is also an off-shore financial centre and tax haven. One… – Continue reading
Portuguese income tax law provides for a 20% reduced rate and, in respect to income obtained abroad, a full tax exemption, for certain types of income derived by individuals having the status of Non-Habitual Portuguese Residents (NHPR). Any individual that in a certain year becomes tax resident in Portugal will… – Continue reading
The 2017 Budget Law introduced (starting from fiscal year 2017) favourable provisions for people wishing to become tax residents in Italy. It is aimed at wealthy individuals who wish to bring in new capital resources. The regime is inspired by the non-domiciled resident regime which is in force in the… – 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
India is unlikely to amend its tax treaty with the Netherlands as it did with Mauritius, Singapore and Cyprus and this could shape the investment strategy of foreign portfolio investors (FPI) and private equity (PE) funds investing in India, said three people in the know. “There were talks to amend… – Continue reading
The Slovak Government and Parliament made several changes to the tax system with effect from 1 January 2017. The recently adopted amendments concern – among others – corporate and personal income tax, value added tax, special levy in regulated industries, as well as social security and health insurance contributions. Here… – 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
Cyprus signed the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement for the Automatic Exchange of Country-by Country Reports between its member states on 1 November 2016 after approval by the Council of Ministers at its meeting held on 28 September 2016. Following publication in the government gazette… – Continue reading
A plan by Nordea Bank AB to merge with subsidiaries in Denmark, Finland and Norway has prompted Sweden to revise its laws to minimize the risk of a tax imbalance when a foreign company’s shares and other financial instruments are merged with those of domestic company. Effective Jan. 1, the… – 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
A further three countries have committed to participate in international base erosion and profit shifting discussions and implement minimum standards, under the OECD’s new “inclusive framework” for countries. The OECD confirmed on January 6 that the three territories are: Bermuda, Côte d’Ivoire, and Kazakhstan. This brings the total number of… – 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
Tax anti-avoidance rule GAAR will kick in from April 1, 2017, the tax department said today. In its 2016 year-end review, the Central Board of Direct Taxes, which is the apex policy making body of the I-T department, listed its major achievements. “Major achievements of CBDT in the current financial… – Continue reading
SINGAPORE: Under the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) which has been in effect since Jan 1, Singapore-based Financial Institutions (FIs) are now required to establish the tax residency status of all their account holders, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) said on Friday (Jan 6). The CRS is an internationally… – Continue reading
Hong Kong’s Financial Services Development Council (FSDC) has issued a paper setting out key recommendations for the Government to consider in the area of international tax law. The paper, which was issued on December 29, 2016, recommends that the Government should issue clearer guidance on appropriate transfer pricing methodologies for… – Continue reading
The amended double taxation agreement between the UK and the Isle of Man has entered into force, effective from 5 January 2017, following the latest arrangements signed on 8 March 2016. The bilateral agreements between the UK and the Isle of Man concern cooperation in tax matters through the exchange… – Continue reading
The UK and Switzerland have terminated tax arrangements under the Savings Tax Directive and will instead share information in tax matters automatically under the Common Reporting Standard. The UK Government said, under the switch to the OECD’s Common Reporting Standard, UK taxpayers will no longer be able to pay a… – Continue reading
On 23 November 2016, the Swiss Federal Council adopted the dispatch on the Multilateral Agreement on the exchange of Country-by-Country Reports (CbCRs) and draft federal implementing legislation. The proposal is aimed at implementing the minimum standard of the G20 countries and the OECD to combat base erosion and profit shifting… – 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
