The European Commission launched legal proceedings against Portugal, Bulgaria, and Cyprus for not adopting, in their national laws, European Union legislation requiring all EU countries to exchange tax rulings granted to multilateral companies. The legislation was adopted in the wake of the 2014 LuxLeaks scandal that revealed more than 100… – Continue reading
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has collected more than £4bn through its controversial ‘pay now, dispute later’ accelerated payment notices rules, for people who have used a tax avoidance scheme. HMRC said that more than 75,000 accelerated payment notices (APNs) have been issued to people under enquiry for tax avoidance… – Continue reading
Montenegro has shown its commitment to improving compliance with international tax standards. The FATCA Agreement is yet another example of a set of steps taken towards broadening the cooperation between the US and Montenegro and following the international standards of cross-border tax assistance. The US Ambassador, Margaret Ann Uyehara and… – Continue reading
Andorra has criminalised tax evasion, a parliamentary source said Monday as the tiny mountain principality, once a popular tax haven, moves towards full banking transparency. Last year, the OECD removed Andorra from its “grey” list of tax havens after it agreed to the automatic exchange of information on non-residents’ bank… – Continue reading
Switzerland has signed an agreement on the automatic exchange of tax information with Singapore, and is this week hosting a working meeting of the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes. The agreement with Singapore was signed by the Deputy State Secretary of Switzerland’s State Secretariat… – Continue reading
Expats can claim pension tax relief as long as they are still resident in the UK. Residence is a matter of fact rather than choice and depends on the result of the statutory residence test. Expats who are not resident in the UK cannot claim pension tax relief How do… – Continue reading
The National Assembly of Ecuador endorsed the agreement on cooperation in taxation with Belarus by a majority vote. The document is meant to avoid double taxation and prevent property and real estate tax evasion. The agreement was endorsed by the Belarusian and Ecuadorian governments in 2016. The Special Permanent Commission… – Continue reading
Irish Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe has explained the country’s approach to tax evasion during a hearing of the European Parliament’s PANA Committee, and said Ireland is “a strong supporter of international tax reform efforts.” Donohoe was one of several European finance ministers who appeared before the committee on July 11…. – Continue reading
The Government of the Netherlands has announced that it has concluded an agreement with Indonesia on the taxation of investment funds. The Dutch Ministry of Finance announced on July 11 that the new competent authority agreement was signed by the two sides on June 23, 2017. The agreement clarifies the… – Continue reading
Bulgaria is among European Union countries that the European Commission has sent a reasoned opinion because of its failure to communicate the transposition of new measures on the automatic exchange of tax rulings between EU tax authorities. The step was announced by the European Commission on July 13, among its… – Continue reading
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble defended his opposition to pending European Union legislation that would force large multinational companies to publicly disclose, on a country-by-country basis, their taxes paid and profits. Schauble, who testified before the EU Parliament’s Panama Papers investigative committee July 11, said public reporting of companies’ tax… – Continue reading
France will cut taxes on businesses and individuals by roughly 11 billion euros ($12.6 billion) next year, faster than the government had originally intended, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has said. The goal is to create incentives for investment, hiring and economic growth, Philippe told Les Echos daily in an interview… – Continue reading
Switzerland and France have smoothed over concerns which had blocked the exchange of tax data between the two countries, a boost to French efforts to pursue cash hidden from the taxman. The way in which data sent over by Switzerland was used in a French legal case involving UBS (UBSG.S),… – Continue reading
Andrew Howard, Ropes & Gray tax partner, discusses the UK’s new corporate criminal offence of failure to prevent tax evasion, which goes into effect in September 2017. Click here to view video. Transcript: The UK’s new corporate offence of failure to prevent facilitation of tax evasion is quite a mouthful,… – Continue reading
PANA Committee Chairman Werner Langen has argued that Malta’s corporate tax system is unfair, while addressing the PANA committee this evening. He was addressing the PANA Committee earlier today, during the discussion regarding the draft recommendations on the PANA Committee findings. A PANA Committee MEP had mentioned that the criteria… – Continue reading
As of 1st July 2017, the tax treatment of intra-group financing arrangements has been amended in Cyprus. Intra-group financing transactions refers to finance activities between related parties (as defined in Section 33 of the Income Tax Law), including permanent establishments in Cyprus. Based on the Interpretative Circular issued by the… – Continue reading
Among the products purchased by the Ministry are: Onesource Benchmark and Onesource TP Loan Module. Thomson Reuters and Ministry of Taxes of the Republic of Azerbaijan have signed an agreement under which the Ministry will use Thomson Reuters tax solutions aimed at implementing tax control in the sphere of transfer… – Continue reading
