Category: Gaming
POGOs must settle all tax liabilities — Dominguez
Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) to pay all tax liabilities before being allowed to operate again, says Finance secretary Carlos Dominguez. ... - Continue reading
Senators wary of money laundering in POGO
POGO continues to be involved in hefty money laundering, and it certainly is making senators of Philippines worried about it. ... - Continue reading
Gov’t loses P51B in revenues from POGO – Gatchalian
According to the senator Sherwin Gatchalian, the government has lost around P51-billion in revenues due to tax avoidance from Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) ... - Continue reading
Revisiting taxation of onshore and offshore POGOs
Interest in POGOs raised again. ... - Continue reading
POGOs’ tax compliance improves
The tax compliance of online gaming operators and their service providers continue to show improvements every month amid the strict enforcement activities of the government, a tax official said. The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) initially reported that its preliminary income tax collection from Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) foreign… – Continue reading
BIR warns delinquent POGOs anew
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said that service providers for Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) must cooperate and comply with the tax authorities to avoid revenue losses once they become subject for closure. BIR Commissioner Caesar R. Dulay said that POGO service providers should be prepared to incur millions… – Continue reading
BIR padlocks main office, 2 branches of tax-dodging POGO service provider
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) padlocked simultaneously Wednesday the main office and two branches of one of the biggest Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) service providers in the country for alleged failure to register and pay the corresponding deficiency taxes amounting to P2 billion. Shuttered were the headquarter of… – Continue reading
BSP study dismisses risks of POGOs pullout
Initial results of a study conducted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas show that an immediate pullout by Philippine offshore gaming operators from the country will not have an impact on the financial stability, Governor Benjamin Diokno said Tuesday. Diokno asked the BSP’s Financial Stability team and the Anti-Money Laundering… – Continue reading
Villanueva urges DILG to crack down on tax-evading POGOs
Senator Joel Villanueva has urged the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to order local government units and police to crack down on Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGOs) that refuse to comply with the country’s tax laws. Villanueva also backed the Department of Finance’s (DOF) order to shut down… – Continue reading
Dominguez orders BIR to shut down tax-dodging POGOs
'Those who don't pay or respond to your assessments, clamp them down,' says Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III ... - Continue reading
Gaming Companies Call for Reaching USA-Croatia Double Taxation Avoidance Deal
ZAGREB, August 21, 2019 – Computer gaming is the most propulsive segment of the IT industry worldwide, and this trend is present in Croatia, too, where local gaming companies export all their products, however the biggest challenge in doing business is the absence of a Croatia-USA double taxation avoidance agreement,… – Continue reading
United States: FinCEN Director Addresses Gaming Industry
On August 13, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network ("FinCEN") Director Kenneth Blanco addressed the 12thAnnual Las Vegas Anti-Money Laundering Conference and provided insights on his agency's expectations for the ever-evolving gaming industry. ... - Continue reading
Senate inquiry into foreign workers’ tax payments pushed
SEN. Sherwin Gatchalian has called on the Senate to hold an inquiry on the uncollected taxes from registered and unregistered foreign workers, especially those in the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) industry. n calling for an investigation, Gatchalian stressed that taxes properly collected are essential since revenues enable the government… – Continue reading
Pagcor: Government not inclined to impose higher taxes on POGOs
State-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. expressed optimism the government will not impose higher taxes on offshore gaming operators in the country to encourage them to stay here. Pagcor chairman and chief executive Andrea Domingo said at the sidelines of the opening of the first Philippine-Asian Gaming Expo held on… – Continue reading
Swiss vote to block offshore bet sites
Election results in Switzerland indicate voters Sunday approved measures to license online gambling only through Swiss companies and to block offshore online gambling sites. Additionally, voters rejected a referendum that would have made sweeping changes in their country’s monetary and banking system. By blocking offshore sites, the country is hoping… – Continue reading
IMF praises Philippines for placing casinos under AML act
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has commended the Philippines for legal changes that brought the nation’s casinos within the scope of the country’s Anti-Money Laundering Act. “[The IMF] welcomes the recent amendment… to include casinos” under the act, the IMF executive board said in a press release issued on Monday,… – Continue reading
Tax collection from offshore gaming to double this year
REVENUE generated from taxing offshore gaming operations here is expected to double in 2017, or less than a year since the industry was regulated, with the Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation’s (PAGCOR) online gaming arm noting high demand for licenses. PAGCOR’s recently established Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) estimates that it… – Continue reading
House bills to fund infrastructure reward big multinationals
U.S. Rep. John Delaney has introduced two infrastructure funding bills — H.R. 1669 and H.R. 1670 — that good government groups say would further incentivize corporate tax dodging, reward the biggest multinational corporations for stashing their profits in offshore tax havens and replace one system riddled with tax loopholes with… – Continue reading
Malta’s stand on anti-money-laundering rules is ‘in line with EU’ – OPM
Centralised company registers will now detail who ultimate beneficiaries are. Malta’s stand on amendments seen as ‘watering down’ anti-money-laundering rules are in line with the EU’s position, a spokesman for the Office of the Prime Minister told the Times of Malta. EU governments have just agreed to create centralised company… – Continue reading
International taxation changes could ‘pose a major challenge’ to Malta’s iGaming sector
Changes in the way international taxation is collected, thanks to recommendations made by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) could “pose a major challenge to the sustainability and profitability” of many iGaming operations in Malta. This information came to light through a report issued by Country Profiler on… – Continue reading
Time for U.K. to Get Tough on Offshore Transparency?
