HM Revenue and Customs have confirmed to the Australian Treasury that Australian superannuation funds no longer comply with its rules under the new pension age test for them to remain recognised overseas pensions, FTAdviser understands. These funds have the facility to allow recognised overseas pensions. HMRC’s pension age test requires… – Continue reading
THE focus of a high-level inquiry into corporate tax avoidance will move to some of the globe’s biggest drug companies during hearings today. After revealing details of the tax minimisation strategies at Google, Apple and Microsoft, the Senate’s Standing Committee on Economics will hear from pharmaceutical executives in Sydney. Among… – Continue reading
The UAE ranked 15th in an index rating countries’ residency-in-return-for-investment programmes As global economic growth slackens, a number of countries are offering citizenship or residency permits in return for investment in their markets. According to the latest Global Residency Programme Index by Henley & Partners, Portugal topped the list with… – Continue reading
Multinational drug companies are presenting a united front ahead of their appearance at the Senate’s corporate tax avoidance inquiry, insisting they are honest, ethical and pay their fair share of tax. Nine pharmaceutical companies, which between them receive billions of dollars in taxpayer-subsidised sales via the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, will… – Continue reading
Mara could have set up an Australian subsidiary but instead chose to construct an elaborate network in several countries. KUALA LUMPUR: National Oversight & Whistleblowers (NOW), an NGO headed by Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli, has alleged that the nature of Mara property purchases overseas was camouflaged through various offshore companies… – Continue reading
Fijians who have assets overseas now have time until October 15 to declare them. Government had announced in the 2015 budget an amnesty period for all Fijians to declare the assets they have offshore. Since then $13.5million worth of overseas assets owned by Fijians had been declared. Attorney-General and Minister… – Continue reading
Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF), an international intergovernmental organization created to combat money laundering has recently issued guidance in the form of a report titled ‘Guidance for a Risk-Based Approach to Virtual Currencies’ for closer monitoring of cryptocurrency exchanges. The report discusses about various benefits associated with… – Continue reading
Following the recent property purchase scandal by Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) in Australia, Barisan Nasional Back Benchers Club (BNBBC) chairman Tan Sri Shahrir Samad questioned whether a company was created under Mara Incorporated for the purpose of being an “offshore tax haven”. He raised the question of the approval needed… – Continue reading
PETALING JAYA: Bukit Aman is ready to help in investigations into the controversial purchase of property in Melbourne involving Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) senior officers but there has been no request from Australia yet. Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department Comm Datuk Seri Mortadza Nazarene said police were aware of the… – Continue reading
The biggest hurdle to stopping multinational tax evasion isn’t the companies themselves. It’s the governments behind them. As the OECD works swiftly on its plan to stop multinational tax evasion, the United States has already signalled it’s not happy with what’s being proposed. The US has always been clear on… – Continue reading
The verities of international tax law are no more. The days of strong residence-based rules of corporate taxation are numbered. The age of the Permanent Establishment (“PE”) as the central concept of international tax is drawing to a close. That seems to be the message from the OECD International Tax… – Continue reading
The government should probe Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara)’s three other property purchases in Australia if allegations of kickbacks in its purchase of Dudley Intenational House apartments has basis, the National Oversight and Whistleblowers (NOW) said today. Its directors Rafizi Ramli and Akmal Nasir, in a joint statement, questioned if Mara,… – Continue reading
Anti-graft organisation Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) has urged the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to conduct a thorough investigation into Majlis Amanah Rakyat’s (Mara) purchase of a Melbourne property that was alleged to have been bought in a scam. TI-M president Datuk Akhbar Satar said there were enough provisions in the MACC… – Continue reading
Glencore will make good on its promise to close down their Singapore marketing hub, but instead will pay a new entity within its global chain to market and distribute coal. Glencore regional finance chief Nick Talintyre told a senate inquiry into corporate tax avoidance that Glencore would begin selling its… – Continue reading
In late May, Amazon announced it had started to pay tax on its sales in the UK rather than in Luxembourg. This came about after Amazon restructured its tax structure in Europe in response, at least in part, to the UK’s diverted profits tax (commonly known as the Google Tax)… – Continue reading
Before going after multinationals that channel profits through tax havens and low-tax nations, you must define what one is, business lobbies have told the Abbott government. Treasurer Joe Hockey announced in the May budget that the government would be strengthening anti-avoidance laws to go after 30 companies with over $1… – Continue reading
