Category: Multinational Enterprises (“MNEs”)
India: Transfer Pricing And COVID-19 — Repercussions, Re-Evaluation And Way Forward
Here is a discussion on multinational enterprises (MNEs) and their possible treatment of the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. ... - Continue reading
Transfer pricing in the times of COVID-19: do’s and don’ts for adjusting comparable company searches
Guidance on transfer pricing transactions during the unprecedented crisis. ... - Continue reading
FBR mulling over options to fetch additional Rs600bn
There's no denying that the whole world is having to prepare for a tough economic situation right now following the wave of the COVID-19. Here are some of Pakistan's forethoughts to remedy its economy. ... - Continue reading
Vietnam faces increasing tax evasion and avoidance
In the recent years, Vietnam has experienced one of the highest loss of revenue due to tax evasion and tax avoidance from multinationals. ... - Continue reading
COVID-19 and the future of Pillar one
2020 started with a focus on reformed tax laws concerning transfer pricing and the implementation of Pillar one from the OECD. This article delves further into the matter to bring more clarifications. ... - Continue reading
The final OECD transfer pricing guidelines for financial transactions: what has changed?
Amendments to transfer pricing laws have been disclosed on 11 February 2020. ... - Continue reading
China simplifies procedure for claiming tax treaty benefits
China’s State Taxation Administration on 14 October published “Administrative Measures for Non-resident Taxpayers Claiming Tax Treaty Benefits” [Announcement (2019) No. 35]. ... - Continue reading
G20 finance ministers reaffirm support to tax digital companies
G20 finance ministers support taking the 'Unified Tax Framework' a notch higher - Multinational enterprises like Google, Facebook and Amazon with huge customer base to retain share of profits in concerned countries. ... - Continue reading
Nigeria: Unprecedented Global Drive For Tax Transparency – The Nigerian Perspective
In the last few years, the international tax space has experienced an unprecedented drive to achieve increased transparency in the tax practices of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) and individuals in order to curb tax avoidance and evasion. ... - Continue reading
OECD proposal on taxing MNEs to benefit countries like India, say experts
The OECD Secretariat has published a public consultation paper to advance international negotiations ... - Continue reading
The 2020 Dutch budget and tax plan: key takeaways for multinational enterprises
The Dutch government on September 17 presented the 2020 Dutch budget and tax plan, proposing modifications to the taxation of multinational firms. ... - Continue reading
German finance minister endorses public country-by-country reporting of MNE tax information
German finance minister Olaf Scholz is in the midst of a campaign tour for the social democrats (SPD) presidency. ... - Continue reading
Canada, Switzerland ratify instrument to tackle tax avoidance
Canada and Switzerland on August 8 deposited with the OECD their instruments of ratification for the Multilateral Convention to implement tax treaty-related measures to prevent base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS MLI). The BEPS MLI, negotiated by over 100 countries and jurisdictions, updates the existing network of tax treaties and… – Continue reading
CIAT’s transfer pricing “Cocktail” provides solutions for transactional net margin method overuse
In recent years there has been a major public outcry for governments to take action to force multinational groups to pay a fair share of tax in the jurisdictions where their economic activities take place and to stop shifting profits to offshore tax havens. ... - Continue reading
French DST passed by Parliament clarifies location of users
The French Parliament definitively adopted, on July 11 the digital services (DST) after a vote of the Senate. ... - Continue reading
Transfer (mis)pricing
TRANSFER pricing — the pricing of commodities traded between or within multinational enterprises — is a legal practice and a key feature of cross-border and intra-firm transactions. The United Nations prefers to use the broader phrase ‘trade pricing’ in addressing this practice and defines it as a ‘normal incident of… – Continue reading
India: Government Of India Ratifies MLI – Bringing India On The Cusp Of A New International Tax Regime
The Government of India (Union Cabinet) has approved the ratification of the Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (MLI) and India's final position to the same. ... - Continue reading
India notifies pact with US to check tax evasion by MNCs
As per the agreement, it is intended to provide relevant and reliable information to perform an efficient and robust transfer pricing risk assessment analysis. Aimed at providing relief to subsidiaries of US multinationals and ensuring a check on cross-border tax evasion, India has notified the inter-governmental agreement with the United… – Continue reading
Transfer pricing not always tax evasion
The misconceptions about transfer pricing being a tax avoidance or violation in Vietnam are creating challenges for multinational enterprises, said Adam Sitkoff, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (Amcham). In his opening speech at a workshop held to gain clarity on the changing world of transfer pricing,… – Continue reading
