Category: Activity

Anguilla Best Flat Tax Country for a Low Tax Lifestyle

Whilst there are various categories of flat tax, including marginal flat tax and Hall-Rabushka flat tax, in its simplest form flat tax is simply a rate of tax that remains consistent with a constant marginal rate. What this means is, as an income tax payer in a country with such… – Continue reading

Miners handed tax break

British Columbia’s premier has good news for the province’s mining industry, as the sector flounders amid ailing global commodity prices. Christy Clark announced her government will extend two tax-credit programs while delivering the keynote address at the annual conference into B.C. mineral exploration. The mining-exploration tax credit is a 20… – Continue reading

President Mukherjee calls for innovation to deal with rising tax disputes

The President highlighted transfer pricing, taxation of digital economy and international taxation as the frontier areas of taxation which require special skill sets to deal with disputes. Stressing on the need to improve India’s ranking in ease of doing business, President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said rising tax disputes and… – Continue reading

Isle of Man resists offshore ownership register beneficial ownership

The Isle of Man has refused London’s call to reveal the ownership of thousands of offshore companies, joining other UK Overseas Territories in resisting David Cameron’s transparency push. The Isle of Man told the Financial Times it is a “red line” issue, joining jurisdictions including Bermuda and the Channel Islands… – Continue reading

How to take your UK pension pot overseas-and not be hit by a big tax bill

Once the thrill of deciding to retire overseas has subsided, you normally start to think of all the things you need to do before you go. Picking the right removal firm, a lawyer to help you buy a new home are a couple, but the tax & financial implications of… – Continue reading

Can new guidelines get Nigerians into tax net?

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) which is now saddled with the onerous task of getting alternative sources of revenue for the federal government has since adopted a stick and carrot approach to bringing tax payers into the tax net. Assistant Editor, Nduka Chiejina looks at the issues contained in… – Continue reading

Gulf’s proposed 5% VAT may translate into more than 10% hit on net income: EY

The Gulf countries’ proposed 5% value added tax (VAT) may translate as more than a 10% hit on net income, unless tax efficiencies are improved, according to Ernst and Young (EY). “A 5% rate may not sound like a lot, but if it ends up as an additional cost on… – Continue reading

TAX DEPT INKS SEVEN NEW TRANSFER PRICING PACTS

The new advanced pricing agreements cover sectors like investment advisory, IT enabled services and manufacturing In the current fiscal year, which is the third year of APA programme, 30 agreements have been signed so far. As part of efforts to reduce tax disputes related to international transactions carried out by… – Continue reading

Google Strikes Deal With U.K. Tax Authority

DAVOS, Switzerland—Google said Friday that it has struck a deal with U.K. authorities that will settle a tax dispute and boost its corporate taxes in Britain, part of a broader effort by European governments to wring more out of big firms in the tech sector. As part of the settlement,… – Continue reading

GE Healthcare: US healthcare giant makes fortune from NHS but pays hardly a penny in tax

GE division makes millions in sales to health service, and is net beneficiary from UK Exchequer One of the biggest suppliers of equipment and testing services to the NHS pays barely any corporate tax in the UK, despite receiving hundreds of millions of pounds a year from medical sales to… – Continue reading

BEPS rules to be made compulsory from 1 April

India to change laws in Union Budget to make country-by-country reporting mandatory for Indian multinationals New Delhi: India will change laws in the upcoming budget to make country-by-country reporting mandatory for Indian multinationals to ensure they follow so-called base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) guidelines. The norms were announced in… – Continue reading

Redomiciliation of foreign companies

The redomiciliation of companies (ie, movement of a company incorporated in one jurisdiction to another, retaining its legal character) is not recognised under Chilean law. This means that in order to move to Chile, a foreign company must establish a branch or create a subsidiary there. It cannot move its… – Continue reading

EU to clamp down on corporate tax avoidance schemes

Multinational companies are facing severe constraints on their ability to avoid taxes on their activities in Europe as regulators seek to close loopholes laid bare by the LuxLeaks scandal Pierre Moscovici, the EU’s tax policy chief, will set out plans next week to curb practices such as using debt interest… – Continue reading

Adobe Shifts Hundreds of Millions Offshore, Revealing, Like PDF Documents, Its Profits Are Portable Too

While most computer users are likely familiar with Adobe products, they are probably not aware of the company’s tax-dodging practices. The maker of the ubiquitous PDF reader and Flash software earlier this week released its annual report, which revealed the company is rapidly diverting profits offshore. Its stash of “permanently… – Continue reading

Ghana To Review Tax Expenditures

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has welcomed the Ghanaian Government’s fiscal consolidation efforts, including its various revenue-raising initiatives. The Government is seeking to implement an adjustment of two percent of gross domestic product (GDP). This would bring the country’s deficit to about 5.3 percent of GDP in 2016. Over the… – Continue reading

Brazil: study abroad exempt from new overseas payment tax

Study abroad programmes will be exempt from a new 25% tax on overseas payments that was announced last week, the Department of Federal Revenue has announced, prompting a sigh of relief among stakeholders that send and receive Brazilian students abroad. The new levy prompted widespread concern in the study abroad… – Continue reading

Federal govt authorised to levy sales tax on entire supply chain, manufacturing’

KARACHI: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has issued a detailed clarification, which clearly defines that the federal government is authorised to levy sales tax on supply and manufacturing of goods, whereas the power to levy sales tax on services have been vested with provinces. The clarification was made in… – Continue reading

Uncompetitive tax?