A tax law amendment passed in the Senate last week limits the availability of the Offshore Banking Unit concession in circumstances where it could otherwise be used to convert an ineligible activity into an eligible OB activity. Tax and Superannuation Laws Amendment (2015 Measures No.1) Bill 2015 also brings the… – Continue reading
Someone once said that a good tax system enables the government to pluck the feathers from the taxpaying goose with the least amount of hissing, says Rod Houng-Lee. The least amount of hissing occurs when the law is simple and clear. The hissing increases exponentially when the law is more… – Continue reading
The G20’s efforts to crack down on multinational tax avoidance are likely to be defeated by national self-interest, particularly from the United States, one of Australasia’s top tax advisers says, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. Rod Houng-Lee, formerly Asia Pacific Tax Leader head of tax in Asia Pacific for big-four… – Continue reading
FATCA – Which Countries Are In And Out The controversial US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) law is set to start from July 1, 2014, so with less than 21 days to go, here’s a look at which countries are in and who is outside of the tax network…. – Continue reading
International tax rules will soon change, but companies’ behaviour may change sooner. There will soon be fewer places for multinational companies and ultra-rich individuals to squirrel away money. In November leaders of the G20 are expected to adopt a full range of measures to curb the practices of base erosion… – Continue reading
India has strongly argued for widening the agenda for sharing of information on tax issues and has called for holding a roundtable on infrastructure to deepen investment in this critical sector. Railway minister Suresh Prabhu, India’s sherpa for the G20 meeting, raised several issues to highlight the concerns of emerging… – Continue reading
The U.S. Model Income Tax Treaty (the U.S. Model Treaty) generally represents the United States’ opening position in treaty negotiations. As a result, when changes to the treaty are proposed, international tax practitioners should be aware of the potential impact those changes can have on their existing inbound U.S. structures…. – Continue reading
The United States is through trying to needle the OECD’s base erosion and profit-shifting project with pinpricks. Last week, Robert Stack, U.S. Treasury deputy assistant secretary (international tax affairs), abandoned the subtle digs Treasury had been using to attack BEPS and flat-out said the United States is extremely disappointed in… – Continue reading
France is trying to squeeze more out of web businesses like EBay Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Airbnb Inc. Soaring online sales and the use of the Internet giants by smaller businessses as a marketplace for goods and services is prompting the French Senate to look for ways to collect more… – Continue reading
Report on ‘poor’ neighborhoods full of mansions sparks calls for tax enforcement, residency documentation OTTAWA — The Canadian government takes a “zero tolerance” stand on tax evaders and is currently conducting audits on property owners in B.C., according to the Canada Revenue Agency. But Vancouver immigration lawyer Samuel Hyman said… – Continue reading
AUSTRALIA and Germany are starting negotiations to update a tax treaty between the two countries that stretches back 40 years. TREASURER Joe Hockey says the discussions will focus on maximising the efficiency of the trade and investment relationship with the world’s fourth largest economy and Australia’s tenth largest trading partner… – Continue reading
On May 24, Premier Li Keqiang and a delegation of Chinese senior officials arrived in Chile. During the visit, China and Chile signed a double taxation avoidance agreement (DTA), updated their Free Trade Agreement and agreed on setting up an RMB clearing center in Chile, reports China Briefing. China and… – Continue reading
Sydney, 10 June (Argus) — The Australian government has released legislation to tighten rules governing corporate taxation such as the use of offshore tax havens. The bill is not aimed at any particular sector of the economy, but several resource and commodity companies have come under scrutiny following a Senate… – Continue reading
Chevron Australia boss Roy Krzywosinski was complaining two weeks ago that taxes were too high in Australia. It was a pretty suave call from Krzywosinski. The latest financial statements for Chevron Australia Holdings show the company not only managed to avoid paying tax last year but it even pulled off… – Continue reading
Australia should consider adopting tax structures like those used in Ireland and Luxembourg in order to attract greater foreign investment, the government’s tax advisory body has recommended. On Thursday night, Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg released several reports by the Board of Tax, which advises the government on how to reform… – Continue reading
Abbott government wants to exempt 1,000 private companies from tax transparency measures, partly because of claims of abduction threats The Abbott government is pressing ahead with plans to exempt about 1,000 Australian-owned private companies from tax transparency measures after claims wealthy owners could face kidnapping threats. After the kidnapping suggestion… – Continue reading
Australia has signed the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) on the Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information, reports Tax News. The agreement was signed by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Steven Ciobo, at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD’s) Ministerial Council meeting on June… – Continue reading
