An International Monetary Fund (IMF) review has called for a comprehensive reform of the US tax system, with the aim of removing exemptions, simplifying the system, rebalancing from direct to indirect taxes, and reducing statutory rates for individual and corporate income taxes According to its annual Article IV consultation report… – Continue reading
Tax executives at U.S.-based multinational companies are having a hard time adjusting to the new rules demanded by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Base Erosion and Profit Shifting plan, also known as OECD BEPS, according to a new survey. While OECD BEPS is not a requirement in the… – Continue reading
The latest APAs signed with taxpayers pertain to various sectors like banking, information technology and automotives In a move designed to reduce tax litigation, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on Monday signed seven more unilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) with Indian taxpayers. “With today’s signing, the total number… – Continue reading
The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore has issued an e-Tax Guide on the territory’s general anti-avoidance rule in Section 33 of the Income Tax Act. The guide, issued on July 11, 2016, explains the three tests to determine whether the GAAR should apply. It includes examples on actionable avoidance arrangements,… – Continue reading
Polish President Andrzej Duda has signed into law a so-called fuel legislative package, a set of measures designed to clamp down on tax evasion. Under the legislation, which includes amendments to several laws, each importer of fuel, gas or oil from another EU member state will have to pay VAT… – Continue reading
Cyprus and Jersey have signed an agreement on the Avoidance of Double Taxation on Income. According to an announcement by the Ministry of Finance, the text agreed between the two negotiating teams of the two countries will contribute to further developing trade and economic relations between Cyprus and Jersey as… – Continue reading
Malta has maintained its place atop the Single Market Scoreboard by virtue of having the best record of transposing European legislation among EU Member States. The scoreboard, released by the European Commission earlier today, measures the performance of the various Member States’ efforts in implementing Single Market Law, by recording… – Continue reading
The German Federal Cabinet has adopted a bill to implement key aspects of the OECD’s base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) recommendations and the European Union’s administrative cooperation directive. The Act Concerning the Implementation of Changes to the EU Administrative Cooperation Directive and of Additional Measures against Base Erosion and… – Continue reading
Tax and prosecution bodies must build the capacity to curb illicit activities that rob countries of tax revenues, said Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan on Thursday, speaking at the High Level Conference on Illicit Financial Flows at the University of Pretoria. Illicit money leaving Africa reduces the amount of resources available… – Continue reading
The UAE Ministry of Finance has signed an agreement with Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) on the automatic exchange of information for tax purposes in its premises. This step follows the ministry’s commitment to exchange tax information according to international requirements and sign agreements on the avoidance of double taxation…. – Continue reading
As part of the aim to sustainably meet the highest international standards in the tax field, the Minister of Finance Dr. Jose Jardim has joined the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting agenda of the OECD. In this context, the section with regard to the Common Reporting Standards concerning the automatic… – Continue reading
The EU has signed a fiscal transparency agreement with Monaco in an attempt to stop Europeans hiding undeclared income in the Mediterranean principality. EurActiv Spain reports. Famous for its glamorous casinos and annual Formula One race, Monaco is also known for not levying income tax and for being somewhat of… – Continue reading
Multinational companies are making strides in preparing for radically changed cross-border tax and transfer-pricing reporting rules as compliance deadlines near, research by Thomson Reuters suggests, but uneasiness remains amongst tax executives about their readiness. The new rules will require multinational enterprises with annual revenues of €750 million ($830 million) or… – Continue reading
On 12 July 2016, the Council adopted new rules addressing some of the practices most commonly used by large companies to reduce their tax liability. The directive is part of a January 2016 package of Commission proposals to strengthen rules against corporate tax avoidance. The package builds on 2015 OECD… – Continue reading
The “Big Four” global accounting firms – PwC, Deloitte, KPMG and Ernst & Young – are the masterminds of multinational tax avoidance and the architects of tax schemes which cost governments and their taxpayers an estimated $US1 trillion a year, according to an Australian taxation expert. The controversial new claims… – Continue reading
Ukraine and Austria have agreed to sign a protocol to their double taxation agreement to increase withholding tax rates on dividends, interest, and royalty income. The protocol increases the withholding tax rate for dividends and interest to 15 percent and five percent, respectively. Additionally, the royalty rate for patents, trademarks,… – Continue reading
