Nerijus Numavičius, large owner of Maxima Group and one of the richest businessmen in the Baltics, is being accused of tax evasion by his business partner, writes Äripäev. According to small shareholder Mindaugas Marcinkevičius, various tax schemes employed by Maxima amount to over 200 million euros in tax evasion, of… – Continue reading
A thorough investigation into retail giant Lotte Group is picking up a head of steam. Korea’s Fair Trade Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service have separately requested Lotte Group provide them with related information. They are looking into Lotte’s complicated governing structure and possible tax evasion, in light of the… – Continue reading
Prime Minister Narendra Modi needs to offer much more than just his best intentions to clean up India’s whimsical tax regime to help convince insurers. Companies from Allianz SE to American International Group Inc. are avoiding offering tax-liability coverage in India’s cross-border mergers and acquisitions market because of a relatively… – Continue reading
The six individual defendants indicted in the Lukoil tax evasion and money laundering case remain under court supervision, as the Prahova Court rejected on Tuesday the defendants’ requests to have the court restriction lifted; the court ordered instead the confinement for 60 days running from August 4 to October 2…. – Continue reading
A new town hall committee is set to be established to cut council ties with any companies suspected of avoiding tax or promoting evasion methods. Under moves by the performance and policy scrutiny committee, a number of organisations could be investigated and stopped from winning council contracts. Cllr Andy Hull,… – Continue reading
SINGAPORE’S easiest days as a financial hub are over. The city remains a gateway to Asia, a great base for basing multinationals, settling lawsuits and parking money. But elsewhere, the city is being sidelined; the worry is that is a sign of things to come. In just 50 years, the… – Continue reading
A Romanian court has rejected an appeal by the general manager and six executives of a subsidiary of Russian oil company Lukoil who have been indicted on tax evasion and money laundering charges. The Court of Appeal in Ploiesti dismissed the appeal made by general manager Andrey Bogdanov, a Russian… – Continue reading
Microsoft Corp.’s stockpile of offshore profits rose to $108 billion, with a 17 percent increase over the past year as the company continues reaping profits in low-tax foreign jurisdictions. The company crossed the $100 billion mark, making it just the second U.S. corporation — after General Electric Co. — to… – Continue reading
Romanian prosecutors have completed its investigations into the alleged fraud committed at a local Lukoil refinery and on August 4 indicted the Russian-owned Petrotel refinery, its Russian director-general and five other officials. Prosecutors estimate the losses to the state at RON 7.6bn (€1.76bn), and have seized shares and bank accounts… – Continue reading
On July 30, 2015, the Justice Department’s Tax Division announced that three more Swiss banks — PKB Privatbank AG, Falcon Private Bank AG and Credito Privato Commerciale in liquidazione SA (CPC) – have cut deals with the U.S. to resolve allegations that those institutions assisted their U.S. customers in hiding… – Continue reading
The IRS published a list of Information Exchange agreements it has with state agencies, a copy of which is available here IRS State Information Exchange Table.pdf The disclosure of this list may help taxpayer’s and practitioner’s determine when and possibly whether to file late or amended state or municipal returns…. – Continue reading
What is the difference between 30 per cent of zero and 20 per cent of zero? Correct: precisely $5227.27 less than a Bronwyn-Bishop-taxpayer-funded helicopter trip from Melbourne to Geelong. A reduction in the corporate tax rate, as unrelentingly espoused by the business lobby in its pro-GST campaign, may be a… – Continue reading
Documents filed in the Federal Court on an unrelated matter have highlighted how little profit Jeep has made despite turning over almost $5 billion in six years. US car giant Jeep and its associated brands may not be paying enough tax in Australia, a document filed in the Federal Court… – Continue reading
Since July 1, eleven more Swiss banks have entered deferred prosecution agreements with the U.S. government. The subject is tax evasion involving American account holders. Today, banks everywhere want to know if you are compliant with the IRS. Under FATCA, the entire world is lending the IRS a hand. Meanwhile,… – Continue reading
Finland’s print media carries a mixed bag of headlines this Thursday, from former business bosses moving to tax-soft Portugal to studio apartment rents rising fast outside Helsinki. Neutral zone Åland is also under scrutiny, and the boat industry, at least, is doing well. Top tabloid Iltalehti splashes its front page… – Continue reading
For fans of creative tax dodging, the release of the Nike Corporation’s annual report is always an enlightening occasion. As we noted two years ago, the company quietly acknowledges having stashed billions of dollars in low-tax offshore destinations, and has inadvertently given some signals about how it might be achieving… – Continue reading
Anticipating a tough legislative fight, the European Parliament’s special committee investigating tax shelters plans to play its trump card: citizen outrage. The committee’s co-rapporteur Michael Theurer, a German MEP from the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, told POLITICO’s German podcast that he expected “objections, difficulties and political resistance”… – Continue reading
