Category: Asia

Jokowi to Lower Income Tax Rate

“Maybe lower the income tax from 25 percent to 20 percent first, then 17 percent.” The government will once again provide the public with tax break following its tax amnesty program. It is currently reviewing a plan to lower income tax rates and the possibility of establishing a tax haven,… – Continue reading

A Talk on the Benefits of Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement between Cambodia and Singapore

In May 2016, the Cambodian and Singaporean government authorities signed a new agreement to avoid double taxation with respect to taxes on income and on capital. What are the objectives and benefits of a double taxation avoidance (DTA) agreement? The “big-picture” objectives of the DTA between Singapore and Cambodia are… – Continue reading

Equalisation Levy seeks to cast Indian tax net wider

Budget 2016 introduced a new tax called Equalisation Levy (“EL”), aimed at taxing online transactions. EL was originally mooted by the OECD in Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Project Final Report on Action 1 – Addressing the Tax Challenges of the Digital Economy (the “Report”). We will examine Equalisation… – Continue reading

Developing Nations Seek Tax Body to Curb Illicit Financial Flows

Despite Western opposition, the 134-member Group of 77 is continuing to pursue a longstanding proposal for an inter-governmental UN-affiliated tax body aimed at combating corporate tax dodging and curbing illicit financial flows, including money laundering and off-shore banking. The proposal has already been shot down twice by Western nations, first,… – Continue reading

U.S. tax hunt overseas causes global headaches

There is little that can be done about FATCA and the change has to come from within the U.S. Death and taxes, life’s two certainties according to Keynes, sometimes have a causal relationship. One dies and some taxes are often associated with that event. Alternatively, one encounters so much regulation… – Continue reading

Korean tax authority is probing into Paldo on suspicion of tax evasion

The National Tax Service (NTS) Seoul Regional Office has been probing into a Korean processed food maker Paldo Company Ltd. since June on possible overseas tax evasion. According to the NTS Sunday, it has deployed international transaction investigators to investigate whether the instant food maker manipulated its transfer price to… – Continue reading

Mauritius to revive negotiations for CECPA with India

Mauritius is looking to revive efforts to put in place a comprehensive economic cooperation pact with India, close on the heels of sorting out long-pending issues related to the bilateral tax treaty. The island nation, a major source of foreign direct investments coming into India, is also eyeing a preferential… – Continue reading

Hong Kong, Russia DTA Enters Into Force

The comprehensive double taxation agreement (CDTA) between Hong Kong and Russia, which was signed in January this year, entered into force on July 29, 2016, and will be in effect in Hong Kong for any year of assessment beginning on or after April 1, 2017. The CDTA is said to… – Continue reading

Warning against tax evasion: Indonesia to adopt aeoi next year

Indonesia will be among the first to join the group of countries adopting the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) in 2018. AEOI would provide automatic exchange of tax information among the members of the group. All bank accounts in the world would be accessible for taxable assets. Dishonest and greedy… – Continue reading

Ukraine, Malaysia sign agreement on avoidance of double taxation

An agreement on avoidance of double taxation, which was signed today between the governments of Ukraine and Malaysia, will allow enhancing business contacts and attracting investors. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said this at a joint news conference with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. “We think… – Continue reading

Changes to India-Mauritius-Singapore Tax Treaties – Mind the Gap?

As many are now aware, the double tax avoidance arrangement (DTAA) between India and Mauritius was amended through the protocol released last month. The direct impact summarized in one line is as follows: India shall now tax capital gains arising from alienation of shares by a Mauritius investor acquired on… – Continue reading

Undeclared incomes: Tax info-sharing agreements is a step in the right direction

Almost every country and every government now is fighting to detect undeclared Incomes and boost their tax collection. This could potentially help various countries show and collect large taxes from offshore accounts. The renewed thrust on automatic exchange of information (AEOI) between countries could achieve what seemed like a dream… – Continue reading

Nine measures taken by government to curb black money

The government is hell-bent on cracking down on black money and undisclosed income of Indians within the country and safely stowed away abroad. While there is no proper estimation of the actual amount of black money in the economy, the government is actively taking measures to stop it. Recent media… – Continue reading

