China’s central bank said on Monday it will start implementing a reserve requirement ratio (RRR) on offshore banks’ domestic deposits, in what appears to be its latest attempt to stem speculation in the yuan and manage money flowing in and out of the country. Confusion over China’s foreign exchange policy… – Continue reading
According to the World Bank’s ‘Doing Business 2016 Report’, Hong Kong continues to be one of the world’s easiest places to do business, and tops the ranks in Asia Pacific for starting one. To sustain its economic growth and competitiveness, the Hong Kong government underwent three key changes in 2015:… – Continue reading
What is the fate of taxpayers on double taxation provisions? The National Tax Policy (NTP) acknowledges this challenge when it states, “elimination of multiple taxation must be of major concern to government at all levels. This is because increased demand to grow internally generated revenue has led to the exercise… – Continue reading
Wherever you and your clients stand on the ethics of tax avoidance – and on offers of 70% commission – moral considerations are now being superseded by more practical concerns of the personal damage attempting to avoid tax can cause, writes Laura Miller… There are many reasons to avoid tax… – Continue reading
Russia and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China signed an agreement on avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion regarding profits taxes on Monday. The document was signed by Russia’s State Secretary, Deputy Finance Minister Yuriy Zubarev and the Secretary for Financial… – Continue reading
China’s central bank said on Monday it will start implementing a reserve requirement ratio (RRR) on offshore banks’ domestic deposits, in what appears to be its latest attempt to stem speculation in the yuan and manage money flowing in and out of the country. Confusion over China’s foreign exchange policy… – Continue reading
Barclays (BARC.L) has sold its offshore trust business to an independent investor group but will keep a 20 percent stake in the new company, renamed as ZEDRA, for at least three years. The sale marks another step in the British bank’s efforts to simplify its wealth and investment management activities…. – Continue reading
Main principles of Indirect Taxation In our fifth article in a series of articles on the tax challenges of the digital economy, we shall be providing you hereunder with a brief overview of the principles of indirect taxation, with a focus primarily on the VAT and the destination principle applicable… – Continue reading
The European Parliament has voted in favour of a “Fair Tax Payer” label across the EU to tackle tax avoidance. The proposal was passed on 16 December by 500 votes to 122, and drew cross-party support from members of the green, socialist, liberal, labour and conservative blocks. The plan came… – Continue reading
Plans to restrict the generous tax treatment of interest costs — a key aspect of Britain’s business-friendly taxation regime — are unnecessary and potentially damaging, companies have told the Treasury. Professional bodies and business groups are voicing fears about the restrictions that are set to be introduced as part of… – Continue reading
NEW DELHI: Indian businesses are anticipating a “more aggressive” stance by tax authorities as their tax arrangements come under greater scrutiny, says a survey. The findings are part of leading consultancy Deloitte India’s BEPS (Base Erosion and Profit Shifting) survey titled ‘Anticipating BEPS India impact’. Indian businesses are anticipating a… – Continue reading
The only thing worse than paying taxes is the idea that other people avoid paying their fair share of them. On the subject of tax avoidance by other people, I can think of at least three principal feelings. As the kids say, I feel all the feelings. Outright tax fraud… – Continue reading
The beneficiaries included Anheuser-Busch InBev NV, BP Plc, BASF SE, Proximus SA, Atlas Copco AB, Wabco Holdings, and Celio France SAS. proximus SE This estimate does not include any benefits associated with a successful appeal of the decision, nor does it reflect guidance we expect to receive from the Belgian… – Continue reading
LAHORE: Nearly 40% of Pakistan’s companies that provided IT services have moved their business to the United Arab Emirates, largely due to the 8% additional tax on revenues levied by the government in 2015-16, said Sajjad Syed, chief executive officer of Excellence Delivered (ExD) Private Limited . ExD outsources non-core… – Continue reading
PM Narendra Modi also announces a Rs.10,000 crore fund to provide support to innovation driven enterprises New Delhi:In an effort to give a fillip to the start-up ecosystem in the country, the government on Saturday announced its intention to exempt capital gains tax on investments in start-ups and a Rs.10,000… – Continue reading
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), the world’s company by market capitalization, may face more than $8 billion tax bill in connection with the investigation of the European Commission regarding its tax policies, according to Bloomberg. Matt Larson, a litigation analyst Bloomberg Intelligence analyzed the European Commission’s investigation against Apple, which was accused… – Continue reading
