Contrary to public perception, a recent investigation into Swiss accounts at one of the world’s biggest banks suggests the collective wealth stashed away by high net worth Pakistani individuals is nowhere near the purported figure of hundreds of billions of dollars. In an investigative project dubbed ‘Swiss Leaks,’ the International… – 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
BEIJING – Li Xiaolin, daughter of former Chinese Premier Li Peng, known for his support of the bloody military crackdown on the 1989 democracy movement in Beijing, held close to $2.5 million in a secret HSBC account in Switzerland, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has found. The revelation,… – Continue reading
Bermuda’s well-documented financial services regulation, international partnership treaties, and lack of bank secrecy legislation ought to be recognised by the UK Labour Party, the Bermuda Business Development Agency (BDA) said today. The BDA echoed the Bermuda Government’s weekend response to UK Opposition Leader Ed Miliband following a warning letter issued… – Continue reading
There are millions of Americans with unreported offshore bank and financial accounts. Under the new FATCA legislation, foreign financial institutions will soon be required to report account holders with ties to the United States. (FATCA is short for the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, a 2010 Obama initiative designed to… – Continue reading
The mainland has stepped up its participation in the G20’s fight against international tax avoidance by passing a law cracking down on the indirect sale of assets outside the country to avoid paying taxes. The law would affect investment companies, analysts said, adding it would also have a significant impact… – Continue reading
On February 6, 2015, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) announced that it has reached agreement with the Group of Twenty (G-20) Finance Ministers on three key elements of its base erosion and profit shifting project. The three elements, which the OECD said will enable implementation of the… – Continue reading
Jeremy Grant in Singapore Clampdowns on bank secrecy in Europe and a proliferation of billionaires in Asia helped Hong Kong and Singapore attract more overseas money over the past two years than rivals such as Switzerland, according to a report by Deloitte. The consultancy’s annual ranking of wealth centres highlights… – Continue reading
Manulife Asset Management (Manulife AM), which manages about US$276 billion, has merged its asset management and wealth divisions in Asia, appointing Michael Dommermuth to run the consolidated unit. As a result of the reshuffle, Donna Cotter, appointed Manulife AM’s wealth management head for Asia little over a year ago, has… – Continue reading
NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 9: The “door for dialogue” with India remains open despite the current “difficult environment” on the tax-related information sharing front, the Swiss Finance Ministry has said. In a just released annual report on International Financial and Tax Matters 2015, Switzerland has admitted that its relations with India… – Continue reading
SAS supports Dubai Islamic Bank with Anti-Money Laundering solutions Dubai – SAS, the leader in business analytics software and services, announced its collaboration with Dubai Islamic Bank ( DIB ) to help prevent money laundering among the bank’s customers. SAS will support the bank with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) solutions that… – Continue reading
The Sydney Morning Herald said that a Fairfax Media report “has found a complex web of companies tied to Adani’s Australian coal developments, extending from the low-tax regime of Singapore to the tax haven of the Cayman Islands. Indian mining giant Adani’s 16 billion dollar mining project in Australia’s Queensland… – Continue reading
As countries share more information, opportunities to squirrel away cash abroad will continue to narrow AMONG the sins that have most angered the austerity-weary everywhere is the use of undeclared offshore accounts to stash the wealth of the rich. Greeks were particularly enraged when data stolen from Swiss banks showed… – Continue reading
A source from FPT Group said this group’s revenue was estimated at VND35.11 trillion last year, up 23% against the previous year and 10% higher than targeted. But its profit fell by 2% to around VND2.46 trillion. The shrinking online game segment and difficulties related to information technology projects on… – Continue reading
Accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has been accused of promoting tax avoidance “on an industrial scale”, in a report by MPs. It is said to have helped hundreds of clients cut their corporation tax bills by setting up bases in Luxembourg. Earlier this week the Archbishop of Canterbury said companies should… – Continue reading
On 29 January 2015, the Hong Kong Inland Revenue Department (“IRD”) announced new, hard-line procedures for obtaining a certificate of Hong Kong resident status (“tax residence certificate”) for the purpose of Hong Kong’s comprehensive double taxation agreement (“DTA”) network. The new rules became effective on 1 February 2015. This Client… – Continue reading
G20 finance ministers will hear about the OECD’s three-pronged approach to implementation of the BEPS Action Plan at their meeting in Istanbul on Monday and Tuesday of next week (February 9 and 10). The OECD, which is leading the work, outlined today what has been agreed so far with the… – Continue reading