Tax savings drove the acquisition strategy of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. and led to Burger King’s move to Canada, according to a U.S. Senate committee report. Taxes appear to be much more important to the deals than the companies say, according to an advance copy of the report and testimony… – Continue reading
These proposals can be implemented individually or as part of other reforms that may be in the pipeline PKF wishes to contribute its part towards the next budget implementation and for this purpose it has researched new areas which in its opinion warrant attention by the government during the public… – Continue reading
Why stop at $221 billion? Drug companies are entering another round of dealmaking, after plowing past the global record. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.’s $40.5 billion agreement Monday to purchase Allergan Plc’s generic-medicines business puts the mechanism in place to trigger more takeovers. For starters, the remaining Allergan company — with… – Continue reading
None of the pharmaceutical companies that are accused of profit shifting have been taken to court, the Australian Taxation Office has said in written responses to the Senate inquiry into corporate tax avoidance. Earlier in July executives from the largest global pharmaceutical companies operating in Australia were hauled before the… – Continue reading
Thwarted in its attempt to acquire the generic and specialty pharmaceuticals company Mylan, the Israeli–based Teva will purchase Ireland-based Allergan Generics for $40.5 billion in an acquisition that executive and investors at both companies — if not consumers — are applauding. “Teva’s deal with Allergan will create a market behemoth… – Continue reading
Singapore’s fight to stem illicit fund inflows has shoved private bankers into a new quandary – finding enough qualified compliance specialists to ensure the money passing through their accounts is clean. Like other wealth management centres around the world, Singapore is forcing banks to make more stringent checks on their… – Continue reading
With different tax laws, exemptions, double taxation treaties and free trade zones for services exports affecting outsourcing operations across Latin America, gaining a solid understanding of the distinct tax obligations in each country is imperative. In a bid to attract investment, several Latin American countries have introduced double taxation treaties,… – Continue reading
However, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is warning people who haven’t renewed that their payments might stop if they don’t do so before the 31 July deadline. During the whole renewals period last year, 409,000 people renewed their tax credits and reported changes online. This failure costs the taxman billions… – Continue reading
WASHINGTON — Two more Swiss banks will pay penalties to the United States as part of settlements that mean they will not face criminal charges for helping Americans avoid taxes, US authorities said on Thursday. SB Saanen Bank AG will pay nearly $1.4m and Privatbank Bellerive AG will pay $57,000,… – Continue reading
The digital economy is an increasing concern for taxpayers, especially in light of impending BEPS guidance, but how it will impact different industries will vary. The fundamental principle behind the digital economy, in terms of transfer pricing, is its reliance on intangible assets and the difficulties when deciding which jurisdiction… – Continue reading
July 22: Tax legislative changes in Austria were passed by the parliament, and the effective date for most changes is 1 January 2016. Among the provisions are the following items. Withholding tax on dividend distributions, capital gains The withholding tax rate for dividends and capital gains will be increased to… – Continue reading
Pharmaceutical industry acquisition target Perrigo (PRGO) Wednesday said it’s buying German pharmacy company Naturwohl Pharma GMbH, the latest transaction in the sector’s surge of mergers and acquisitions. Perrigo, operated from Michigan but headquartered in Dublin following a corporate tax inversion, did not disclose terms of the deal for Naturwohl and… – Continue reading
SAO PAULO (AP) ” Three top officials of Brazil’s Camargo Correa construction company have become the first business executives to be convicted in the corruption-kickback scandal engulfing state-run oil company Petrobras. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office says Judge Sergio Moro on Monday sentenced the three on charges of money laundering, corruption… – Continue reading
The European Parliament’s special tax committee is seeking to punish multinationals for refusing to send representatives to a hearing in June by revoking lobbyist passes and preventing access to senior European Commission officials. AB InBev, AmazonEU, Barclays Group, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Google, HSBC Bank, Ikea, McDonalds and The Coca-Cola Company… – Continue reading
A sweeping global reform of tax systems is under way and will have profound implications for the insurance industry, the London-based International Underwriting Association has warned. Responding to public concerns about tax evasion, the G20 major economies have ordered a major shift towards greater cooperation between tax authorities. This work… – Continue reading
HE Voluntary Disclosure Programme introduced in 2012 to encourage taxpayers to regularise their affairs has some flaws that need addressing to be able to expose the real amount of money that has left SA illegally. Tax experts warn that the process in SA is relatively expensive, there are uncertainties because… – Continue reading
