Category: Tax evasion investigations

Indian authorities investigate Amitabh Bachchan’s name in Panama Papers

Indian income tax department started probe into Amitabh Bachchan’s overseas transactions in the light of his name in Panama Papers. The I-T department sent officer to the British Virgin Islands in order to collect his financial information. The authorities received criticism for lack of action against the Bollywood actor after… – Continue reading

Mexico: New Substance-Over-Form Litigation Procedures In Mexico

Mexico has introduced new substance-over-form procedures that change the country’s formal approach into one more compliant with the BEPS Project. Taxpayers should take note of these developments as they may impact tax disputes, writes Bernardo Ramírez and Valentín Ibarra of Chevez, Ruiz, Zamarripa y Cía. Resulting from a G20 world… – Continue reading

Kenya launches crackdown on rights groups over tax evasion, illegal hiring

NAIROBI, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) — The Kenyan government on Tuesday announced the deregistration of two human rights and governance lobby groups, citing their failure to adhere to domestic tax and employment regulations. Executive Director of NGO Coordination Board, Fazul Mahamed ordered the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and African Center… – Continue reading

Labor tries to force hundreds of Australian companies to publish secret tax data

Bill would require private companies with more than $100m in turnover to publicly release tax information Six hundred of Australia’s biggest private companies could finally be forced to publish their high-level tax information, under a new push by Labor to repair a notorious piece of legislation. Labor will introduce a… – Continue reading

Tech-based tax services gain pace to ensure businesses comply with global digital transparency standards

Global consultancy EY among firms now offering advanced services that redefine how companies face new developments in tax, audit and compliance Rigid new global initiatives to increase transparency of business data are giving rise to more advanced professional tax services, which employ innovative tools that include cloud computing, financial technology… – Continue reading

Multinationals Warned on Coke’s $41 Million Israel Tax Claim

Israel’s $41 million tax demand from the Coca-Cola Co. on royalties from its Israeli licensee could mark the start of a wave of claims against U.S. and other multinationals with similar business operations in the country. That could lead to a conflict with U.S. and other authorities about which country… – Continue reading

Cuba Worries About Tax Evasion

HAVANA – Tax evasion and smuggling have forced the government of Cuba to stop issuing new licenses for some businesses. The government of Cuba is ceasing the issuance of business licenses until the problems associated with self-employment have been perfected. Previously, Cubans who wanted to strike out and be self-employed… – Continue reading

HONG KONG, SINGAPORE AND CHINA GET TOUGH ON TAX HAVENS

In an effort to create a ‘level playing field’, Asian economies are committing to new standards of transparency At the risk of losing some foreign investors, Asian jurisdictions are stepping up efforts to combat corporate tax avoidance to meet new global transparency standards. More than a dozen Asia-Pacific jurisdictions have… – Continue reading

IRS Criminal Investigation chief plans new enforcement programs

The International Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation unit is readying two new programs focusing on data investigations and international tax enforcement. The data initiative will tie together the information uncovered by the IRS’s field offices around the country with headquarters in Washington, D.C. “We are standing up a nationally coordinated data… – Continue reading

Multi-dollar tax evasion discovered in import companies

HÀ NỘI — A number of enterprises have taken advantage of technology used for tax collection to avoid paying taxes. The Law on Value Added Tax (VAT) regulates that unprocessed, or preliminarily processed, agricultural, forestry and aquatic products imported from foreign countries are not subject to VAT. However, if these… – Continue reading

Indian government to detect tax evasion using analytics on traditional data and social media information

The algorithm will match residents’ spending patterns, as evidenced from their social media postings, with their declared income. Bloomberg reported that the Indian government will be rolling out a new data analytics platform, called Project Insight, to catch tax evaders. In addition to traditional taxation data, such as IT returns,… – Continue reading

