In the heyday of strict implementation of tax laws, it is a welcome relief to some taxpayers that a tax treaty relief application (TTRA) is after all, what it is supposed to be, a relief. To begin with, tax treaties are entered into by countries to reconcile their respective fiscal… – Continue reading
JOHANNESBURG – A data sharing agreement signed by 31 countries – including South Africa – in a bid to enhance transparency by multinational enterprises, is unlikely to have an immediate impact on mining companies. Through the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement on the Exchange of Country-by-Country Reporting, signed by members of… – Continue reading
The debate about corporation tax intensifies. Is the tax on profit no longer viable now that the global nature of modern business is making it ever harder for individual governments to enforce? Director asks two business leaders, has globalisation made corporation tax redundant? Yes, says Stephen Herring, head of taxation… – Continue reading
The British Virgin Islands (BVI) Court tightens up on creditors raising spurious disputes and relying on arbitration clauses to avoid insolvency. There has been a recent trend in the BVI whereby debtor companies have sought to identify what appear to be spurious disputes and then rely upon arbitration clauses in… – Continue reading
Finance minister will commission an impact assessment on on how a proposed package by the European Commission to clamp down on aggressive tax planning will impact Malta’s economy Malta will resist any attempt by the European Commission to reduce sovereignty over its own fiscal affairs, finance minister Edward Scicluna pledged…. – Continue reading
European Commission’s tax avoidance plan announced last week includes positives, like country-by-country reporting, but doesn’t go far enough to turn the tide against corporate tax dodging; Such reporting should be made public The European Commission last week announced proposals for new laws to tackle tax avoidance and evasion in the… – Continue reading
The formal IRS/Department of Justice (DOJ) Swiss Bank Program has concluded with 80 Swiss banks coming forward. The banks agreed to provide information about personnel, depositors and advisors who were participated in or assisted U.S. taxpayers in offshore tax evasion. In addition to disclosure and cooperation with investigations each of… – Continue reading
On December 8, 2015, law No. 13,202 was published, as a result of the conversion of Provisional Measure No. 685/2015 into law. In addition to providing for the Program for Reduction of Tax Litigation (PRORELIT, for its acronym in Portuguese), said law addressed issues such as the scope of double… – Continue reading
Amazon is also alleged to have taken the goods from manufacturers/traders at lower price and told them to compensate the difference by claiming Cenvat credit. However, nothing concrete has been found as yet to establish the said allegations. The probe is still underway. The Directorate General of Central Excise Intelligence… – Continue reading
BEIJING: China is planning a pilot programme to allow selected commercial banks to set up equity investment arms to take direct stakes in technology firms, people familiar with the matter said, a move aimed at giving lenders a chance to buy into a high-growth industry while stoking competition with private… – Continue reading
COMMUNIST trade union leader Ken Gill famously referred to taxation as “the price we pay for civilisation.” If so last week gave further evidence of just how uncivilised a country Britain has become after decades of neoliberalism. Google’s deal with HMRC has rightly prompted outrage and consternation at the sheer… – Continue reading
Mauritius will start automatic exchange of tax information with other nations only from September 2018, as it has postponed by a year implementation of global common reporting standard on tax matters. The delay could impact Indian authorities’ efforts to gather more tax-related information from Mauritius, which is allegedly being used… – Continue reading
The European Commission proposed a set of new rules to curb tax avoidance by large companies. This follows Google’s £130m “sweetheart” tax deal with UK’s HM Revenue and Customs to allegedly avoid paying its fair share of corporate tax that spreads across ten years. Euronews reported that one of the… – Continue reading
In our previous columns, we discussed the final reports of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on the different action plans to address Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS). We will now focus on Action 14, which reflects the commitment of participating countries to implement substantial changes in… – Continue reading
European officials have been urged by the British government to remove Bermuda – a tax haven used by Google – from an official blacklist, according to reports. The behind-the-scenes lobbying by UK Treasury ministers involved a memo circulated among Tory MEPs in Brussels describing the sanctions against tax havens as… – Continue reading
The whistleblower who helped to reveal how Google was avoiding paying tax in the UK said that Britain needed to create better incentives to encourage more people to come forward and reveal how multinationals are avoiding paying tax to the exchequer. Like millions of others this weekend, Barney Jones is… – Continue reading
While the central government is pursuing its objective to provide a certain and stable tax regime, it is critical that instances of dual levy of VAT and service tax on the same transaction are addressed urgently The levy of service tax as well as Value Added Tax (VAT) on the… – Continue reading