Passing on your inheritance and your place of residence – the tax minefield QUESTION: I was born in Belfast and now live in Dublin. I have 2 children who both live in Dublin and I am contemplating retiring to Northern Ireland. Is there a difference between the Inheritance tax systems… – Continue reading
New data-sharing rules aren’t without pitfalls for clients of private banks, as authorities race to shut loopholes, Bank Reyl lawyer Drazen Turujlija told finews.asia-TV. Switzerland is set to begin exchanging data with other countries from next year, a move which has fundamentally shifted the dynamic in Switzerland’s trillion-Swiss franc offshore… – Continue reading
France wants Brussels to take a tougher stance on American multinationals working inside the European Union (EU) and force them to pay an appropriate amount of tax. “I can tell you that the times we live in are not for the weak,” French Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire said in… – Continue reading
Slovakia is the first V4 country to sign the agreement on country-by-country reporting. Slovakia’s Financial Administration has obtained easier access to the information of US multinational companies. The representatives of Slovakia and the US signed a bilateral agreement on country-by-country (CbC) reporting on June 21, the TASR newswire reported. The… – Continue reading
A Paris court fined a Latvian bank Thursday for laundering hundreds of millions of euros through a vast scheme allowing French taxpayers to avoid paying their dues. The court fined Rietumu Banka 80 million euros ($91 million) for facilitating a scam to “democratize” tax evasion among ordinary taxpayers and small… – Continue reading
Indonesia and Switzerland have signed a joint declaration on Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information (AEOI) yesterday. The signing was held at the Directorate General of Tax in Central Jakarta. At the signing ceremony, Indonesia was represented by Director General of Tax for the Finance Ministry Ken Dwijugeasteadi and Switzerland… – Continue reading
On June 28, 2017, the Swiss Federal Council adopted the dispatch on a revised double taxation agreement with Latvia and submitted it to Parliament for approval. A protocol to revise the agreement was signed by the two countries in November 2016. The revised agreement contains an anti-abuse clause in line… – Continue reading
The Greek parliament has adopted a new law transposing an amendment to the European Union administrative cooperation directive to provide for the exchange of advanced tax rulings between member states. The new law, passed by parliament earlier this month, adopts EU Directive 2015/2376/EU of December 8, 2015, which amends Directive… – Continue reading
Ghana signed another Double Tax Agreement (DTA) with the Czech Republic on 11 April, 2017. Ghana already has DTAs in force with Denmark, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Italy, South Africa, Switzerland, Netherlands, France and Germany. DTAs with Mauritius, Singapore and the Czech Republic are in the process of being ratified… – Continue reading
Global leader in cross-border information exchange for Tax Authorities has been selected by the Government of Bermuda, Ministry of Finance, Treaty Unit to meet Common Reporting Standards. Today, Vizor Ltd. announced the Government of Bermuda, Ministry of Finance, Treaty Unit has selected the Vizor for FATCA & AEOI Solution for… – Continue reading
The Bank of China paid 20 million euros ($22.4 million) to resolve a tax dispute with Italy over thousands of money transfers the bank orchestrated between Chinese nationals in Italy and their home country, the Italian government said June 21. Commentators told Bloomberg BNA the agreement could have an impact… – Continue reading
European Union-based multinational companies that exceed consolidated revenue of 750 million euros ($840 million) for two consecutive years would have to report publicly on taxes paid, profits earned, and persons employed on a country-by-country basis, under a proposal from Malta. Malta holds the EU presidency, a position it will turn… – Continue reading
A. Introduction In February 2017 Cyprus Tax Department has announced that the current practice regarding profit margins between related Company loans will be abolished by the 30th June 2017. The announcement indicates that the minimum acceptable margins will apply up to 30th June 2017, and as from 1st July 2017… – Continue reading
Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) reported on Tuesday that local financial institutions required to report under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) are now 100 per cent compliant. FATCA is United States legislation designed to target US taxpayers holding accounts and assets outside that country and are non-compliant with US… – Continue reading
A Europe-wide crackdown on tax avoidance schemes is set to have a “chilling” effect on recruiters and intermediaries marketing such schemes. The Guardian reported this week that the European Commission will publish proposals tomorrow to force financial intermediaries to automatically disclose any new cross-border tax schemes offered to clients. According… – Continue reading
Madrid (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo under suspicion, Radamel Falcao investigated, Lionel Messi sentenced… Spain’s courts have been busy tackling the alleged and real multi-million-euro tax evasion of football’s greatest stars. But while they may be aware of what they are doing, footballers rely on expert go-betweens like big banks to… – Continue reading