Australia has been cautioned by the OECD to keep further interest rate cuts “in reserve” and that the country’s booming housing market could be at risk of a “sharp correction”. The warning from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OEDC) came in its latest economic report on Australia. Australia’s… – Continue reading
India joined the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement on Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information on 3rd June, 2015, in Paris, France, alongwith Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Indonesia and New Zealand. On our behalf, the Declaration to comply with the provisions of the MCAA was signed by H.E. Mr. Mohan Kumar,… – Continue reading
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has told a Senate estimates hearing the government hasn’t costed its measure to tackle multinational tax evasion. The Abbott government didn’t include revenue estimates for its measure to tackle multinational tax evasion in the budget because it didn’t cost them. Announcing measures to tighten the tax… – Continue reading
The Abbott government didn’t get costings from Treasury on how much revenue its multinational tax avoidance budget measure would bring. The revelation explains why costings were not given by Treasurer Joe Hockey when he announced the measure or included budget papers. Speaking at a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday, finance… – Continue reading
The five biggest suppliers of publicly subsidised medicines in Australia recorded sales of nearly $5 billion last year but paid an average of just $10 million each in company tax. Research by the Parliamentary Library, obtained by Fairfax Media, has disclosed the tax contribution of multinational pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer… – Continue reading
AUSTRALIA is onboard for the international effort to upgrade a creaking 100-year-old global tax system. AUSTRALIAN Tax Commissioner Chris Jordan told a Senate committee on Tuesday the present tax architecture was developed in the early 1920s for the now defunct League of Nations. It also depended on the physical presence… – Continue reading
The Government will be unable to fund the basic services that Australians want if it fails to achieve major tax reform, PwC has said, reports Tax News. PwC has released its submission on the Government’s Tax Reform White Paper process. Tom Seymour, Managing Partner Tax and Legal, said: “Successful tax… – Continue reading
A Gold Coast businessman has been banned from the financial services industry for taking $4 million from self-managed super fund (SMSF) investors to fund his own real estate investments. The Federal Court in Brisbane banned Craig Gore permanently and five other people from carrying on any business related to superannuation… – Continue reading
Union appointed industry super fund trustees should use their board influence to treat profit shifting by multi-national companies as a corporate governance issue and also promote infrastructure investment, delegates at the 2015 ACTU Congress were told yesterday. Emma Maiden, deputy assistant secretary of Unions NSW, told an estimated 800 union… – Continue reading
Fortescue Metals Group established a company in Singapore that could buy and sell its iron ore more than a year before it started attacking its rivals for doing the same thing. The company, called Fortescue International Marketing, is incorporated and domiciled in Singapore. Still dormant, it is ready to be… – Continue reading
Switzerland and the European Union have signed an agreement providing for the automatic exchange of banking information, effective 2018. On Wednesday, Swiss State Secretary for International Financial Matters Jacques de Watteville signed the accord in Brussels along with EU Tax Commissioner Pierre Moscovici and Latvian Finance Minister Janis Reirs. Before… – Continue reading
Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Treasurer Joe Hockey should not be ruling out particular aspects of the tax system that could be reformed, such as GST, superannuation concessions and negative gearing, KPMG’s chairman Peter Nash says. Mr Nash said when the tax white paper was first announced by the Coalition… – Continue reading
Reporting Australian Financial Institutions must report to the Australian Taxation Office by 31 July 2015 on their U.S. accounts or recalcitrant accounts. These financial institutions must have undertaken the prescribed due diligence procedures required under the IGA. Who must report? It is critical that you determine whether you are a… – Continue reading
“It is absolute nonsense,” News Corp Australia boss Julian Clarke told the Senate Inquiry into Corporate Tax Avoidance last month, when asked if News had paid a rate of just 4.8 per cent in income tax on its $6.8 billion in operating cashflows in this country. The question was based… – Continue reading
Exposure draft legislation to extend the application of the GST to supplies of intangible products by foreign suppliers to Australian consumers has been released for consultation. While there has been considerable focus on the proposed expansion of the GST regime to cover supplies of “digital products”, the changes will also… – Continue reading
It’s shaping as a fight that could recover hundreds of millions in lost tax revenue. In one corner is the commissioner of taxation. In the other, Australia’s two biggest miners — BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto. At stake is their use of Singapore-based marketing hubs, which until now have remained… – Continue reading
Big pharma’s poison pill The tax commissioner wants a senate inquiry to examine tax minimisation by multinational drug companies. Analysis with Heath Aston. Pharmaceutical companies will be put under the microscope by the Senate tax avoidance inquiry which recently exposed rampant “offshoring” of profits by Google, Apple and Microsoft. Tax… – Continue reading