U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany is leading an effort to change terms of a treaty with Norway that he says puts at a disadvantage U.S. companies doing construction work on the Outer Continental Shelf. The Lafayette Republican and his Louisiana colleagues wrote to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew on Thursday, asking him… – Continue reading
Radical changes to business taxation may be necessary to reduce large multinationals’ ability to avoid levies, a respected economic think tank has indicated. In the wake of the row over Google’s deal with HM Revenue and Customs, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) suggested a shake-up of the corporation tax… – Continue reading
The EU’s anti-base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) proposals could have consequences for captives in Europe, as politicians pinpoint reinsurance arrangements as a means of unfair tax avoidance. The European Commission introduced a range of anti-tax avoidance proposals on 28 January, following the release of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation… – Continue reading
Despite the anticipated tsunami of tax disputes generated by underlying tensions in international taxation, there is reason for hope that appropriate means are being developed to address them efficiently and effectively. Multinational enterprises (MNEs) should be addressing their existing international taxation planning structures in light of coming changes in international… – Continue reading
The European Parliamentary Research Service has estimated that corporate tax-dodging costs the EU between $54.5 billion and $76.4 billion a year. The European Commission has proposed a package of measures to clamp down on corporate tax avoiders that would close a loophole companies have used to shift profits to low-tax… – Continue reading
Upcoming changes to the Exchange of Information framework hints at future adoption of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Common Reporting Standards. The crux of Singapore’s Income Tax (Amendment) Bill 2016, which some think may signal a new chapter in this sphere, may be summarised as follows: The minister… – Continue reading
Surge in revenue foregone by exempting family home from capital gains tax – largely driven by higher property prices – fuels fiscal policy debate The budget cost of tax breaks on family homes has reached nearly $55bn a year, fuelling debate about alternative options as the Turnbull government prepares its… – Continue reading
Those who have been hiding their income or wealth overseas had better think again, as Korea will soon be exchanging financial information with multiple countries, including tax havens. They are advised to voluntarily report it to the government before the end of March to be given a grace period, said… – Continue reading
Modi promised efficiency in allocation of resources as well as creation of opportunities for citizens to progress. New Delhi: Promising reforms that will transform lives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the government will not eliminate all subsidies but will rationalise and target them to the needy. He said… – Continue reading
Though the use of the retrospective tax on Vodafone and Cairn tend to grab the headlines, a large part of the ‘tax terror’ in India has really been the contribution of the high-pitched transfer pricing (TP) additions to the income of the MNCs Though the use of the retrospective tax… – Continue reading
India and the U.S. have reached an agreement to resolve more than 100 pending transfer pricing cases, one of the biggest deterrents for foreign investors planning an India foray, according to a government statement. Some more are expected to be resolved soon. Transfer pricing refers to the setting of the… – Continue reading
The Italian Patent Box regime largely complies with the OECD recommendations to prevent base erosion and profit shifting. Its non-compliant features offer a brief window of opportunity for companies able to take swift advantage of its wide range of qualifying intangible assets. Many countries have implemented specific IP regimes through… – Continue reading
Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro officially announced the aggregate tax revenue for 2015, amounting to Rp 1 quadrillion (US$72.46 billion). This record breaking number, however, was far below the target, by more than Rp 230 trillion. Still, the minister claimed the results were a decent achievement. This is true, especially because… – Continue reading
Australia is one of 31 countries to sign an agreement in Paris to confidentially share tax information on multinational companies in a bid to stamp out tax avoidance. The deal comes as Apple has taken advantage of accounting rules in its local business that could allow it to pay virtually… – Continue reading
The revived Asia Tax Awards will feature categories for companies, firms and individuals. The Asia Tax Awards are back! More than five years after they last took place in November 2010, the Asia Tax Awards will be held once again on Thursday May 5 2016, following the Asia Tax Forum,… – Continue reading
swissinfo.ch charts the evolution of the long-running tax dodging dispute between Switzerland and the United States and looks at how far there is still to go before the final curtain can be drawn on the affair. The United States wound up its “Category 2” tax evasion programme on Wednesday, netting… – Continue reading