Austrian finance minister: fighting tax evasion will be EC presidency priority

ZURICH (Reuters) – Pushing forward European and international measures to prevent profit shifting and international tax fraud will be a top priority for Austria’s European Council presidency in the second half of 2018, Austrian Finance Minister Hans Joerg Schelling said on Saturday. “The cross-border fight against tax fraud and tax… – Continue reading

Kingdom, Brunei pen agreement over taxes

Cambodia signed a double taxation agreement (DTA) with Brunei aimed at preventing dual taxation and fiscal evasion, the Ministry of Economy and Finance said yesterday in a press release. This is the third DTA agreement that Cambodia has signed after Singapore and China, while the government is currently developing framework… – Continue reading

Indonesia Passes Law to Chase Tax Evaders Overseas

New law to fulfill requirements under OCED’s AEOI framework Move could unlock billions of dollars of assets kept abroad Indonesia moved a step closer to hunting down tens of billions of dollars it believes its citizens have hidden abroad after political parties agreed to seek a parliamentary approval for a… – Continue reading

France Open To Negotiated Tax Settlement With Google

France intends to appeal against a recent court decision in favor of Google in a major tax avoidance case, but is open to settling the dispute outside of court, a government minister has said. In an interview with Les Echos, Minister of Action and Public Accounts, Gerald Darmanin, said that… – Continue reading

Worldwide: Italy And Greece Among Most Complex Places In The World For Accounting And Tax Compliance

Italy is the most complex jurisdiction in Europe and comes in first place globally for ‘tax’ complexity, while Greece is most complex in the world for ‘compliance.’ Italy and Greece are among the five most complex jurisdictions in the world for Accounting and Tax compliance, according to TMF Group’s inaugural… – Continue reading

Govt shies away from ‘draconian’ penalty to stop multinational tax dodgers

Tax avoidance by multinationals is better dealt with by an international treaty than harsher measures brought in by Australia and the United Kingdom, Revenue Minister Judith Collins says. In an interview with TV3’s The Nation, the minister said she had not ruled out the idea of diverted profit tax, which… – Continue reading

Push to draw up Cambodia-Thai tax treaty

Representatives from the tax authorities of Cambodia and Thailand have agreed in principle to speed up a proposed double taxation agreement that would protect their nationals from dual taxation and encourage bilateral investment. The agreement was made last week during a two-day consultation workshop in Bangkok for tax officials from… – Continue reading

Panama papers: India discusses tax info exchange with global joint task force to plug evasion

India has participated in the global joint task force meet to discuss with countries information exchange as it looks to pursue work on the Panama Papers, the finance ministry said on Tuesday. The Joint International Taskforce on Shared Intelligence and Collaboration (JITSIC) meeting was reconvened in Paris in the last… – Continue reading

‘Come to CRA before we go to you’: International deal designed to expose offshore tax cheats

Canada and dozens of other countries will automatically share banking information of non-residents Canadians with secret overseas bank accounts could soon find themselves at risk of being exposed by a new international agreement designed to help catch tax cheats. Under the Common Reporting Standard, dozens of countries will share information… – Continue reading

Montenegro and United States sign an Intergovernmental Agreement to implement FATCA provisions

Montenegro has shown its commitment to improving compliance with international tax standards. The FATCA Agreement is yet another example of a set of steps taken towards broadening the cooperation between the US and Montenegro and following the international standards of cross-border tax assistance. The US Ambassador, Margaret Ann Uyehara and… – Continue reading

Cameroon works with OECD to fight against tax evasion of multinationals

Cameroon has officially become the 70th country to adhere to the convention of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), on mutual administrative assistance in tax matters. The act of accession to this convention has just been signed between OECD and the Cameroonian Minister of Finance, Alamine Ousmane Mey…. – Continue reading

Ecuador endorses double taxation agreement with Belarus

The National Assembly of Ecuador endorsed the agreement on cooperation in taxation with Belarus by a majority vote. The document is meant to avoid double taxation and prevent property and real estate tax evasion. The agreement was endorsed by the Belarusian and Ecuadorian governments in 2016. The Special Permanent Commission… – Continue reading