Malaysia ‘won’t protect citizens’ from offshore offences

The Malaysian government won’t protect its citizens from legal action taken outside the country stemming from the scandal surrounding the state investment fund 1 Malaysia Development Berhad, a senior official said this week. Johari Abdul Ghani, who is second in command in the Finance Ministry under Prime Minister Najib Razak,… – Continue reading

Senate panel for abolishing double taxation in Fata

A parliamentary committee on Wednesday recommended to the government to abolish double taxation in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and additional taxes being collected on edible items upon entry into the tribal areas. The Senate Standing Committee on States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON), chaired by Senator Hilal-ur-Rehman, Wednesday took strong… – Continue reading

RI highlights fair, transparent tax practices at G20 forum

Indonesia is demanding healthy, fair and transparent taxation practices at the recent G20 meeting in Chengdu, China, as the country struggles to widen its stubbornly narrow tax base. Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro intervened in the G20 High Level Tax Symposium by stating that the Indonesian government wanted fair and transparent… – Continue reading

Oxfam in call for crackdown to combat money launderers using Scottish shell firms

OXFAM has called for action to close a legal loophole that has seen a booming number of Scottish shell firms used for tax dodging and money laundering. The global charity warned that the country was becoming one of the world’s “secret tax havens where the privileged minority hide billions from… – Continue reading

OECD to report on countries’ non-compliance in tax transparency

At the recent G20 meeting in China, finance ministers stressed their support for greater tax transparency, calling for a report from the OECD on the implementation of automatic exchange of information before the end of the year, and stating that by July 2017 it wants a list of non-compliant jurisdictions… – Continue reading

Swiss get ‘largely compliant’ rating for tax assistance – finance ministry

Neutral Switzerland has got an overall rating of “largely compliant” in an international review of how well it shares information with other countries on tax matters, the finance ministry said on Tuesday. Swiss officials hailed the outcome as crucial recognition of their efforts to shed the country’s reputation as a… – Continue reading

G20 ministers urge tighter tax rules for multinationals

The world’s major economies need to deepen cooperation on tax collection as companies seek to minimise the amount they pay to governments, finance ministers said Saturday. The issue has become controversial in many countries, with multinational firms from Google to Starbucks facing accusations of not contributing appropriately to the economies… – Continue reading

Macau and China add protocol to the agreement to avoid double taxation

The Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) and China’s State Administration of Taxation in Beijing signed an additional protocol to the agreement to avoid double taxation and prevent tax evasion, officials said in Macau. The Additional Protocol, the third, according to the statement released by the Office of the Secretary for… – Continue reading

Panama agrees to sign tax treaty

Panama has agreed to sign a multilateral tax treaty, which the Indian agencies believe will help them expedite investigations into the “Panama papers” recently made public by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Monday announced that Panama formally communicated to the… – Continue reading

CBDT signs 7 advance pricing agreements to cut tax litigation

The latest APAs signed with taxpayers pertain to various sectors like banking, information technology and automotives In a move designed to reduce tax litigation, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on Monday signed seven more unilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) with Indian taxpayers. “With today’s signing, the total number… – Continue reading

UAE signs tax info deal with ADGM

The UAE Ministry of Finance has signed an agreement with Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) on the automatic exchange of information for tax purposes in its premises. This step follows the ministry’s commitment to exchange tax information according to international requirements and sign agreements on the avoidance of double taxation…. – Continue reading

Minister Of Finance Visits Kyoto, Japan – OECD BEPS Process And Tax Agreement United Arab Emirates

As part of the aim to sustainably meet the highest international standards in the tax field, the Minister of Finance Dr. Jose Jardim has joined the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting agenda of the OECD. In this context, the section with regard to the Common Reporting Standards concerning the automatic… – Continue reading

How to get ready for BEPS tax reporting rule changes

Multinational companies are making strides in preparing for radically changed cross-border tax and transfer-pricing reporting rules as compliance deadlines near, research by Thomson Reuters suggests, but uneasiness remains amongst tax executives about their readiness. The new rules will require multinational enterprises with annual revenues of €750 million ($830 million) or… – Continue reading