Offshore Financial Centres (OFCs) are jurisdictions, usually self-governing, which because of their low tax regimes, have specialized in providing commercial services to corporations and individuals, whether or not they are normally resident in that jurisdiction. The better-known offshore financial centres are small and sparsely populated countries or islands, and are… – Continue reading
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia has maintained third in the global ranking for ease of tax payment, according to the latest release of the Paying Taxes report by the World Bank and PwC. With the least demanding tax framework, well below the world average, the Kingdom has a total tax rate of… – Continue reading
One of our favorite discussion topics is the VAT — more specifically, whether the United States will ever adopt a federal consumption tax. In that regard, much can be learned from looking at the experiences of other countries. What’s happening in India – the world’s largest democracy — is noteworthy… – Continue reading
BRASILIA, Jan 14 (Reuters) – Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on Thursday signed a bill that gives amnesty to holders of undeclared offshore assets in exchange for a fine, part of efforts to cut a swelling budget gap and revive investment in the recession-hit economy. The law offers amnesty from prosecution… – Continue reading
While there is an urgent need to restructure the current income tax slabs, especially hiking the Rs 10 lakh limit for the highest rate of 30%, presumptive taxation for the unorganized businesses also needs to be looked at by FM Arun Jaitley. As Finance Minister Arun Jaitley gears up to… – Continue reading
CROWN POINT — Lake County officials are debating whether they have accidentally double taxed Cedar Lake and Schererville residents. Lake County Commissioner Gerry Scheub, D-Crown Point, argues this week a mistake by the County Council in funding the county’s E-911 public safety dispatching service has resulted in Cedar Lake residents… – Continue reading
Things just keep getting worse for Gene the Taxi King. A federal judge ruled Tuesday that New York taxi mogul Evgeny “Gene” Freidman illegally transferred more than $60 million in real estate assets into offshore trusts as a means of evading ex-lender Citibank. The ruling, which cited “numerous and glaring”… – Continue reading
Following a number of questions and concerns raised with the Governor’s Office in recent days, I thought it would be helpful to clarify the situation with respect to seven pieces of legislation passed by the House of Assembly during December 2015. Four of these Acts, which give the Government of… – Continue reading
ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Bloomberg BNA today announced the publication of the Daily Tax Report’s 2016 Outlook on tax and accounting policy. Dozens of policy experts, along with current and former members of Congress, congressional staffers and federal agency officials provided insights on the year ahead regarding… – Continue reading
Professional landlords are using Airbnb and other home-sharing websites to avoid taxes and evade planning laws, according to Ufi Ibrahim, chief executive of the British Hospitality Association (BHA) Ibrahim provided evidence to the Business Innovation and Skills committee this week, where he argued that home-sharing websites like Airbnb are made… – Continue reading
In cooperation with the Tax Administration, government of Kosovo has continued its action for the formalization of businesses and fight against tax evasion. The citizens will continue to earn money by collecting tax receipts even in 2016. For purchases from 250 to 500 euros, they are refunded 10 euros from… – Continue reading
McDonald’s faces another European regulatory headache after it was the subject of a competition complaint in Brussels. Three Italian consumer groups backed by a coalition of trade unions from across the continent, including the UK’s Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union, allege that the fast-food giant abuses its dominant market… – Continue reading
Last year Jersey cemented its position as a leading centre for companies looking to list – as reflected in the rise in volume and value of Jersey companies listed on exchanges around the world. Here are some challenges that lie ahead in this jurisdiction over the next 12 months. In… – Continue reading
‘We’re not a tax haven, we have never been involved in any kind of tax malpractice’ – Michael Noonan, Irish Minister for Finance 5th October 2015 ‘Nobody is using Ireland as a tax haven’ – Minister for Agriculture, Simon Conveney, The UN’s Philip Aston says, ‘When lists of tax havens… – Continue reading
NEW DELHI:The Narendra Modi government, which has pledged a predictable and non-adversarial tax regime, is likely to begin a sweeping revamp of direct taxes in the Budget that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present next month. Simplification and rationalisation will be the two themes driving the overhaul, which is aimed… – Continue reading
The Democratic presidential candidate’s plan, which would increase tax rate to 4% for only 0.02% of Americans, was criticized by Sanders’s campaign Hillary Clinton would add a 4% tax “surcharge” on Americans who earn more than $5m a year and close “egregious” tax loopholes if she became president, expanding on… – Continue reading
On 10 December 2015 the remaining changes to the income tax and the capital gains tax laws aiming to improve the tax system of Cyprus and make it more attractive to both the local and international business community were voted. The changes came into effect with their publication in the… – Continue reading