British Virgin Islands: BVI AEOI Update And Introduction Of Country-By-Country Reporting
As part of the British Virgin Islands’ (“BVI”) ongoing commitment to international tax transparency pursuant to the Common Reporting Standard (“CRS”), the BVI Mutual Legal Assistance (Tax Matters) Act, 2003 has been amended by the BVI Mutual Legal Assistance (Tax Matters) (Amendment) Act, 2018 (the “Amendment Act”). The Amendment Act… – Continue reading
Nigeria Concludes Double Tax Treaties With Ghana, Cameroon
The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) concluded the negotiation of Double Taxation Agreements (the DTAs) with the Republic of Ghana and the Republic of Cameroon on 26 July 2018 and 3 August 2018, respectively. While this is a welcomed development, it is expected that efforts will now be directed towards… – Continue reading
Inland Revenue (Amendment) (No. 6) Ordinance 2018 gazetted
Hong Kong (HKSAR) – The Inland Revenue (Amendment) (No. 6) Ordinance 2018, which primarily implements the minimum standards of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) package promulgated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and codifies the transfer pricing principles into the Inland Revenue Ordinance (Cap. 112)… – Continue reading
More Information… More Intense Transfer Pricing Disputes?
The Central Board of Direct Taxes has recently issued guidance on the appropriate use of the ‘Country-by-Country Report’. The CbC filing was introduced as a result of the OECD/G20 Base Erosion and Profit Shifting project. India also introduced the requirement to file CbC reporting recently with the completion of the… – Continue reading
‘Blacklist Over – But We Must Be Wary Of More Eu Pressure’
SENATOR Dion Foulkes yesterday forecast the country would soon face more pressures from the European Union and should be ready to act quickly to avoid further reputational damage. On Friday, Finance Minister K Peter Turnquest announced the Bahamas had been removed from the European Union’s “blacklist” of non-cooperative jurisdictions for… – Continue reading
Cayman Guides On Compliance With CbC Reporting, FATCA, CRS
The Cayman Islands has released new guidance on the obligation on large multinational groups to file a country-by-country report in the territory and also an update on Common Reporting Standard and US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act reporting. CbC Reporting Guidance The March 29 guidance from the Cayman Islands’ Department… – Continue reading
Mauritius Finalizes CbC Reporting Regulations
Mauritius last month released the Income Tax (Country-by-Country Reporting) Regulations 2018, setting out the jurisdiction’s rules concerning the filing by multinational groups of transfer pricing documentation. The CbC report is one element of a new three-tiered standardized approach to transfer pricing documentation proposed under BEPS Action 13. Under the framework,… – Continue reading
Hong Kong Launches CbC Reporting Portal
Hong Kong’s Inland Revenue Department on March 5 launched its new Country-by-Country Reporting Portal. Groups can now register to file CbC reports for accounting periods beginning between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2017, using the online portal. The CbC report is one element of a new three-tiered standardized approach… – Continue reading
Bermuda Lists CbC Report Exchange Partners
The Bermuda Government on January 31, 2018, updated the lists of the countries with which it will exchange country-by-country reports filed in Bermuda in 2018 and in 2019. The Government has disclosed that it expects to exchange CbC reports with a total of 41 territories in 2018 relating to financial… – Continue reading
Cayman Islands Country-By-Country Reporting Regulations Issued
As part of the Cayman Islands’ ongoing commitment to international tax transparency, the Tax Information Authority (International Tax Compliance) (Country-By-Country Reporting) Regulations, 2017 (the “CBCR Regulations“) were issued on 15 December 2017. The CBCR Regulations essentially implement in the Cayman Islands the model legislation published pursuant to the OECD’s Base… – Continue reading
OECD Issues Further Guidance On CbC Reporting
The OECD has published additional guidance on the implementation of the country-by-country (CbC) reporting requirement proposed under Action 13 of its base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) project. The guidance, issued on November 30, addresses the following issues: how to report amounts taken from financial statements prepared using fair value… – Continue reading
Bermuda To Exchange MNE Tax Info With The UK
Bermuda and the UK recently signed an agreement providing for the automatic exchange of country-by-country reports. Bermuda is the first UK Overseas Territory to sign a CbC Competent Authority Agreement with the UK, which enables the automatic reporting of corporate income on a country-by-country basis for UK-related transfer pricing enforcement… – Continue reading
UK To Continue Pushing For Effective MNE Tax Rules