With the exception of British Antarctica, the U.K.’s overseas territories and offshore dependencies are all surrounded by sun-winking ocean water. But that’s not their only common feature—they are all under increasing political pressure to become more transparent with their financial information. In a parliamentary report on tackling overseas corruption, the… – Continue reading
There is one way to put a stop to BHP’s tax avoidance
One of the most common ways multinationals take advantage of current laws to reduce their tax bill is through what’s known as transfer pricing. Former Treasurer Wayne Swan last week accused mining giant BHP of “aggressive transfer pricing,” denying the Australian government A$5.7 billion in tax revenue. For most companies,… – Continue reading
BHP Billiton has evaded taxes for more than a decade, says Wayne Swan
Former Labor treasurer Wayne Swan has accused one of Australia’s biggest companies of evading taxes for more than a decade, and for lying to the former Labor government during the height of the mining tax debate. Swan used parliamentary privilege on Wednesday to claim BHP Billiton had been “gaming the… – Continue reading
Barack Obama: Tax avoidance is a big global problem
US President Barack Obama has warned that “tax avoidance is a big global problem” and urged Congress to take action to eliminate tax loopholes. “A lot of it is legal, but that’s exactly the problem,” he said. His comments come a day after the US Treasury Department announced fresh plans… – Continue reading
20 Caribbean, Latin American Nations Named Major Money Laundering Countries
Twenty Caribbean and Latin American nations have been named by the U.S. as “major money laundering” countries in the 2016 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) from the U.S. State Department released Wednesday, Mar. 2, 2016. A major money laundering is defined by statute as one “whose financial institutions engage… – Continue reading
Rationalise taxes on media, entertainment sector: Experts
Budget 2016 should rationalise entertainment tax, exempt newsprint from VAT and end double taxation on temporary transfer of movie rights to television channels, experts said. “Currently, entertainment industry players such as DTH and cable service operators are reeling under the heavy burden of multiple taxation and levies such as licence… – Continue reading
Malta retains Fitch ‘A’ rating with 3.2% growth that outperforms eurozone
Malta’s deficit will go down to an unprecedented 1% of GDP and debt will be cut to 64.3% of GDP in 2017. Minister for Finance Edward Scicluna has welcomed Malta’s stable ‘A’ Fitch Rating , saying the latest report, published last night, “shows that Malta’s economy will keep on growing.”… – Continue reading
‘Unavoidable’ Netflix Tax enters Parliament
Australian Treasurer Scott Morrison says overseas companies selling digital products to Australians will not be able to avoid paying the GST. The so-called Netflix Tax that would see overseas-based businesses selling digital products to Australians collect 10 percent GST has entered the House of Representatives. Introduced by Treasurer Scott Morrison,… – Continue reading
Should Congress close tax loopholes for the ultra-rich?
According to their acolytes, the rich are great innovators and job creators. But they haven’t lived up to that billing in this century as both job growth and overall economic growth have been extraordinarily weak since 2000. If their benefit to the economy is in doubt, no one can dispute… – Continue reading
A Progressive Way to End Corporate Taxes
Washington — JUST about every American chief executive has the same dream: to get out from under the corporate income tax. For many, that means lobbying Congress to change the tax code. But for a growing number, it also involves increasingly creative — and successful — tricks to avoid their… – Continue reading
Bahamas Reflects On 2015 Tax Initiatives
The Government of the Bahamas has recalled that 2015 brought significant challenges for the territory in the area of tax, with the implementation of a VAT regime, adoption of FATCA legislation, and the expansion of duty free concessions to cover the whole of Grand Bahama. The Bahamas Government recently released… – Continue reading
United States: Extenders Bill Puts An End To Tax-Free REIT Spinoffs But Includes A Number Of Favorable Changes To The Taxation Of REITs
On December 18, 2015, the President signed the Omnibus Appropriations Act (the “Act”) into law.1 Notably, the Act contains a number of substantive changes to the tax laws applicable to “real estate investment trusts” (“REITs”). Although several changes will adversely affect certain REITs, on balance REITs and their investors fared… – Continue reading
Raising revenue off Caribbean backs
THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (DC) recently enacted, as part of its budget, provisions that force entities doing business in any of 39 arbitrarily designated “tax havens” to report their income on worldwide combined reporting. Eighteen are Caribbean jurisdictions. A tax haven is defined by the DC code… – Continue reading
Gaming authority ‘convinced’ industry will withstand new EU tax laws
MGA executive chairperson Joseph Cuschieri warns organised crime within gaming industry ‘has never been this sophisticated’ Malta Gaming Authority’s executive chairman insisted that the gaming industry will continue to flourish on the island, even if proposed EU legislation to clamp down on tax avoidance goes through. “The threat [of a… – Continue reading
‘The best has yet to come in financial services sector’