A lawyer for the Internal Revenue Service on Monday disclosed a series of emails and legal memos from 2004 apparently showing that Dallas entrepreneur Sam Wyly was interested in knowing the legal and financial ramifications if he renounced his U.S. citizenship. The IRS also introduced testimony from previous court proceedings… – Continue reading
The investigation and prosecution of tax evasion has, in the last decade, grown from a specialized subcategory of law enforcement into a first-tier policy concern for the global community. Starting with the U.S. government’s crackdown on Swiss bank UBS in 2008, there has been a steady drumbeat of news about… – Continue reading
In its continuing effort to keep the BVI Business Companies Act (the “Act”) at the forefront of offshore company law legislation, the BVI Government, in direct consultation with the private sector, has introduced several updates to the Act as follows: To allow weighted voting by directors whereby certain directors may… – Continue reading
Billionaire JP McManus is refusing to back down in a row with the US government over a tax bill of $5.2m (€4.8m). The racehorse owner has renewed efforts to secure a tax refund for the sum, court papers seen by the Irish Independent reveal. The disputed cash was part of… – Continue reading
(Reuters) – Texas tycoon Sam Wyly is set to face off against the Internal Revenue Service at trial on Wednesday over more than $2 billion the agency says he owes for using offshore trusts to engage in one of the largest tax frauds in U.S. history. The trial in federal… – Continue reading
SEATTLE — When someone in Seattle buys a copy of Office at a Microsoft Store, that cash doesn’t take the short route to the company’s area headquarters. Instead, after accounting for state taxes, the profit goes to a Microsoft sales subsidiary in Nevada. From there, much of that money begins… – Continue reading
Most people with undisclosed Swiss bank accounts have, by definition, something to hide. Secrets, however, sometimes don’t remain secret, especially when they involve someone else’s money. While disclosing the names and financial details of Swiss bank account holders has recently come into vogue, a whistleblower may have just as murky… – Continue reading
RIGA – The Latvian Financial and Capital Markets Commission (FCMC) on Dec. 11 imposed a record 2-million-euro fine on Ukrainian-owned A/S Privatbank and ordered the dismissal of its CEO and managing board for violations of money laundering and other banking regulatory laws in connection with the alleged plundering and collapse… – Continue reading
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn has a strong opinion on almost every subject, especially politics. He’s also quite happy to share that opinion with anyone who will listen to or read what he has to say. Icahn’s comments this week on how to stop future tax-motivated corporate inversions such as the… – Continue reading
Leeds United chairman Massimo Cellino has been cleared of charges of tax evasion relating to the transfer of two players during his time as owner of Italian club Cagliari. Cellino was acquitted by a court in Sardinia today after his lawyers successfully argued that a government ruling introduced last year… – Continue reading
Mark Zuckerberg has defended the structure of his new philanthropic organisation after critics suggested he was avoiding paying tax on the sale of his shares. Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan launched the organisation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, this week to honour the birth of their daughter, Max. The couple… – Continue reading
Wealthiest 20 Americans, with combined net worth of $732billion, are as wealthy as half of the U.S. population, new study says Study found country’s richest 20 people now own more wealth than bottom half of population which is about 152 million people Wealthiest 20 people includes eight founders of corporations,… – Continue reading
Police last week raided the Nicosia offices of the law firm representing the Hermitage Fund, embroiled in the largest fraudulent tax rebate case in Russian history, the Cyprus Mail has learned. On Friday, two senior Russian interior ministry officials along with local police officers searched the Nicosia offices of a… – Continue reading
The number of M&A transactions involving Private Equity [PE] investment in Bermuda in the first three quarters of this year has already eclipsed that seen in all of 2014, according to a report released today [Nov 30] by Appleby. “Bermuda was also the offshore jurisdiction to see the largest total… – Continue reading
WELCOME to Switzerland. A mountainous country where nothing comes cheap but many of the world’s filthy rich come to grow their fortunes. The ongoing relationship between the wealthy and Switzerland looks set to only strengthen as the super rich get richer, according to a report released on Friday. That’s despite… – Continue reading
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
Private companies that were given a historical exemption from filing annual financial reports are run by a who’s who of corporate Australia, including Malcolm Turnbull Private companies associated with Australia’s business elite, including prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, are on a list of entities not required to publish tax information under… – Continue reading