On November 22, the UK Government published for stakeholders’ comments a position paper setting out its views on the challenges posed by the digital economy for the corporate tax system and its preferred solutions. The paper, which was published alongside the 2017 Autumn Budget, states that “the Government believes in… – Continue reading
The Italian “temporary web tax”
The Italian government has introduced a “temporary web tax” which will be in force until the long-awaited OECD/EU strategy for the reshaping of traditional taxation systems based on the residence of companies (or on the location of permanent establishments) has been defined. Said reshaping is aimed at introducing taxation principles… – Continue reading
Public Country-by-Country Reporting; Taxpayers’ Rights
Appropriate Use of Country-by-Country Reports The OECD has now published Guidance (available here) on the appropriate use of Country-by-Country Reports (‘CbCRs’) by national tax authorities. This is in response to some valid MNE concerns that tax authorities may misuse CbCRs. “Appropriate use” is clarified as being for (i) high-level transfer… – Continue reading
Australia Making Inroads On Tackling MNE Tax Avoidance
Kelly O’Dwyer, Australia’s Minister for Revenue and Financial Services, has stressed that the Government has taken and will continue to take steps to tackle corporate tax avoidance by large businesses. Speaking to Sunrise’s David Koch on August 23, 2017, the Minister said: “We absolutely believe very strongly that you cannot… – Continue reading
Singapore signs two international agreements to facilitate sharing tax info across borders
SINGAPORE – Singapore has signed two international agreements which will make it easier for the country to automatically exchange tax information with other jurisdictions. The agreements are part of ongoing global efforts to combat tax evasion and money laundering as well as improve tax transparency. Called multilateral competent authority agreements… – Continue reading
Russia introduces draft law on country-by-country reporting requirements: implications for multinationals
A newly published federal draft law introduces Russia to a three-tiered approach to transfer pricing documentation and brings Russian regulations in this area in line with the OECD minimum standards under Action 13 of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Action Plan. The draft law, published by the Ministry… – Continue reading
OECD’s BEPS 13 implemented in Croatia
With a total of 15 action points, the OECD’s Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project aims at fighting the artificial shift of profits from jurisdictions with high taxes to tax havens, often as a part of an entirely legal strategy used by MNEs. The BEPS Action 13 (Transfer Pricing… – Continue reading
Global transfer pricing standards with local impacts
THE ORGANISATION for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) initiated the base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) project in 2013 to address perceived gaps in international tax rules causing a loss of revenues for governments of about US$100 billion to $240 billion (Bt3.5 trillion to Bt8.4 trillion) annually. The OECD’s BEPS… – Continue reading
Mauritius joins global efforts to curb profit shifting by MNEs
In a significant step, Mauritius will soon start automatically sharing of tax information with India and other countries as part of global efforts to curb multinational companies from profit shifting activities. The development also comes months after the island nation, long perceived to be a jurisdiction for alleged illegal fund… – Continue reading
GAO-17-103, International Taxation: Information on the Potential Impact on IRS and U.S. Multinationals of Revised International Guidance on Transfer Pricing, January 27, 2017
What GAO Found In 2015, the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) issued revised guidelines, including 15 actions to help reduce base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) of multinational enterprises (MNEs). One action focuses on transfer pricing guidance with the intent of aligning MNE profits with the location of… – Continue reading
Register of people with significant control will not affect Crown territories
The government has quashed calls to look at extending the requirement to publish a public register of people with significant control to companies incorporated in the Crown dependencies and overseas territories, as part of a bid to increase tax transparency, saying new rules on the automatic exchange of information are… – Continue reading
Switzerland: Federal Council Adopts Dispatch On Exchange Of Country-By-Country Reports
On 23 November 2016, the Swiss Federal Council adopted the dispatch on the Multilateral Agreement on the exchange of Country-by-Country Reports (CbCRs) and draft federal implementing legislation. The proposal is aimed at implementing the minimum standard of the G20 countries and the OECD to combat base erosion and profit shifting… – Continue reading
PH eyes tax treaties with Asean peers
The Philippines is eyeing to seal tax treaties with all nine other Asean member-states, according to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). The country already has effective double taxation agreements (DTAs) with Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, BIR Assistant Commissioner Marissa O. Cabreros noted in a presentation at last… – Continue reading