The IRS’ investigation into Microsoft books centers on how the company uses its overseas subsidiaries for tax purposes. The company says the IRS audit has gone on long enough and the federal agency improperly hired an outside law firm to help in the investigation. Microsoft and the federal government have… – Continue reading
Hollywood-resident James Robert Shipman Jr. is one of three men arrested in a $2.6 million money laundering sting, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced last week. Shipman and one of his co-conspirators, Kenneth Ardell Landgaard, were arrested after flying to an airport in New… – Continue reading
Treasurer Joe Hockey has reaffirmed his commitment to addressing bracket creep in the upcoming tax review, but has refused to include changes to politically sensitive areas like superannuation concessions, negative gearing and GST, pushing back the onus on the states for GST reform. When it comes to the GST, Mr… – Continue reading
Over the past few months, several foreign portfolio investors registered in India have received notices from the Indian tax authorities demanding payment of Minimum Alternate Tax in respect of transactions which took place over the course of prior assessment years. The Indian Government has indicated that it could raise several… – Continue reading
WASHINGTON • The CEO of Monsanto met Tuesday with one of the chief critics of the company’s potential merger with Syngenta, and Sen. Dick Durbin says he told Monsanto’s Hugh Grant that he would do all he could to change federal law to make it more difficult for companies to… – Continue reading
The Supreme Court has overturned a lower court’s ruling that the government’s comprehensive real estate taxation system is being run correctly, saying real estate owners have been double-taxed on some of their holdings. In a lawsuit filed by 25 Korean companies, including KT and the Korea Electric Power Corporation, against… – Continue reading
Banque Syz SA of Geneva is buying Royal Bank of Canada’s Swiss private bank as foreign financial firms retreat from Switzerland amid higher regulatory costs. The business, based in Geneva, had 10 billion Swiss francs ($10.5 billion) of client assets under management at the end of October, Royal Bank said… – Continue reading
Over the past few months, several foreign portfolio investors registered in India have received notices from the Indian tax authorities demanding payment of Minimum Alternate Tax in respect of transactions which took place over the course of prior assessment years. The Indian Government has indicated that it could raise several… – Continue reading
The Supreme Court ruled on Sunday that the country’s tax authority may have imposed double taxation on real estate holders, a decision that could make the National Tax Service (NTS) responsible for handing back massive refunds to domestic businesses. On Sunday, the Supreme Court sent back to the Seoul High… – Continue reading
HONG KONG, July 13 (IFR) – Chinese property developers are wary about relying too heavily on onshore funding, even after regaining access to the cheaper domestic bond market. Evergrande Real Estate and Longfor Properties last week became the latest Chinese developers to cut their interest costs through the issuance of… – Continue reading
Multinationals were probably waiting for result of British referendum on EU before deciding where to locate, says head of Irish investment authority Global corporations will think twice about investing in the UK while uncertainty reigns over Britain’s European Union membership, according to the head of the Irish state body that… – Continue reading
Kenneth Landgaard had what he thought was a foolproof plan for moving illicit cash out of the U.S. to safe havens in Belize and Panama, prosecutors said: pack it in Louis Vuitton duffel bags. The idea was meant to reassure the crew that the deal wasn’t a set-up, according to… – Continue reading
Ireland’s Horizon Pharma has launched a hostile takeover bid for Depomed of the US after being frustrated in its efforts to enter negotiations about combining the two companies. Horizon was a US company until September 2014 when it closed a $660m takeover of Irish company Vidara Therapeutics just days before… – Continue reading
Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today released a long-awaited tax reform plan that reads like a wish list for multinational corporations. The Senate Finance Committee working group’s report provides recommendations for restructuring the federal government’s international corporation tax rules. The plan is long on misguided ideas and… – Continue reading
Romanian prosecutors seized assets of Russian oil firm Lukoil worth up to 2 billion euros ($2.22 billion) in an investigation on suspicion of money laundering, a local court was quoted as saying on Wednesday by state agency Agerpres. In October of last year Romanian prosecutors, police and customs inspectors raided… – Continue reading
The FINANCIAL — Tax is firmly under the spotlight and in the global insurance industry, the ramifications for finance and tax teams will be felt in both a new set of business demands and an overhaul of how these functions interact and operate. However, a new report from PwC says… – Continue reading
PETALING JAYA: Public Bank Bhd yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Saitama Resona Bank Ltd and Kinki Osaka Bank Ltd to cross-sell each other’s banking products in Malaysia and Japan. Saitama Resona Bank and Kinki Osaka Bank are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Resona Holdings Inc, which also owns Resona… – Continue reading