The group that represents most of the ASX 200 on tax issues, the Corporate Tax Association, has emerged as a surprise advocate of increasing transparency about the amount of taxes big companies pay. The Corporate Tax Association’s submission to the inquiry into corporate tax avoidance said it had concerns about… – Continue reading
Offshore yuan bond issues are set to fall this year for the first time since the Hong Kong market began in 2007 as funding costs have become more expensive than in mainland China. The dim sum market, as the offshore yuan bond market is known, had expanded rapidly since its… – Continue reading
More than half of Australia’s trade is money being sent offshore by companies to their overseas arms – with almost a third going to Singapore and Switzerland. Australian companies sent more than $100 billion to related parties in the low-tax nation of Singapore and another $15.6 billion to “hubs” in… – Continue reading
The Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) has welcomed the government’s plan to introduce a tax amnesty, a fiscal incentive expected to encourage individuals or corporation that have not fully paid their taxes to comply with tax regulations. The association’s deputy chairman Hariyadi Sukamdani said that the amnesty would be effective in… – Continue reading
Technology giants Apple and Google have said in their submissions to the federal inquiry into corporate tax avoidance that they support international changes to global tax rules to stop profit shifting, but have warned of the risk of Australia acting alone, saying it would cost heavily in local jobs and… – Continue reading
MUMBAI: The Mumbai bench of the tax tribunal has clarified that additional tax liability cannot be claimed from competitive industries in the name of location savings arising out of the country’s low-cost manufacturing base. The ruling may benefit pharmaceutical, auto, IT and IT-enabled companies, among others, that are engaged in… – Continue reading
Korean Gov’t to Tax Google, Facebook Like Domestic Companies orea is moving to impose taxes on foreign ICT giants such as Google, Apple, and Facebook. To this end, Ruling Saenuri Party lawmaker Hong Ji-man tabled revisions to the Income Tax Act and the Corporate Tax Act in December last year…. – Continue reading
Though North Korean labor more expensive than previously thought – RFA The DPRK government made agreements promoting mutual investment and preventing double taxation for foreign investors, particularly highlighting cooperation with Russia, according to an article from the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) published this week. Governments often form tax treaties… – Continue reading
Emirates Investment Bank yesterday said its total assets under management jumped 81 per cent last year as the economy boomed and the UAE’s safe haven status continued to attract funds from politically troubled countries in the Middle East and other parts of the world. Total assets under management increased to… – Continue reading
Beijing is going after base erosion and profit shifting, and multinationals could get caught in the crosshairs. China is continuing to step up its efforts to curb what it sees as cross-border tax evasion by foreign-owned companies, announcing it will review how companies move money and allocate costs among their… – Continue reading
HONG KONG — China’s tax officials plan to step up efforts to collect taxes from multinational corporations in the latest of a series of moves in the last year, mostly against Western companies. The activities have included police raids on the headquarters of companies’ China operations and heavy fines under… – Continue reading
New Delhi, Feb. 4: The notification of a social security deal with Norway – often called totalisation agreements — may pave the way for a similar pact with the US that has been hanging fire for a decade. Under the pact, employees sent by Indian firms to Norway on a… – Continue reading
Negotiations over the India-United States nuclear deal continued until “Air Force One landed in Delhi” carrying President Barack Obama. According to sources, the nuclear deal and other agreements announced during Mr. Obama’s visit to India for Republic Day were being finalised right down to the moment his plane touched down…. – Continue reading
In 2014, China continued to develop its taxation system affecting domestic and crossborder transactions. This “Legal Flash – Special Edition 2014” highlights the most significant tax updates of the year. Please see our monthly legal flashes for more information and analysis here. Taking a step-forward on anti-avoidance provisions, the State… – Continue reading
Some 776 American citizens or long-time residents renounced their status in the third quarter of 2014, according to the Treasury Department. If that trend continues, the U.S. will see more than 3,000 renunciations this year-a record. Why are so many Americans forfeiting their citizenship? In 2010, Congress passed the Foreign… – Continue reading
VADODARA: Ahead of the first Budget of Prime Minister Narendra Modi led NDA government, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) that markets Asia’s largest milk brand — Amul — has demanded that the dairy sector be considered at par with the agriculture sector. GCMMF — the apex body of all… – Continue reading
ISLAMABAD – Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan, Interior Minister of Pakistan, directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for cutting down the financial supply given by any foreign or local investor to the militant groups. He was presiding a meeting of FIA in Islamabad wherein updating about the recent performance the FIA… – Continue reading