Generally, if a South African taxpayer sells shares in a foreign company, he will be hit with South African capital gains tax (CGT) on any gain realised on that sale. However, South Africa provides exemptions from this CGT in certain circumstances, one of which relates to the sale of foreign… – Continue reading

5 Tax Deductions Homeowners Won’t Want to Miss

One of the biggest financial benefits of owning a home is qualifying for the tax breaks that homeowners are eligible to receive. Many of the tax deductions for home-related expenses are well-known, but others often slip under the radar. Below, we’ll run through the list of deductions for homeowners that… – Continue reading

The towns taking on the taxman for a fairer tax deal

A group of businesses in the Welsh town of Crickhowell have gone offshore as part of a campaign to try and get HMRC to change tax laws. The Welsh town of Crickhowell is spearheading a unique campaign to get HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to change the laws so companies… – Continue reading

Attorney sentenced to two years in prison for tax evasion

A Sacramento federal judge on Thursday sentenced a former West Sacramento attorney to two years in prison for a “sophisticated” tax-evasion scheme. According to prosecutors, James Stewart Richards, 69, owed federal income taxes between 1994 and 2003 totaling $170,000. Not only did he not pay taxes, but he went to… – Continue reading

The Cayman Islands: The world’s most infamous TAX HAVEN, no bigger than Bognor Regis

It’s a whopping four and a half thousand miles away from the UK but the Cayman Islands is a slice of British-overseas paradise. Watched over by a Governor appointed from Whitehall, the Caymans are technically British. But there’s a huge difference between that island and the UK: no-one seems to… – Continue reading

Tax-dodging by the superrich is driving global inequality, Oxfam says

Tax dodging by the super-rich is one of the main drivers of global income inequality and must be sharply curtailed, according to a new report from the global nonprofit Oxfam. Citing research by Berkeley economist Gabriel Zucman — a protégé of Thomas Piketty, author of the global bestseller on inequality,… – Continue reading

European Commission plans threaten change to Irish tax system

Ireland’s insistence that it is not a tax haven and that in fact other EU countries have tax regimes that facilitate tax dodging by multinationals will be borne out by a study to be released next week. But while this will be good news to Finance Minister Michael Noonan a… – Continue reading

Infrastructure could suffer ‘collateral damage’ from international tax changes, experts say

FOCUS: Major infrastructure projects and other purely commercial transactions could suffer collateral damage from proposals to reform the international tax system and prevent avoidance by multinationals. Rising tax costs could put additional strain on the viability of key projects. Infrastructure projects are capital intensive and often have a high level… – Continue reading

The hidden wealth of nations

India’s biggest source of FDI is India itself, money departing on a short holiday to a tax haven and then routed back as FDI. Will the government muster up the political will to clamp down on the tax-allergic business elite? This could be a bumper year for the ever-lucrative tax… – Continue reading

Minister Brantley Highlights Implications of FATCA on the Federation

Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 21, 2016 (SKNIS): The Honourable Mark Brantley, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Aviation, said that the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) is demonstrative of the Federal Government’s seriousness in playing its role in an ever-changing global environment. He made these comments during an appearance on… – Continue reading

Multinationals may have to provide global income, tax details to taxman

Budget to implement some of OECD’s standards on profit-shifting NEW DELHI, JANUARY 21:Large multinational enterprises (MNEs) may be required post-Budget to furnish to Indian tax authorities information on their global incomes and taxes. This move — a fallout of India agreeing to OECD’s Action Plan on Base Erosion and Profit… – Continue reading

The Netherlands implements OECD BEPS Country-by-Country Reporting as well as the amendments to the EU Parent-Subsidiary Directive

As from 1 January 2016, new rules have become effective in the Netherlands that require multinational enterprises (“MNEs“) to comply with new transfer pricing documentation requirements, including the obligation to prepare a Country-by-Country Report (“CbC Report“), a Master File and a Local File. These rules essentially implement Action 13 of… – Continue reading

Don’t believe the ‘loopholes’ hype

Recent media coverage has prompted impassioned calls for Congress to close the “loopholes” that supposedly explain why the 400 richest taxpayers paid an average federal individual income tax rate of 16.7 percent in 2012. Unfortunately, these calls are based on outdated numbers and an incomplete picture of the tax system…. – Continue reading

