An arrest over allegations of price fixing has increased calls for tighter regulation of the booming sector On a late February morning, Yves Bouvier arrived at the Monaco home of one of his best clients. He expected Dmitry Rybolovlev, the Russian billionaire owner of AS Monaco football club, to pay… – Continue reading
According to recent estimates, the number of wealthy Russians investing in the United States ballooned in 2014 as a result of political turmoil and a disintegrating ruble causing Russians to seek a safe haven for their wealth abroad. The amount of private net capital flowing out of Russia hit $120… – Continue reading
As has been widely reported, the Finance Ministry has proposed a new property tax on land and building owners. However, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has decided to delay the new tax, citing concerns about weak economic growth and the bill’s impact on the poor. Despite the prime minister’s latest decision,… – Continue reading
SUNNY ISLES BEACH, Florida — The wow factor for Miami’s skyscraper condos no longer comes from a dazzling Atlantic Ocean view. It takes something more audacious to sell beachfront property these days to the global ultra-wealthy who arrive in Miami with millions to spend on second or third homes. It… – Continue reading
A senator wants to change the law so the Canada Revenue Agency is required to annually report how much money is lost to tax evasion, after a two-year battle with “stonewalling” bureaucrats to get that information. Senate Liberal Percy Downe is tabling a private bill aimed at getting a handle… – Continue reading
We asked Vincenzo Villamena, a New York-based international tax adviser and certified public accountant with Online Taxman, and his British-expat client Ed Zitron of San Francisco, to share personal finance tips for expats, particularly those hailing from the U.K. Here are their top tips: 1. Mind your pensions & QROPS!… – Continue reading
(Bloomberg) — Kaisa Group Holdings Ltd., the Chinese developer in talks to restructure its debt after being tied to a graft probe, postponed its results announcement for 2014 because auditors need more time to verify its accounts. There may be a “significant adjustment” to its unaudited accounts, Shenzhen-based Kaisa said… – Continue reading
U.S. multinationals represent the healthiest segment of the economy, with higher profits and more than $1 trillion of cash on hand. This has kept corporate tax reform alive as a political issue. ON Semiconductor had a solid 2014, boosting net income by 36 percent to $196 million on revenue of… – Continue reading
A Secret Service agent and a DEA agent with lead roles in the investigation to take down the Internet drug bazaar Silk Road allegedly stole proceeds from the underground site and hid their booty in offshore accounts. Former DEA agent Carl Force, 46, of Baltimore, the task force agent charged… – Continue reading
More JSE-listed counters announce offshore opportunities. It is becoming increasingly difficult for JSE-listed property companies to find value and attractive deals in the local market, which has seen the offshore diversification spree continue. Industry players believe that the sector has turned over the last few years, with more property counters… – Continue reading
NAIROBI: Insurance brokers have contested the introduction of 10 per cent levy on their brokerage commission. Eighteen insurance brokerage firms have moved to court under a certificate of urgency, suing Commissioner of Domestic Taxes and the Attorney General. The firms complain that introduction of 10 per cent levy on their… – Continue reading
Except for a few family members and a dwindling number of those who consider him a dissident, most people who have followed the Mukhtar Ablyazov story have nothing good to say about him. They see him as an embezzler, swindler and con man par excellence – a guy whose theft… – Continue reading
In recent years, the miscellaneous tax bill has largely been a laundry list of technical corrections to Vermont’s tax code. Changes in sales and income tax rates haven’t been approved since 2006 and 2009, respectively, and upticks in the property tax rate have been made in the past two years… – Continue reading
Living in Central Massachusetts, had I the vision of Sarah Palin, who can see Russia from her home in Alaska, I could look north and see New Hampshire on the right and Vermont on the left. It is perhaps an apt metaphor. New Hampshire with its “Live Free Or Die”… – Continue reading
Where applicable, foreign landlords with property in Turkey are required to file tax returns to Turkish financial authorities by March 25 The tax treatment of income elements earned by foreigners from any source of income usually tops the international tax agenda and is extensively debated worldwide by experts, academics and… – Continue reading
Owning real property on both sides of the border can create a confusing tax situation. Consider this example. Stefan and Jane are married and live in Vancouver. Jane is a Canadian citizen while Stefan holds both U.S. and Canadian citizenship. In 1994, shortly after getting married, they bought a house… – Continue reading
The Haryana Lokayukta, Justice Pritam Pal (retd), on Wednesday recommended, to the state government, that a criminal case should be lodged against the government officials, property developers, builders and others who are allegedly responsible for the Rs 10,000 crore tax evasion scam in the state. A Special Investigation Team (SIT),… – Continue reading
