Ukraine’s cabinet is to approve a bill to dissolve a convention made with Cyprus on the avoidance of double taxation, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk reportedly said on Wednesday. But sources in Nicosia said “it is not a final decision” and that the reported decision was “unexpected”. The new double… – Continue reading
Exports of Ukrainian goods through offshore companies fell by 90 percent in the first nine months of this year, according to the State Fiscal Service, dropping to $334 million. British Virgin Islands, a jurisdiction known for the lack of transparency, remains the most popular offshore destination with Ukrainian companies, attracting… – Continue reading
(Reuters) – A showdown between Western leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely at the G20 summit in Australia starting on Saturday, following fresh reports of Russian troops pouring into eastern Ukraine. Ukraine has accused Russia of sending soldiers and weapons to help separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine launch… – Continue reading
The sovereignty of individual nations is increasingly under threat from international governance bodies that want to force a range of new regional and international taxes on states. The latest attempt to bypass state sovereignty occurred when the World Health Organization (WHO) met behind closed doors in Moscow last week. In… – Continue reading
(Reuters) – International banking activity expanded for a second straight quarter between April and June with banks lending more to emerging markets, particularly China, and to investment funds in offshore centers such as the Cayman Islands, data showed on Monday. Foreign lending to offshore centers rose to $2.269 trillion in… – Continue reading
7/10/14 – The 34-member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) welcomed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the OECD and Ukraine which will help Ukraine’s efforts to tackle corruption, strengthen its tax system and promote competitiveness. Announced today in Paris, the MOU seeks to tap OECD… – Continue reading
DONETSK, Ukraine (AFP) – A rebel leader on Sunday said east Ukraine was a “de facto offshore zone” following a decree from the country’s government that shuts down the banking system in the area. “They’ve taken their banking system out of here. They’ve switched it off,” Mr Pavel Gubarev, head… – Continue reading
On 1 July 2014, the Ministry of Revenues and Levies of Ukraine issued Order #368 ‘On amendment of generalised tax consultation on transfer pricing related issues, adopted by Order #699’, which significantly changed the respective tax consultation #699. In particular, the order included additional questions and clarifications and drastically changed… – Continue reading
Kiev, Ukraine: On paper, the Ukrainian trading firm known as Mistral dealt in management consulting and research, doing millions of dollars’ worth of deals before going bust after Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was chased out of office earlier this year.But when police recently tried to visit Mistral’s Kiev office at No…. – Continue reading
On 13 May 2014 the Ukrainian Parliament adopted draft Law of Ukraine No. 4527 On Amending the Tax Code of Ukraine Regarding Improvement of Transfer Pricing (“Bill”). The Bill eases liability of Ukrainian taxpayers for violating transfer pricing rules. In particular, the Bill provides for the following: 1. It extends… – Continue reading
MOSCOW, April 11 (Reuters) – Polyus Gold, Russia’s biggest gold miner, is considering state proposals to encourage the rebasing of Russian firms currently owned by offshore entities and intends to explore these issues with the government, the company said on Friday. The comments of the Jersey-registered company, whose share listing is… – Continue reading
People who used to know young billionaire-in-exile Serhiy Kurchenko say that if he ever started drawing his financial “chain” on a piece of paper, it would finish up on the ceiling. Kurchenko’s chain is made up of hundreds of fake Ukrainian companies, dozens of offshore firmsand more than 600 people who… – Continue reading
MOSCOW (Reuters) – The United States has de-facto suspended talks with Russia about exchanging information on taxes under 2010’s Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), in a sign of a deepening rift over Moscow’s actions in Ukraine, Vedomosti daily reported on Tuesday. The newspaper, citing two Russian federal officials and… – Continue reading
Recent discussions about the movement of capital and offshore accounts have to be a major cause for concern. During a Central Bank seminar recently, Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development, Donville Inniss, sounded the warning that compliance with the recently passed Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act… – Continue reading
The British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission (the “FSC”) is advising the public that on 5 March, 2014, The Ukraine (Sanctions) (Overseas Territories) Order 2014 was ratified and extended to the Territory by virtue of article 1 and Schedule 1 to the Order. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that this Order… – Continue reading
LONDON — They are the most expensive and luxurious flats in the whole of London. Their ultramodern bay windows offer an unobstructed view onto Hyde Park. An underground corridor connects them to the Mandarin Oriental, the palace where Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal has one of his prized restaurants. In total, the… – Continue reading
European Union competition watchdogs ordered Luxembourg to hand over details of tax breaks for businesses after they said the Grand Duchy was hindering a state-aid probe spanning several EU nations. Luxembourg refused to deliver details concerning the 100 largest companies benefiting from a special program for companies whose profits stem… – Continue reading
As 2008 began, the future looked brilliant for green energy giant Suntech Power and its high-flying founder, Shi Zhengrong. Suntech was one of the world’s largest makers of solar panels, the first non-state-owned Chinese company traded on the New York Stock Exchange. And Shi, born to a farm family so… – Continue reading
Austrian Finance Minister Michael Spindelegger said a deal on extending a European Union savings tax is in Luxembourg’s hands. Austria “can agree to this tomorrow — it’s not up to us if there isn’t agreement,” Spindelegger told reporters before a two-day meeting with his European Union counterparts in Brussels today…. – Continue reading
The young Ukrainian ex-billionaire Serhiy Kurchenko, now widely suspected of being a front man for overthrown President Viktor Yanukovych’s family, clearly liked offshore destinations. His companies registered in offshore zones are now accused of trading in oil products using a tax evasion scheme that cost Ukraine’s government an estimated $1… – Continue reading
As of January 1st 2014, Cyprus entered into five new Double Tax Treaties (DTT’s) with Estonia, Finland, Portugal, Spain and Ukraine expanding its already rich list of DTTs. All the agreements aim to avoid double taxation between the mentioned countries and follow the OECD conventional model on income and capital. The… – Continue reading
The European Union says it is freezing the financial assets in Europe of 18 Ukrainians it says misused the Kyiv government’s state funds. The EU’s foreign ministers approved the list Wednesday but withheld the names for a day before their official publication in the EU’s legal journal, so the Ukrainians… – Continue reading
PRLog (Press Release) – Mar. 4, 2014 – NICOSIA, Cyprus — As of January 1st 2014, Cyprus entered into five new Double Tax Treaties (DTT’s) with Estonia, Finland, Portugal, Spain and Ukraine expanding its already rich list of DTTs. All the agreements aim to avoid double taxation between the mentioned… – Continue reading
Liechtenstein, one of the world’s most uber secretive tax havens, has joined Switzerland in freezing the assets of ousted Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich’s administration. An unnamed senior Liechtenstein government source told Reuters that Liechtenstein was freezing the assets of former party officials in the Ukrainian administration after other jurisdictions launched… – Continue reading
The Russian Finance Ministry will offer companies based offshore but with operations in Russia a choice: either disclose their ultimate beneficiaries and maintain their zero tax rate, or pay taxes at the higher Russian rate. Under Russia’s current corporate tax structure, offshore beneficiaries of Russian companies are treated as de-facto… – Continue reading
The U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations will hold a hearing on a crackdown on offshore tax evasion that has stalled as prosecutors conduct criminal probes of 14 banks, including Credit Suisse Group AG. (C:US) The hearing will focus on “the status of efforts to hold Swiss banks and their U.S. clients… – Continue reading