Asia-Pacific financial institutions unprepared for FATCA and GATCA compliance

Best positioned firms will upgrade technology infrastructure Financial institutions across Asia-Pacific are behind the curve when it comes to being prepared for evolving global tax reporting regulations. That’s according to a recent survey by Wolters Kluwer Financial Services and the GRC Institute, which indicates that more than 90% of financial… – Continue reading

Multinationals may have to provide global income, tax details to taxman

Budget to implement some of OECD’s standards on profit-shifting NEW DELHI, JANUARY 21: Large multinational enterprises (MNEs) may be required post-Budget to furnish to Indian tax authorities information on their global incomes and taxes. This move — a fallout of India agreeing to OECD’s Action Plan on Base Erosion and… – Continue reading

Intl bodies to fight global tax evasion / Maximum of $240 bil. said to be dodged

The Yomiuri Shimbun Four international organizations will join forces to devise unified global tax rules aimed at preventing tax evasion by multinational companies. The four entities involved are the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The OECD — whose… – Continue reading

Tanzania: Managing Tax Risks – Double Tax Treaties and Implications to Undertakings of Multinationals

The term double taxation refers to an exposure to tax more than once on the same profit or income. There are two types of double taxation i.e. economic double taxation and juridical double taxation. Economic double taxation is broad and occurs in a situation where an amount of income is… – Continue reading

Estonia cuts impact of tax evasion through incorporation by EUR 210,000 in 3 months

Largely as a result of interaction between the Estonian Tax and Customs Board and entrepreneurs on the subject of incorporation, 157 more people have started to pay payroll taxes and have paid altogether 210,000 euros in such taxes in three months, the tax authority said, cites LETA/BNS. “In connection with… – Continue reading

Birmingham Post Rich List 2016: More taxing times for non-domiciled individuals

The taxation of ‘non-UK domiciled’ individuals has been a thorny political issue as successive governments have sought to crack down on those enjoying what some have seen as an excessively benign tax regime The taxation of ‘non-UK domiciled’ individuals has been a thorny political issue as successive governments have sought… – Continue reading

Margarita Vestager underlines corporate tax stance

Having companies pay their tax where they make their profits is the best way to resolve unfair tax competition between member states, Competition Commissioner Margarita Vestager said yesterday. She was responding to a European Parliament reporting calling for countries to forfeit tax that the Commission say companies should pay when… – Continue reading

Latest statistics show wealthy already pay more than taxes than other groups

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Recent media coverage has prompted impassioned calls for Congress to close the “loopholes” that supposedly explain why the 400 richest taxpayers paid an average federal individual income tax rate of 16.7 percent in 2012. A few weeks ago, the IRS released new data showing that the average federal individual… – Continue reading

Implementation of POEM rules may hit investments

The implementation of place of effective management (POEM) rules in the current scenario in India could not only hurt the nation’s outbound investments, but also discourage overseas multinational companies from setting up their regional hubs here, feel industry watchers. The draft guidelines for implementing POEM, which was released on December… – Continue reading

Changes are afoot for rules over inheritance tax from April 2017

FROM April 2017, there will be a new main residence transferable inheritance tax threshold which will apply when a main home is passed on to a direct descendant. A direct descendent broadly means a child or grandchild and includes adopted children, foster children and stepchildren. The inheritance tax threshold, officially… – Continue reading

Russian Agreement Advances Hong Kong’s DTA Priorities

Hong Kong’s newly signed double tax deal with Russia is said to support the territory’s ongoing efforts to expand its tax treaty network with jurisdictions along “the Belt and Road.” The Belt and Road, or the Silk Road Economic Belt, is a Chinese Government economic development project, which is primarily… – Continue reading

Budget 2016 may introduce BEPS to make tax evasion difficult for MNCs

MUMBAI: In what could lead to an increase in domestic tax liabilities of many Indian conglomerates and multinationals, the government is set to introduce a framework for Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS), a global agreement to check tax avoidance by multinationals, in the upcoming Budget. Industry sources expect the… – Continue reading

Lionel Messi’s tax fraud trial conflicts with Copa America

MADRID (AP) – Lionel Messi’s tax fraud trial has been set for May 31-June 3, conflicting with the start of the centennial Copa America in the United States. The Copa America Centenario will kick off June 3, meaning the five-time world player of the year will not have the best… – Continue reading

IRS: Banks Get More Time to Certify Accounts Under FATCA

Jan. 19 — Foreign financial institutions will have more time to certify whether their pre-existing accounts are owned by U.S. taxpayers under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, the IRS said in Notice 2016-8. The Jan. 19 notice answers many significant questions raised by taxpayers on compliance with the law…. – Continue reading