Category: Cayman Islands

16 of top 50 European hedge funds donate more than £6.5m to Tories

All of the firms have established funds based in offshore tax havens such as Cayman Islands and Jersey, analysis reveals Sixteen of the top 50 European hedge funds or their executives have donated more than £6.5m to the Conservatives, according to a new analysis of data. All of the firms… – Continue reading

Tories bankrolled by hedge funds in offshore tax havens, new analysis shows

Conservative Party candidates are bankrolled by hedge fund donations siphoned to Westminster from lucrative tax havens including the Cayman Islands, new analysis suggests. Figures released on Thursday by the Electoral Commission detail donations received by Britain’s political parties since the general election campaign began. Sixteen of Europe’s 50 most prolific… – Continue reading

Offshore tax havens help dozens of companies avoid paying nearly 600 billion in taxes

Apple is worth roughly 700 billion dollars. Microsoft is worth rough 70 billion. Over the past few years, congressional hearings exposed how both companies moved money overseas to avoid paying U.S. taxes. But as a new report shows, Apple and Microsoft are two of dozens of companies who take part… – Continue reading

Broadscope Releases Timely White Paper Regarding US and UK FATCA Reporting Obligations for Cayman Islands Domiciled Private Equity Funds

PARAMUS, N.J., April 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Broadscope Fund Administrators, an independent private equity fund administration firm, released a white paper outlining key US FATCA and UK FATCA reporting and registration deadlines for Cayman Islands private equity firms. The paper, US and UK FATCA Reporting Obligations for Cayman Islands Domiciled… – Continue reading

Colorado eyes ballot question to collect from corporate tax havens

Voters in November could determine whether corporations doing business in Colorado must report and pay state taxes on profits funneled into offshore tax havens. Doing that would create a tax windfall of up to $150 million a year, according to a legislative analysis. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Lakewood, and Rep. Mike… – Continue reading

PICKING UP THE TAB 2015: SMALL BUSINESSES PAY THE PRICE FOR OFFSHORE TAX HAVENS

Every year, corporations and wealthy individuals use complicated gimmicks to shift U.S. earnings to subsidiaries in offshore tax havens – countries with minimal or no taxes – in order to reduce their federal and state income tax liabilities by billions of dollars. While tax haven abusers benefit from America’s markets,… – Continue reading

Cayman Islands: Don’t Get Snowed In By GATCA

Offshore investment entities in the Cayman Islands and many other international financial centers should now start turning their attention to compliance with the Common Reporting Standard (“CRS”) promulgated by GATCA – Global FATCA. They must document all account holders existing on December 31, 2015, with the exception of entities with… – Continue reading

Worldwide: Protecting Yourself From International Tax Investigations

Who Will Be Next? How To Respond To A Tax Investigation The international political community continues to make the most threatening noises about those who they believe do not pay enough tax. Long gone it seems are the days where it was accepted that a person could properly organise his… – Continue reading

The escalating costs from the many tax loopholes

Listed companies in developed market could be avoiding as much as $82b annually London: Listed companies in developed markets are avoiding at least $82 billion (Dh301 billion) of tax a year by using tax havens and other minimisation strategies, according to detailed analysis of more than 1,000 businesses. The revelation… – Continue reading

British Virgin Islands: Cayman Issues User Guide To Automatic Exchange Of Information Portal

As noted in an earlier update, the deadline for the registration of Cayman Islands Financial Institutions with the Cayman Islands Tax Information Authority was recently extended to 30 April 2015. In anticipation of the upcoming go-live date of the Cayman Islands Automatic Exchange of Information Portal (Portal), the Cayman Islands… – Continue reading

Stop this egregious injustice: Why a bipartisan tax holiday is just another corporate handout

Corporations like Apple shouldn’t get a sweetheart deal to “onshore” profits, tax expert Scott Klinger tells Salon One of the more consequential paradoxes of American politics concerns the myth and the reality of bipartisan legislation. The myth is that American voters want it, and they want it bad. In fact,… – Continue reading

Apple, Google and Microsoft grilled over Australian tax avoidance

Apple, Google and Microsoft have faced an Australian Senate inquiry into corporate tax avoidance on Wednesday. The tech giants have given evidence to a committee regarding the low amounts of tax paid locally in comparison to their profits. From the coy responses of the big three, one may come to… – Continue reading

Italy Amends Country ‘Black Lists

On April 1, Italy’s Minister of the Economy and Finance, Pier Carlo Padoan, signed two decrees that modify Italy’s “black lists,” and announced on the same day that Italy and the Vatican had signed their previously agreed tax information exchange agreement (TIEA). The two decrees follow the guidelines laid down… – Continue reading