Outgoing Deloitte Malta chairman and senior partner Andrew Manduca speaks to Anthony Manduca about the future of the financial services sector in Malta, his 36 years in the profession and the need for more accountants. Andrew Manduca is very confident about the future of Malta as a leading international financial… – Continue reading
Bets off again in Playtech’s takeover of Plus500
Teddy Sagi still owns a 30 per cent stake in Playtech, the gambling software firm The Israeli billionaire Teddy Sagi’s £460m takeover of Plus500, the financial trading firm, was torpedoed yesterday due to “concerns” raised by the Financial Conduct Authority watchdog. Mr Sagi is the founder of the gambling software… – Continue reading
‘Dr Ageless’, Shane Charter, chasing missing millions in Cayman Islands
EXCLUSIVE The self-styled biochemist known as “Dr Ageless”, Shane Charter, appears to have shrugged off the Essendon supplements scandal and is pursuing a new business venture — chasing more than $11 million hidden in offshore tax havens by notorious conman Peter Foster. Mr Charter has been negotiating for several months… – Continue reading
Finance Malta wants faster innovation
Malta recently ranked first for efficiency in transposing directives into national legislation – but the chairman of Finance Malta, Kenneth Farrugia, believes that the pace of innovation needs to accelerate. “We claim to be nimble, but we need to push it much more. Innovation needs to be much faster paced…. – Continue reading
Motor racing legend Alan Jones linked to serial conman Peter Foster
Australian motor racing legend Alan Jones has become embroiled in the collapse of an online gambling company operated by notorious conman Peter Foster which owes $11.5 million to about 150 investors. The 69-year-old former winner of the Formula One Drivers’ Championship was named in a writ to be lodged in… – Continue reading
FinCEN’s expanding application of the Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering regulations
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is again flexing its regulatory muscles by increasing the breadth and scope of the types of entities regulated by the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). Among other things, the BSA requires certain types of financial institutions to implement anti-money laundering (AML) programs and file suspicious… – Continue reading
Clubs Australia and AGA Partner Against Illegal Gambling
Clubs Australia and the American Gaming Association (AGA) to Join Forces to Table Illegal Online Gambling Trade Association Clubs Australia made recent headlines releasing a statement that confirms its partnership with the American Gaming Association to tackle an ongoing problem that has created an analogous situation with the ‘Wild West’…. – Continue reading
Victims of conman Peter Foster hunt missing millions
Exclusive More than 100 victims of notorious conman Peter Foster have moved to freeze funds held in offshore tax havens after more than $10 million was siphoned from his online gambling company Sports Trading Club. Fairfax Media can reveal Foster and at least eight associates have been served with freezing… – Continue reading
Clubs Australia Joins AGA to Stop Illegal Online Gambling
According to a recent article in the Australian news source Australia’s Clubs Australia is forming an alliance with the American Gaming Association. The common goal of the two organizations is to respond to the number of illegal online gambling web locations which pose the threat of money laundering and possible… – Continue reading
Donald Trump: Don’t Blame Pfizer for Corporate Inversion Problem
The Republican front-runner says high corporate tax rates are the real villain. Donald Trump isn’t blaming Pfizer Inc. for the problem of corporate inversions. The Republican front-runner said Pfizer’s planned merger with Allergan Plc was understandable since it would allow the company to relocate its headquarters to Ireland, where taxes… – Continue reading
Activision buys King with foreign cash
Video game publisher Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI) is satisfying its sweet tooth for acquisitions by buying mobile game maker King Digital Entertainment (NYSE:KING), best known for “Candy Crush Saga.” Activision announced late Monday that it has agreed to pay $18 in cash per share for London-based King, in a deal worth… – Continue reading
Details Released in Dutch Sheriff Gaming Tax-Evasion Case
The long-running saga of the Sheriff Gaming / Bubble Group online-casino fraud has moved nearer to its conclusion following the release by a Dutch court of its ruling in a tax-evasion case brought against three of the company’s primary owners in late 2013. The tax-evasion charges were just one part… – Continue reading
French Online Gambling Boss Explains Complicated ARJEL Environment
French online gambling is overseen by the Regulatory Authority for Online Gaming (ARJEL), the ruling organization responsible for imposing a series of strict and sometimes puzzling regulations that often limit the market’s full potential. ARJEL President Charles Coppolani attempted to clear some of the confusion earlier this month at the… – Continue reading
Crown a ‘role model Australian company’ says gambling tycoon James Packer
James Packer defended his gambling empire on Wednesday, calling the casino owner Crown Resorts a “role model” business that meant more to him than anything except his family. Speaking at the annual general meeting, Mr Packer said Crown paid more tax as a percentage than any other business in Australia’s… – Continue reading