Irish FinMin Explains Response To Tax Evasion

Irish Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe has explained the country’s approach to tax evasion during a hearing of the European Parliament’s PANA Committee, and said Ireland is “a strong supporter of international tax reform efforts.” Donohoe was one of several European finance ministers who appeared before the committee on July 11…. – Continue reading

Singapore ready to exchange account info with Indonesia

Swop of taxpayer financial data can start when Jakarta puts safeguards in place, says Indranee Singapore stands ready to have a Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information (AEOI) relationship with Indonesia, as soon as Indonesia is ready, Senior Minister of State for Finance and Law Indranee Rajah has said. This… – Continue reading

Germany’s Schaeuble Defends Resistance to EU Public Tax Reporting

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble defended his opposition to pending European Union legislation that would force large multinational companies to publicly disclose, on a country-by-country basis, their taxes paid and profits. Schauble, who testified before the EU Parliament’s Panama Papers investigative committee July 11, said public reporting of companies’ tax… – Continue reading

Malta’s corporate tax system is unfair – PANA Committee Chairman Werner Langen

PANA Committee Chairman Werner Langen has argued that Malta’s corporate tax system is unfair, while addressing the PANA committee this evening. He was addressing the PANA Committee earlier today, during the discussion regarding the draft recommendations on the PANA Committee findings. A PANA Committee MEP had mentioned that the criteria… – Continue reading

Drazen Turujlija: «Loopholes in Data-Sharing Pact»

New data-sharing rules aren’t without pitfalls for clients of private banks, as authorities race to shut loopholes, Bank Reyl lawyer Drazen Turujlija told finews.asia-TV. Switzerland is set to begin exchanging data with other countries from next year, a move which has fundamentally shifted the dynamic in Switzerland’s trillion-Swiss franc offshore… – Continue reading

Latvian Bank Fined Heavily Over Laundering Scheme in France

A Paris court fined a Latvian bank Thursday for laundering hundreds of millions of euros through a vast scheme allowing French taxpayers to avoid paying their dues. The court fined Rietumu Banka 80 million euros ($91 million) for facilitating a scam to “democratize” tax evasion among ordinary taxpayers and small… – Continue reading

EU challenges Trump on tax avoidance ahead of G20 summit

The European Union has published a letter to EU heads of state, laying down a direct challenge to the Trump administration, on the issues of tax avoidance ahead of the G20 summit this weekend. The joint letter, sent by European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council president Donald Tusk… – Continue reading

Better tax system identifies €85bn in additional tax revenue

OECD lauds major progress made €85 billion in additional tax revenue has been identified thanks to progress in creating a fairer and more effective international tax system, the OECD said today. The moves include increasing efforts to close down loopholes, improve transparency and ensure that multinational enterprises pay tax where… – Continue reading

FIRS To Join Automatic Exchange Of Information To Reduce Tax Evasion

The Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr Babatunde Fowler said the organisation plans to join the global forum on Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) to reduce tax evasion. Fowler disclosed this on Sunday in Lagos on the sideline of the just concluded workshop on Automatic Exchange… – Continue reading

New tax law demands banks share customer info

Banks will have to share customer information after a new tax law took effect Saturday, according to New Zealand Bankers’ Association. The new law requires banks and other financial institutions to identify accounts held by foreign tax residents. This customer information will be provided to Inland Revenue, which will in… – Continue reading

India’s Narendra Modi cancels registration of 100,000 companies

India has cancelled the registration of more than 100,000 companies which were “in violation of laws”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, in the latest effort by the government against “black money” and tax evasion. The decision was taken based on an extensive data analysis conducted by the government after Mr… – Continue reading

14 Territories Praised By OECD For Tax Transparency Advances

A number of territories that had failed to demonstrate they have complied with international tax transparency standards have had their ratings upgraded by the OECD, following “fast-track” peer reviews. It said that the territories’ frameworks were reevaluated to assess whether recent progress would result in an upgrade to their ratings… – Continue reading