(Bloomberg) — A steering committee representing Kaisa Group Holdings Ltd.’s offshore bondholders won’t agree to the company’s proposed debt restructuring by Friday’s early bird deadline. “We are working with the company to agree an acceptable and realistic timeline and process so that we can obtain for you a sensible revised… – Continue reading
Transactional work varies from jurisdiction-to-jurisdiction with the ebb and flow of various economic cycles, but a prevailing theme across the EMEA region has been that more and more advisory firms are urging taxpayers to prepare for the impact of the OECD’s base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) action plan. Joe… – Continue reading
Structures for investments from overseas investors in French real estate that involve Luxembourg vehicles may need to be restructured if an expected change to the double tax treaty between France and Luxembourg takes effect, an expert has said.09 Mar 2015 Property tax Property Tax Structured real estate Specialist property investment… – Continue reading
Introduction In the autumn statement the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the introduction of a new Diverted Profits Tax (DPT). Against the context of international co-operation in the OECD led consultation on ways to ensure profits are taxed where they are generated (the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting project (BEPS),… – Continue reading
Eleven S&P 500 companies reported profits for calendar 2014 but will be paying no corporate income taxes. Nearly a dozen profitable U.S. companies are paying no corporate income taxes for 2014. A USA Today article on Wednesday said that 11 companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 had an effective… – Continue reading
New figures have revealed more than 3,000 properties in Camden and Barnet are registered in secret offshore havens – among the highest numbers in the capital. A leading anti-corruption charity released the data yesterday as it called on the government to implement tough new regulations to increase transparency over property… – Continue reading
Boris Johnson today called for a massive tax rise to stop foreign crooks using the London housing market to launder dirty money. The mayor claimed ‘international despots and criminal rings’ were using phoney companies to buy homes in the capital. More than 35,000 London properties are owned by secretive offshore… – Continue reading
Billions of pounds of corruptly gained money has been laundered by criminals and foreign officials buying upmarket London properties through anonymous offshore front companies – making the city arguably the world capital of money laundering. Some 36,342 properties in London have been bought through hidden companies in offshore havens and… – Continue reading
Anti-corruption groups and Met detectives say £180m worth of real estate is under investigation as being used in money laundering and stolen capital Hundreds of millions of pounds’ worth of UK properties held in secretive offshore companies have been used to launder the proceeds of international corruption, Scotland Yard investigators… – Continue reading
The UAE and Luxembourg are modern, dynamic economies that have emerged as major financial centres and hubs for international banking, reports the Khaleej Times. Dubai — Luxembourg, which is home to assets under management to the tune of more than €3000 billion, seeks to boost collaboration with the UAE in… – Continue reading
NUMBER OF THE WEEK: $42,268. The projected average taxable income of all tax returns in 2015, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation’s Feb. 27 report on “Fairness and Tax Policy.” The report also projects that the top ten percent (in terms of income) of all taxpayers in 2015 will… – Continue reading
If you thought the Republican-controlled Congress went crazy when President Barack Obama used his authority as commander in chief to make changes to immigration enforcement, consider what might happen if such action involved taxes. The mere hint of executive tax actions already has riled up conservatives. Sen. Bernie Sanders would… – Continue reading
Criminals, tax evaders, human traffickers and drug dealers have laundered billions of pounds worth of dirty money purchasing British properties through anonymous offshore companies, Scotland Yard investigators suspect. The Metropolitan Police say more than £180 million (US$276 million) worth of British property has been subject to criminal investigation since 2004… – Continue reading
Controlled foreign company rules Federal Law No. 376-FZ of November 24, 2014 This law, which entered into force on January 1, 2015, introduces a fundamentally new institution into Russian tax legislation: rules on controlled foreign corporations (CFCs) (primarily the new chapter 3.4 and new article 309.1 of the Russian Federation… – Continue reading
It’s early March and that means tax time for tens of millions Americans. As we become an increasingly mobile society, millions of U.S. taxpayers are wondering what forms are needed to report offshore income, assets and bank accounts. While no substitute for a good tax lawyer, CPA or enrolled agent,… – Continue reading
As part of the Autumn Statement it was announced that “The government will increase the annual charges of the ATED by 50% above inflation for residential properties worth more than £2 million for the chargeable period 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016.” The Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings (ATED)… – Continue reading