The Irish Revenue has released guidance on how it will exchange information on the tax rulings it grants. Revenue eBrief No.65/16, which was released on July 5, 2016, sets out Revenue’s arrangements for implementing Council Directive (EU) 2015/2376; and the OECD’s framework for the compulsory spontaneous exchange of information in… – Continue reading
A recent paper from the Tax Foundation (TF) pointed out that, while most Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries lean more on tax revenue from consumption taxes, the United States relies more on individual income tax, while raising relatively little from consumption taxes. The TF noted that “this… – Continue reading
Kenya and India will enter into a revised agreement for the avoidance of double taxation on Monday when President Uhuru Kenyatta and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India preside over the signing of several agreements on Monday. At a press briefing on Sunday, President Kenyatta’s spokesman Manoah Esipisu said other… – Continue reading
Fast-fashion retailer H&M is one of a growing number of multinationals locking in their Australian tax, as debate continues about whether Australia has stopped corporate tax leakage. H&M’s strongly performing Australian subsidiary has entered into a four-year Advanced Pricing Agreement (APA) with the tax office that expires on November 30,… – Continue reading
The European Union’s Anti-Avoidance Directive, which has to be put into national legislation by 2019,is aimed at plugging loop-holes in tax systems which allow large corporations to legally avoid paying tax. While Malta has been criticised for offering competitive tax rates, despite the openness and uniformity of such competitive rates,… – Continue reading
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said Facebook Inc. may have understated the value of intellectual property it transferred to Ireland by “billions of dollars,” unfairly cutting its tax bill in the process, according to court papers. The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit on Wednesday in federal court in… – Continue reading
The absence of adequate data on the operations of businesses in the extractive sector continues to impede the GRA’s ability to fully implement Ghana’s transfer pricing policy. According to the Deputy Commissioner in charge of Policy Programs at the GRA, Edward Gyamerah, the issue makes it difficult to fully assess… – Continue reading
European Parliament on July 6 passed draft recommendations for making corporate taxation fairer and clearer. They were approved by 514 votes to 68, with 125 abstentions. With the recommendations, which were prepared by co-rapporteurs Michael Theurer (ALDE, DE) and Jeppe Kofod (S&D, DK) on behalf of Parliament’s Special Committee on… – Continue reading
The Government seeks to curb revenue loss, prevent double non-taxation, streamline the flow of investment, and stimulate the flow of exchange of information between India and Mauritius The India – Mauritius double taxation treaty was under negotiation for the last 4 years. The Treaty has now been amended by way… – Continue reading
Kazakhstan has ratified a Convention with Saudi Arabia on avoidance of double taxation. The agreement will create additional conditions for investment. The trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia amounted to $268 million in the past 10 years, including $16 million in 2015. Refined copper and copper alloys are Kazakhstan… – Continue reading
Starting from 15 July 2016, a new GAAR (General Anti-Avoidance Rule) clause will be introduced into the tax system in Poland. The new clause may have a significant impact not only on future transactions, but also on the transactions, restructurings and optimisations made in the past years if they result… – Continue reading
Council is giving Wood Buffalo a small tax break. During their Tuesday meeting, councillors voted to drop the 2016 property tax rate by two per cent below 2015 levels. The vote came after council approved the 2016 – 2018 Fiscal Management Strategy Update, whose economic forecast is partially based on… – Continue reading
The European Commission will propose on Tuesday stricter rules on trusts to prevent tax evasion, according to draft legislation seen by Reuters, in a move that Britain has long opposed and which was deferred until after the Brexit referendum. The EU push to identify owners of trusts has been in… – Continue reading
Two-thirds of corporate tax executives surveyed say their companies are proactively preparing for the onslaught of new tax regulations resulting from the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Action Plan. That`s a 22% increase in the past year. In Thomson Reuters 2015 BEPS Readiness Survey, 54% of respondents said they… – Continue reading
Uzbekistan and Romania have signed a protocol on making amendments to the convention on avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and capital, Uzbekistan’s State Tax Committee told Trend. In accordance with this document, it is envisaged to include new provisions meeting… – Continue reading
UBS (UBSG.S) has been ordered by Switzerland’s tax agency to provide France with tax information, the Swiss bank said on Tuesday, adding that it expected other countries to file similar requests. Since the financial crisis, cash-strapped governments around the world have clamped down on tax evasion, with authorities probing Swiss… – Continue reading
The European Union, faced with mounting anti-establishment furor from populist parties across the region, is speeding up efforts to thwart tax dodging after the Panama Papers leaks and wants its blacklist of tax havens ready next year. “The recent leaks exposed loopholes that still allow tax evaders to hide funds… – Continue reading