Today’s proposals aim for a coordinated EU wide response to corporate tax avoidance, following global standards developed by the OECD last autumn. New rules are needed to align the tax laws in all 28 EU countries in order to fight aggressive tax practices by large companies efficiently and effectively. The… – Continue reading
2015 has officially come to an end. Amidst the ending celebrations, packing away of decorations, and last spoonful of dessert, many of us are putting together our work plans and resolutions for 2016. And looking back at last years’ list, there remains one capitalised, un-crossed-off item: BEPS Perhaps your organisation… – Continue reading
The Ministry of Finance is planning to make the forthcoming general budget people-friendly. According to informed sources, the service tax exemption limit is expected to be increased from Rs 10 lakh at present to Rs 25 lakh. This is being seen as a major step aimed at benefitting traders and… – Continue reading
Can tax treaty provisions override domestic law?In our last article we defined double taxation as an exposure to tax more than once on the same profit or income. We also highlighted the two types of double taxation i.e. economic double taxation and juridical double taxation and also noted that a… – Continue reading
There is no doubt that Cayman Islands remain the favorite domicile for alternative investment funds globally. Cayman is a full service jurisdiction complying with all international standards, but it’s also business-friendly, with a lot of demand to have all relevant industry services located there: 184 banks, 149 trust companies, 108… – Continue reading
x The government plans to exchange financial information on multinational firms doing business here with members of the OECD and G20 countries in order to make them pay appropriate taxes to countries where profits are generated, officials said Thursday. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance said that it will follow… – Continue reading
Over the last two decades, an increasing number of companies have chosen to register or establish subsidiaries in offshore financial centres. OFCs are characterized by low taxation, flexible regulations, and secrecy policies (see Fig 1 for the list of OFCs, ranked by Offshore Attitude Index). Many companies with subsidiaries offshore… – Continue reading
NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) today said it has resolved as many as 100 transfer pricing disputes with the US, which will lead to an environment of “tax certainty and encourage MNCs” to do business in India. The resolution of such issues, CBDT said further, follows… – Continue reading
In its 2015 Budget, the Canadian federal government announced its intention to exempt “certified” non-resident employers from the obligation to withhold and remit income tax in respect of certain employees that perform duties in Canada. The Canada Revenue Agency (the “CRA“) recently released the application form that a non-resident employer… – Continue reading
Lawmaker says show of support from KC leaders had an impact KANSAS CITY, Mo. —A Missouri bill aimed at abolishing the earnings taxes in Kansas City and St. Louis is changing. As KMBC 9 News first reported Wednesday night, a new version of the bill will no longer include Kansas… – Continue reading
An unnamed Korean, according to the National Tax Service (NTS), was living a luxurious life with properties and investments inherited from his father. This inherited fortune, which included stocks overseas, high-end residences as well as diverse financial assets, was not only unreported to the Korean tax agency but was managed… – Continue reading
BRUSSELS (Alliance News) – The EU stepped up the fight against corporate tax avoidance Thursday, unveiling proposals including an EU-wide blacklist of international tax havens, as part of a wider clampdown on firms using loopholes to reduce their tax bills. The EU’s executive estimates that member states are deprived of… – Continue reading
On January 15, 2016, Canada and Taiwan entered into an “Arrangement for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income” (the “Arrangement“). The Arrangement will apply to amounts paid or taxation years beginning after January 1 of the year following the… – Continue reading
If Republican leaders in Congress really want to fix our broken corporate tax system, as they’ve recently claimed, they should start by blocking what would be the biggest offshore tax dodge in American history. By stopping drug giant Pfizer from changing its legal address to Ireland — and thereby avoiding… – Continue reading
India and Armenia on Wednesday signed a protocol to amend the existing Double Taxation Avoidance Convention between the two countries. “The Protocol amends the Article on Exchange of Information for tax purposes to bring it in line with the updated provisions in the OECD Model,” said a Finance Ministry release…. – Continue reading
SEJONG, Jan. 27 (Yonhap) — South Korea’s tax authorities said Wednesday that it has launched probes into 30 offshore tax evasion cases as part of its efforts to clamp down on tax dodging. The National Tax Service (NTS) said the investigation is targeting companies and individuals who have allegedly concealed… – Continue reading
Could you be one of the lucky expats who qualifies for tax free living in the Seychelles? Or would you have to pay the Seychelles flat tax on personal income? At first glance it looks as though the Seychelles levies a flat rate of personal income tax, and at only… – Continue reading