KPMG in India through its survey, has tried to understand the expectations of India Inc. on various parameters such as policy reforms, clarity on indirect transfer tax provisions, applicability of MAT on foreign companies, amendment in the tax regime for REITs/ InvITs, deductions allowed to individuals, etc. Over 200 senior… – Continue reading
The British Virgin Islands is the most popular offshore jurisdiction, with favourable business regulations, a prosperous economy and a stable political situation. British Virgin Islands IBC, is a limited liability company which conducts its trading and business outside the British Virgin Islands and is intended for offshore activities. It takes… – Continue reading
As for the central message that an NRI/PIO want to hear from Modi’s most important budget of his term can be best summed by what he said during an event in central park New York “May the force be with you “Veni Vidi Vici!” he came, he saw and he… – Continue reading
Not long after the U.S. Department of Justice’s Tax Division (“DOJ”) made international headlines in 2009 for its bombshell announcement that it had entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the United Bank of Switzerland (UBS), lawmakers in Washington, D.C. began reviewing the testimony of hundreds of UBS’s U.S. clients… – Continue reading
Investors seeking global diversification for their property portfolios are increasingly seeing New Zealand as an attractive investment option. Although our commercial and industrial property market is too small to attract the interest of giant global real estate investment trusts (REITs), our manageable size is regarded as an advantage by other… – Continue reading
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday reiterated its allegations of money laundering against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, saying he has transferred $4 million to his son in Dubai to avoid taxes. “The biggest investor in this case is our very own Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. He has on record… – Continue reading
On February 3, 2015, the PRC State Administration of Taxation (“SAT”) released the Announcement of SAT Concerning Several Matters Relating to Corporate Income Tax on Indirect Transfer of Properties by Non-tax Resident Enterprises, Announcement [2015] No. 7 (国家税务总局关于非居民企业间接转让财产企业所得税若干问题的公告, 国家税务总局公告2015年第7号; “Announcement 7”). Below is a brief summary and discussion of the… – Continue reading
NUMBER OF THE WEEK: 3,415. The number of people who renounced their citizenship in 2014 according to IRS data. This is one of the five highest totals on record since the U.S. Congress passed the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act in 2010. In the past five years, more than 10,000… – Continue reading
London Mayor Boris Johnson was born in New York City in 1964, and he has held dual British and American citizenship throughout his life. Recently, after months of grousing about having to pay a capital gains tax to the U.S. on the sale of his house in Greater London, Johnson… – Continue reading
(Bloomberg) — The backlash against acquisitions meant to skirt U.S. tax laws could spur more midsize U.S. drugmakers to sell to overseas buyers, Bill Ackman, the billionaire activist hedge fund manager, said Thursday. Takeover activity in 2014 was highlighted by U.S. companies — including Medtronic Inc. and Pfizer Inc. —… – Continue reading
On 9 February 2015, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services lowered its long- and short-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings on the Kingdom of Bahrain to ‘BBB-/A-3’ from ‘BBB/A-2’. At the same time, it lowered the long- and short-term foreign and local currency credit ratings on the Central Bank… – Continue reading
Bond trader Ben Eiler swapped life in suburban Georgia for an island in the Caribbean, and he didn’t even have to apply for a visa. The towering 38-year-old native of Arkansas is one of at least 250 people who’ve accepted Puerto Rico’s invitation to well-heeled U.S. citizens to move to… – Continue reading
As middle class flees, Puerto Rico tries luring rich people The towering 38-year-old native of Arkansas is one of at least 250 people who’ve accepted Puerto Rico’s invitation to well-heeled U.S. citizens to move to the island and enjoy life without taxes on capital gains, an enticing offer for those… – Continue reading
A recent report detailing how Africa lost $US1-trillion in the last 50 years through illicit financial flows of money has raised questions about it’s abilities to curb fraud evasion and other means of corporate profit hiding. It has also sparked interest in holding multinational corporates, which are mainly responsible for… – Continue reading
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released revised versions of its Tax Guide for Aliens, providing guidance for resident and nonresident aliens for use in preparing their 2014 tax returns, and of its Tax Guide for Individuals Receiving Income from the United States Possessions – American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the… – Continue reading
Many wealthy foreigners considering their options for investment, permanent residency or citizenship in the US are concerned about the US tax policy. Many have heard of the US income tax on worldwide income, but in reality, astute advisors can mitigate or eliminate the additional expense. US Freedom Capital, the premier… – Continue reading
From 6 April 2015 any individual, whether UK-resident or non-UK-resident, owning property in the UK and abroad, will need to ensure they comply with the new rules if they are to benefit from the relief when selling their PPR On 15 December 2014 the Government issued draft legislation to implement… – Continue reading