No hiding place for expat tax evaders

New rules mean that almost 100 governments around the world will exchange information about bank accounts Expat tax dodgers are running out of places to hide, as information about their bank accounts and assets will soon be exchanged between 93 governments globally. At present, if tax authorities suspect people of… – Continue reading

Future Fund refuses to appear before Senate tax avoidance inquiry

Inquiry sparked by leaked Luxembourg files naming the sovereign wealth fund among dozens of Australian companies using elaborate structures to cut tax bills The $100bn Future Fund has refused to give evidence to a Senate inquiry into corporate tax avoidance despite being named in leaked documents last year among scores… – Continue reading

Cayman Islands: Cayman Islands FATCA Update

On March 19, 2015, the Cayman Islands Tax Information Authority (“TIA”) officially opened the Cayman Automatic Exchange of Information (“AEOI”) Portal. Reporting Process The TIA indicated that the Portal is now available for Cayman Islands Reporting Financial Institutions (“Cayman Reporting FIs”) to submit their Notification (due by April 30, 2015)… – Continue reading

Global Tax Transparency Goes Live in 2016

Cross border tax fraud and tax evasion by High Net Wealth Individuals (HNWI) are serious problems for many jurisdictions. For many years exchange of information between countries has been solely upon request. In practise this procedure is not efficiently working as it requires foreseeable relevance, thus ‘fishing’ for information is… – Continue reading

Cayman Islands Tax Information Authority (TIA) Launch FATCA Solution with Vizor Software

The Tax Information Authority of the Cayman Islands, the country with the highest number of financial institutions registered with the Internal Revenue Service under United States FATCA, recently went live with the Vizor Software for FATCA & AEOI solution in order to meet their FATCA obligations. Today, Vizor Ltd. announced… – Continue reading

Offshore Centers Told To Make Central Register

LONDON – Offshore companies may soon have to reveal the identities of their ultimate beneficial owners, with the information to be recorded on a central register. Late last week the UK government instructed the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands to set out a timetable for the implementation of… – Continue reading

Britain’s tax havens told to deliver timetable on central register

(Reuters) – Britain’s government has told two of its offshore financial tax havens to set out timetables for implementing a central register of companies revealing corporate ownership, in a bid to help combat tax evasion. Prime Minister David Cameron proposed plans for a public register of company ownership in 2013,… – Continue reading

Dart boss shares UK platform with premier

(CNS Business): Cayman’s leader, Premier Alden McLaughlin, was joined by the COO of Dart Enterprises at the House of Lords this week in promoting Cayman when he delivered a key-note address at the Caribbean Council reception. As McLaughlin sold the crowd on the benefits of investing in Cayman and the… – Continue reading

Cayman Islands: Update: FATCA Notification And Reporting – Cayman Islands Government Launches FATCA Portal

In our alert ” FATCA Notification and Reporting – Are you ready?” we reported that Cayman Islands Financial Institutions (“Cayman Islands FIs”) must notify the Cayman Islands Tax Information Authority, Department for International Tax Cooperation (“TIA”) on or before 30 April 2015 and report on U.S. Reportable Accounts on or… – Continue reading

New player in offshore banking warns against parking ill-gotten gains

The tiny island nation of Dominica in the Caribbean is positioning itself as another offshore banking facility. However, its prime minister warns that if one is thinking of parking ill-gotten gains in his country, to think again. “We are open for business but at the same time we have rules,”… – Continue reading

Greens to question Foreign Investment Review Board over Adani coal venture

Senate hearings to question alleged links between firm behind Queensland’s Abbot Point coal port, a Cayman Islands company and a $1bn rorts investigation The Greens will use Senate hearings to question the Foreign Investment Review Board (Firb) about alleged links between Australia’s biggest proposed coal venture, a Cayman Islands company… – Continue reading

Seven Caribbean countries on US money laundering list for 2015

Seven Caribbean countries find themselves on the US “Major Money Laundering List for 2015”. The United States Government published its “2015 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report” on Wednesday, and the Cayman Islands is on the list, reports CNS News. The other six Caribbean countries listed are Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas,… – Continue reading

Comment: A tax haven crackdown would help the developing world

As part of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill which Parliament is expected to approve today, the government is attempting to implement a public register showing who really owns companies. The bill is a good example of how UK legislation can affect countries around the world, especially those in… – Continue reading

CWMFX’s Parent Group Linked to Massive Offshore Ponzi Scheme, Researcher Says

According to Offshore Alert, CWM World is linked to a $16 billion Ponzi scheme run by the Mauritius-based Belvedere Management Limited, as sources close to the firm have dismissed the report as inaccurate. Offshore Alert, an investigative research publication, is claiming that CWM Group is part of a massive $16… – Continue reading