India Revamps Its Treaty Provisions With Mauritius

The Government seeks to curb revenue loss, prevent double non-taxation, streamline the flow of investment, and stimulate the flow of exchange of information between India and Mauritius The India – Mauritius double taxation treaty was under negotiation for the last 4 years. The Treaty has now been amended by way… – Continue reading

Multinational Companies Have Increased Their Work on BEPS Compliance, Thomson Reuters Survey Finds

Two-thirds of corporate tax executives surveyed say their companies are proactively preparing for the onslaught of new tax regulations resulting from the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Action Plan. That`s a 22% increase in the past year. In Thomson Reuters 2015 BEPS Readiness Survey, 54% of respondents said they… – Continue reading

Five More Countries Agree To Exchange CbC Reports

A further five countries have signed the OECD’s Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement for the automatic exchange of country-by-country (CbC) reports, bringing the total number of signatories to 44. The Agreement allows all signatories to bilaterally and automatically exchange CbC reports with each other, as contemplated by base erosion and profit… – Continue reading

India, Cyprus finalise DTAA; capital gains to be taxed at source country

India and Cyprus have reached an in-principle agreement on all pending issues on Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement, including taxation of capital gains, which once implemented would help remove the island-nation from a non-cooperative jurisdiction for income tax purposes. An official level meeting between India and Cyprus in New Delhi last… – Continue reading

Asian amnesties point to wealth of tax worries

Indonesia and India are both doubling down on efforts to lure back funds that citizens have parked overseas Indonesia and India are both doubling down on efforts to lure back funds that citizens have parked overseas in places like Singapore. The stash, from the two countries combined, could amount to… – Continue reading

Armenia and Germany sign intergovernmental agreement to avoid double taxation

On June 29, Edward Nalbandian, Foreign Minister of Armenia, met in Yerevan with Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Federal Foreign Minister of Germany and the OSCE Chairperson-in-office. The meeting started in a tete-a-tete format, and proceeded in the extended format with the participation of delegations. The two ministers signed an Agreement between the… – Continue reading

How new EU tax laws impact Thai firms

THAI MULTINATIONAL companies will be impacted on their cross-border business activities due to rapidly evolving tax laws in Europe and Asia-Pacific. For instance, the European Union (EU) achieved a groundbreaking result on June 20 by agreeing to a package of tax measures to combat corporate tax avoidance, which will be… – Continue reading

Nations discuss corporate tax avoidance at OECD meeting in Kyoto

Representatives of more than 80 countries and jurisdictions met in Kyoto on Thursday for a two-day conference aimed at going after corporate tax avoidance in the first-ever effort of its kind to include developed and developing countries. The meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Committee on Fiscal… – Continue reading

GAAR not to apply on income from investments before April 1

The industry has been demanding that GAAR provisions should apply prospectively To clear the air on retrospective applicability of the stringent anti-avoidance GAAR rule, the I-T department has said the same will not apply to income from transfer of investments before April 1, 2017. General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR), which will… – Continue reading

What Brexit is Likely to Mean for Taxes, Trade and More

Regardless of whether you were surprised, overjoyed, dismayed or showed any other emotion (perhaps anger as you saw world markets tank), Brexit is here. Yes, we’re talking about the British exit from the European Union. We are not sure why the media coined the term “Brexit,” when it’s not only… – Continue reading

Taiwan-Italy Tax Treaty Takes Effect from 1 January 2016

With an aim to avoiding double taxation, improving the investment environment for Taiwan, and increasing the attractiveness of foreign investment into Taiwan, the Ministry of Finance in recent years has focused on entering into tax treaties with other jurisdictions. Following tax treaties signed with Italy and Austria, Taiwan entered into… – Continue reading

Putin Endorses Agreement on Double Taxation Avoidance With Singapore

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law on ratifying Russia-Singapore agreement on the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to the income taxes, according to the official internet portal of legal information. The accord reached on November 17, 2015 in Moscow is aimed at… – Continue reading