Time is ticking for India to sign its inter-governmental agreement (IGA) with the US under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) after it received a one month extension on the original December 31 deadline. President Obama’s visit to India last week fuelled speculation that the IGA could be signed… – Continue reading
On 30 January 2015 the Legislative Council passed certain changes to the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Ordinance (“MPFSO”). Such changes, when they come into force, will enable the withdrawal of benefits on the terminal illness of an employee, and also enable a phased withdrawal of accrued benefits. In addition, the… – Continue reading
GCC nationals with dual citizenship face IRS efforts to collect income tax from non-residents Thousands of Gulf States nationals could be US tax evaders and not even know it. According to Italian-Swiss lawyer Giovanni Rossi who works for a law firm handling many of similar cases, the number could reach… – Continue reading
SELF-assessment is a vital element of tax policy and is employed by many countries to collect taxes as it is considered more efficient and cost-effective. Pakistan adopted universal self-assessment for all taxpayers in 2002-03 to ensure voluntary compliance. Using the technique of ordinary least square regression and quarterly data for… – Continue reading
New Delhi: Multinational companies operating in India will soon have to disclose details of their operations at the country of residence and their revenue income to the Income Tax authorities. The Budget for 2015-16 may contain provisions relating to the Global Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) rules, which are… – Continue reading
India and US reach common ground on Mutual Agreement Procedure (“MAP)” and break new ground on Advance Pricing Agreements (“APA”) Suchint Majmudar Just ahead of Obama’s momentous R-Day visit to India, the Competent Authorities of India and US reached a landmark breakthrough in cases involving mutual agreement procedure under the… – Continue reading
The Australian Tax Office is pushing ahead with a controversial plan to allow the country’s biggest corporations to audit themselves through their own private auditors, despite mounting public anger over corporate tax avoidance. An ATO spokesman said 56 public companies with a turnover of between $100 million and $5 billion… – Continue reading
NEW DELHI: Multinational companies operating in India will soon have to disclose details of their operations at the country of residence and their revenue income to the Income Tax authorities. The Budget for 2015-16 may contain provisions relating to the Global Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) rules, which are… – Continue reading
The present French Tax Update will focus on (i) the most salient features of the new double tax treaty signed by the People’s Republic of China (China) and France on November 26, 2013 (New DTT), (ii) the new double tax treaty signed by Singapore and France on January 15, 2015,… – Continue reading
IN LAST WEEK’S column we talked about the OECD’s BEPS Action Plan on Hybrid Mismatch Arrangements. This week’s column focuses on the OECD’s Action Plan on Harmful Tax Practices (HTP). As the world economy continues the process of globalization and technological advances, tax authorities from various jurisdictions are inevitably faced… – Continue reading
NEW DELHI: Getting tough with investment proposals from tax heavens, FIPB has deferred 23 applications in its last three meetings apprehending “treaty abuse”. According to sources, the Department of Revenue has expressed doubt that a few foreign companies were evading tax by routing their investments through tax heaven countries with… – Continue reading
IRS threatens 30% withholding tax on non-compliant banks Dubai: Many people, including American citizens working in the Gulf state, received recently letters from their UAE-based banks asking them for more details and papers in compliance with American laws introduced by tax service. The move comes as many citizens of the… – Continue reading
Feb 1 (Reuters) – The Chinese government’s vow to increase tax scrutiny of foreign companies has sent firms rushing to tax advisors ahead of the implementation on Sunday of new rules designed to rein in cross-border tax avoidance. Tax professionals and business lobbies alike have welcomed the move as an… – Continue reading
VietNamNet Bridge –Inspectors looking for transfer-pricing cases examined 2,866 enterprises in 2014, discovering that the actual losses incurred by businesses was VND5.8 trillion lower than reported. The inspectors also attempted to collect VND1.7 trillion worth of tax arrears. The deputy general director of the General Department of Taxation (GDT), Tran… – Continue reading
MUMBAI: The hunt for black money stashed abroad is moving beyond Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Over the last fortnight, at least ten individuals — all from Mumbai and holding shares of companies in the Caribbean tax haven British Virgin Islands (BVI) — have been told by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to… – Continue reading
KATHMANDU, Jan 30: Nepal and Bangladesh on Thursday agreed to sign Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA). Issuing a statement on Thursday, Inland Revenue Department (IRD) said the fourth round of meeting for DTAA held in Kathmandu took the decision. Director General of Inland Revenue Department (IRD) Chudamani Sharma and Head… – Continue reading