The Bermuda Government launched a new Tax Information Reporting Portal, saying it is an “important and necessary initiative arising out of new international requirements.” “The Ministry of Finance is taking steps to ensure Bermuda is in compliance with the latest global tax cooperation standards,” a spokesperson said. “Deputy Premier and… – Continue reading
BERNNEW DELHI: Switzerland today ratified automatic exchange of financial account information with India and 40 other jurisdictions to facilitate immediate sharing of details about suspected black money, even as it sought strict adherence to confidentiality and data security. Adopting the dispatch on introduction of the AEOI, a global convention for… – Continue reading
The Government Emergency Ordinance no. 42/2017 amending Law no. 207/2015 regarding the Fiscal Procedure Code (“GEO 42/2017“), entered into force on 13 June 2017, transposes within the Romanian legislation the EU Directive 2016/881 which provides the mandatory automatic exchange of information from reports that multinational enterprise groups (“MNE Groups“) must… – Continue reading
The Irish Revenue has this year recruited more than 100 additional staff to undertake audit and compliance activities. Prior to his retirement as Finance Minister, Michael Noonan was asked to provide parliament with information on the Revenue staff resources allocated to tax audit and investigation activities. Answering a written parliamentary… – Continue reading
UK wealth managers “are quietly scaling back access to offshore accounts for their clients”, as the global crackdown on tax havens, of which the OECD’s Common Reporting Standard is a major component, “gathers pace”, the Financial Times is reporting today, citing research it commissioned. The American tax legislation known as… – Continue reading
BISHKEK (TCA) — On June 13, the first Double Taxation Agreement was signed between the Kyrgyz Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland by British Ambassador Robin Ord-Smith and Kyrgyz Minister of Economy Arzybek Kojoshev, the British Embassy in Bishkek said. This Double Taxation Agreement represents… – Continue reading
Italy June 30 will apply OECD guidelines for “patent box” rules, a new version of the tax break for intangible property that will remove protections for brand identities originally put in place to protect iconic Italian fashion brands, observers told Bloomberg BNA. The new regime is substantially similar to the… – Continue reading
In a meeting with Iran’s foreign minister in Tehran on Sunday, Schelling said he has visited Iran with the purpose of boosting bilateral economic and financial relations. Voicing Austria’s eagerness to develop joint training programs with Iran in the banking industry, Schelling hoped he would nail down investment deals and… – Continue reading
A negative review of the tax department by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Global Forum for transparency and exchange of information, which aims to tackle tax evasion and tax avoidance, has excluded Cyprus from the convention of mutual administrative assistance in tax matters, it was reported on… – Continue reading
YEREVAN, June 7. /ARKA/. In 2018, Armenian taxpayers will start submitting transfer pricing papers to tax agencies, Nerses Nersisyan, head of KPMG Armenia department in charge of tax and legal consulting, told journalists on Tuesday. In October 2016, he said, a new tax code was adopted in Armenia, in which… – Continue reading
Effects on Cayman to be relatively benign Ministers and high-level officials from more than 60 countries and jurisdictions on Wednesday are to sign a multilateral convention to reduce the opportunity for tax avoidance by multinational enterprises. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, which developed the convention, said the signing… – Continue reading
Revealing the secret identifies behind shell companies and opaque trusts is the “new frontier” in fighting tax evasion, says the OECD’s head of tax Pascal Saint-Amans. In an exclusive interview with Fairfax Media, Mr Saint-Amans also spoke about the Turnbull government’s tougher domestic laws aimed at cracking down on multinational… – Continue reading
The amount of disputed tax relating to the transfer pricing of the U.K.’s largest businesses has risen 60 percent in the past year, according to law firm Pinsent Masons. Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, the U.K.’s tax authority, is reviewing as much as 3.8 billion pounds ($4.9 billion) of large… – Continue reading
Brazil, Greece, Argentina, China among the top 10 most complex Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, BVI, UAE the easiest places in the world for Accounting and Tax LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Turkey is the most complex place in the world for Accounting and Tax compliance, followed by Brazil, Italy, Greece and Vietnam – according… – Continue reading
Dutch tax authorities will publicly disclose the type and number of rulings awarded to corporations every year, the country’s deputy finance minister pledged. Eric Wiebes said during a June 1 plenary debate in the House of Representatives that he would require the country’s tax administration to issue an annual report… – Continue reading
The German upper house of Parliament, the Bundesrat, passed a bill June 2 to stymie tax evasion through letterbox companies as part of a wider crackdown on illegal tax practices in light of last year’s Panama Papers scandal. The bill, which will become law after being signed by the German… – Continue reading
A study released May 28 by University of California Berkeley economist Gabriel Zucman and two Scandinavian colleagues, “Tax Evasion and Inequality,” demonstrates that global wealth inequality is drastically underestimated in official statistics because of how successful the super-rich are at evading taxes. According to the paper, the super-rich, that is… – Continue reading