The Dominican Republic and Nauru signed the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters on June 28, 2016. The two countries are the 97th and 98th jurisdictions to sign the Convention. Nauru, a tiny island nation in Micronesia, has already deposited its instrument of ratification to bring the… – Continue reading
The United Kingdom is unlikely to try to lure international investment by becoming a tax haven after it leaves the European Union, according to an internal memo prepared by the body responsible for the drafting international tax rules. The head of tax at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development,… – Continue reading
The political, economic and constitutional fallout of the UK’s referendum decision to leave the European Union (Brexit) will continue for some time. In addition to considering some of the possible domestic UK tax implications of Brexit, this OnPoint also considers some of the potential tax implications from the perspective of… – Continue reading
A further five countries have signed the OECD’s Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement for the automatic exchange of country-by-country (CbC) reports, bringing the total number of signatories to 44. The Agreement allows all signatories to bilaterally and automatically exchange CbC reports with each other, as contemplated by base erosion and profit… – Continue reading
India and Cyprus have reached an in-principle agreement on all pending issues on Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement, including taxation of capital gains, which once implemented would help remove the island-nation from a non-cooperative jurisdiction for income tax purposes. An official level meeting between India and Cyprus in New Delhi last… – Continue reading
Indonesia and India are both doubling down on efforts to lure back funds that citizens have parked overseas Indonesia and India are both doubling down on efforts to lure back funds that citizens have parked overseas in places like Singapore. The stash, from the two countries combined, could amount to… – Continue reading
Tax authorities in Spain have raided Google’s offices in Madrid as part of an investigation into tax evasion and fraud, TechCrunch understands. Local press and the Reuters news agency are also reporting the raids. The raid on Google’s Madrid headquarters and its Google Campus workspace are related to VAT payments… – Continue reading
On June 29, Edward Nalbandian, Foreign Minister of Armenia, met in Yerevan with Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Federal Foreign Minister of Germany and the OSCE Chairperson-in-office. The meeting started in a tete-a-tete format, and proceeded in the extended format with the participation of delegations. The two ministers signed an Agreement between the… – Continue reading
THAI MULTINATIONAL companies will be impacted on their cross-border business activities due to rapidly evolving tax laws in Europe and Asia-Pacific. For instance, the European Union (EU) achieved a groundbreaking result on June 20 by agreeing to a package of tax measures to combat corporate tax avoidance, which will be… – Continue reading
Representatives of more than 80 countries and jurisdictions met in Kyoto on Thursday for a two-day conference aimed at going after corporate tax avoidance in the first-ever effort of its kind to include developed and developing countries. The meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Committee on Fiscal… – Continue reading
State will implement 12 new projects to improve financial situation Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac on Wednesday said that the government will devise strong measures to curb tax evasion. The Minister said that the government will also take steps to stop the practice of getting stay orders… – Continue reading
A regulatory effort by the Obama administration to crack down on tax deals is facing backlash from business groups and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. While the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules were intended to combat inversions — transactions in which a U.S. company combines with a foreign… – Continue reading
U.S. Companies Will Be Required to Disclose Relevant Financial Data on Country-by-Country Basis to Tax Authorities but not to Public WASHINGTON, DC – Today the U.S. Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published a rule, which will become final tomorrow, requiring the U.S. parent company of large, public and… – Continue reading
Tax dodgers in Greece enjoy multiple benefits: They pay less tax, they avoid social security contributions, they can protect their main residence from confiscation and have access to a number of social benefits, ranging from free nursery places for their children to various allowances. The temptation to declare an income… – Continue reading
European Union member states have struck a deal on new rules designed to eliminate the most common corporate tax avoidance practices. The measures in the Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive target the main forms of tax avoidance practiced by large multinationals and builds on global standards developed by the Organisation for Economic… – Continue reading
Government most likely not to access bank data of Argentines in States despite deal As the whitewash bill is set to be approved this week, the government seeks to sign an assets deal with the United States to have access to data of the bank accounts of Argentines in the… – Continue reading
New Zealand is poised to toughen its disclosure rules for offshore trusts in the wake of the massive data leak known as the “Panama Papers.” Tax expert John Shewan on Monday released a report recommending a big increase in the amount of information disclosed when a foreign trust sets up,… – Continue reading