Cayman Islands: FATCA Reporting And International Tax Compliance: Next Steps

DMS reminds stakeholders of all Cayman Islands investment funds deemed Foreign Financial Institutions (“FFIs”) of their International Tax Compliance (“ITC”) Obligations to the Cayman Islands Tax Information Authority (“TIA”) which may apply under the following: Launch of the Cayman AEOI Portal The Cayman Islands Department for International Tax Cooperation (“DITC”)… – Continue reading

Cayman AEOI Portal now live

(CNS Business): On Friday 20 March at 4:15pm the Cayman Islands officially opened the doors to the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) Portal to report tax information to other jurisdictions. The Financial Services Ministry has announced the AEOI Portal is now available for financial institutions to register and report customer… – Continue reading

Virgin Care among firms with lucrative NHS deals and a tax haven status

Virgin Care, which has been handed contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds to run more than 230 NHS and social care services, is one of at least 10 private health firms seeking state-funded contracts whose company structures include tax havens, it can be revealed. An analysis by Richard Murphy,… – Continue reading

Switzerland’s Declining Tax Haven Appeal

Tax havens have historically offered respite for individuals and companies looking to avoid high levels of taxation in their home countries. Some countries have effectively set out to create an environment in which international financial transactions come under little scrutiny so that foreign individuals and companies can safely park their… – Continue reading

Polish-Cayman agreement on exchange of tax information opens way to applying judgment in Emerging case to income of Cayman investment funds

Rafal Mikulski of Dentons explains why Cayman Islands’ investment funds may be entitled to a tax exemption in Poland and to claim for overpaid tax from the Polish tax authorities The Agreement for the Exchange of Information Relating to Tax Matters signed on November 29, 2013, by and between the… – Continue reading

UK financial institutions will not be required to file FATCA ‘nil returns’ – other territories could follow, expert says

UK financial institutions (FIs) that have no US-reportable accounts will not be required to submit annual ‘nil returns’ in order to ensure compliance with new rules designed to prevent tax evasion by US citizens, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has confirmed. The change comes after the US Internal Revenue Service… – Continue reading

DMS Offshore Investment Services Expands International Tax Compliance Group

GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands, March 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — DMS Offshore Investment Services Ltd., (DMS) the world’s largest fund governance firm, is expanding its International Tax Compliance Group to better serve private investment funds in meeting their compliance obligations under various international tax initiatives worldwide. DMS announces the recent addition… – Continue reading

Erin Go Bragh! American Companies See Green in Ireland

Irish eyes are smiling in corporate America. The Emerald Isle has emerged as the world’s top recipient of U.S. foreign direct investment, according to a report from the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland. In the first nine months of 2014, Ireland beat the likes of Canada, Mexico, the U.K. and… – Continue reading

Worldwide: Protecting Yourself From International Tax Investigations

Who Will Be Next? How To Respond To A Tax Investigation The international political community continues to make the most threatening noises about those who they believe do not pay enough tax. Long gone it seems are the days where it was accepted that a person could properly organise his… – Continue reading

British Virgin Islands: Sea Change

The ongoing global initiatives around exchange of tax information and publication of beneficial ownership information, while ostensibly in pursuit of transparency, have their origins in the need for the larger, richer countries to increase tax revenues, and the perception that taxpayers are hiding assets abroad and out of the tax… – Continue reading

Cayman’s tax exchange portal ready to run

(CNS Business): After months of preparation, the exchange of tax information from the Cayman Islands to other jurisdictions will become more efficient with the launch of a new online system. The Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) Portal will be launched this month and will be used by Cayman’s financial institutions… – Continue reading

Union whistleblowers spark OPPA fraud investigation in Barrie

Martin McNamara had his suspicions. An OPP officer and executive officer of the provincial force’s union, McNamara was the first to complain to authorities about unusual financial transactions involving the union’s top brass. When McNamara, who had signing authority for the 6,000-member union, was asked to authorize a $5,000 cheque… – Continue reading

Cayman Islands: Extension Of FATCA Notification Deadline

On 23 February 2015, the Cayman Islands Department for International Tax Cooperation (“DITC”) announced that the Governor in Cabinet of the Cayman Islands had approved an extension to the notification deadline contained in Regulation 14(3) of the Tax Information Authority (International Tax Compliance) (United States of America) Regulations, 2014 (the… – Continue reading

GOP stands in way of Obama gambit for offshore corporate cash

Under a plan baked into the White House’s budget for 2016, U.S. corporations would theoretically be forced to pay hundreds of billions in new taxes on money kept abroad. Levying fees on the $2.1 trillion in funds largely held by shell companies through an accounting trick called deferral, the move,… – Continue reading