ISLAMABAD: The FBR is seeking extraordinary powers to access private bank accounts of citizens, apparently to catch tax dodgers, locate assets beyond means, sources of funds, detect foreign travels and raise revenue for the government. For the purpose, the FBR has recommended that its intelligence wing be allowed to perform… – Continue reading
Tax authorities in South Korea and the United States will conduct a joint investigation into the allegation that the fugitive Yoo Byung-eun’s family engaged in offshore tax evasion.After the April 16 Sewol ferry disaster, the National Tax Service asked its U.S. counterpart to share intelligence on Yoo, the de facto… – Continue reading
THE BUREAU of Internal Revenue (BIR) yesterday sued the country’s exclusive distributor of Kopiko products, and several other businesses, for allegedly evading billions of pesos worth of taxes. The BIR, in a press release, said Tridharma Marketing Corp. (TMC) was sued for tax liability amounting to P4.47 billion in 2010,… – Continue reading
Fallout from the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act Almost 80 percent of Americans living abroad are considering relinquishing their U.S. citizenship to escape the consequences of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, according to deVere Group. That represents an increase of 11 points since last year. The Foreign Account Tax… – Continue reading
Many Expect to Assume More Responsibility for Documentation and Files PR Newswire NEW YORK, July 17, 2014 NEW YORK, July 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Most companies involved with transfer pricing believe that a streamlined audit process will be the greatest benefit resulting from the new Transfer Pricing Audit Roadmap developed by the Internal Revenue Service… – Continue reading
Technically, merging and reincorporating abroad to avoid taxes is called an inversion. Bluntly, it’s called a disgrace. U.S. companies should push for tax reform rather than departing on paper and handing their tax burden to American taxpayers. The latest to seek refuge from Uncle Sam is Salix Pharmaceuticals of Raleigh,… – Continue reading
For those living in America who have pensions saved from their time in the UK, the complexity surrounding the tax viability of transferring into a potentially highly beneficial QROPS can be slightly off-putting. Many will search the HMRC QROPS list and see 14 schemes listed in the USA. Schemes such as Kraft… – Continue reading
Notwithstanding (read: Because of) certain free-airfare offers on the part of the Department of Justice! A former Swiss banker and top UBS AG executive slated to go on trial for allegedly aiding U.S. tax evasion has asked that witnesses too spooked to step foot in America be able to testify… – Continue reading
YEREVAN, July 17. /ARKA/. Russia’s government has approved the package of legislative changes which make offshore companies’ access to the state’s money more complicated. They no longer will be provided by guarantees and they will be obliged to reveal beneficial owners in government procurement auctions. The demands turned out to… – Continue reading
HM Revenue & Customs has recovered £135m from 24,000 clients named on a list of HSBC’s Swiss private banking operation, which were revealed in a leak by a former employee. Lin Homer, chief executive of HMRC, told a hearing at the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee last night that… – Continue reading
British Columbia’s securities regulator is funnelling more resources into a crackdown on suspicious trading activity coming from offshore bank accounts in “secrecy” jurisdictions, saying the accounts often belong to locals who are hiding their identities. Lang Evans, manager of special investigations at the British Columbia Securities Commission, is heading a… – Continue reading
The taxman has doubled collections from property developers and landlords in the fiscal year ended June 30, as efforts targeting the sector’s tax avoidance yield result. The Kenya Revenue Authority yesterday said it has collected Sh2.1 billion from the sector from Sh1 billion in the previous year. KRA had accused… – Continue reading
The Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) yesterday issued a warning against lending money via offshore Internet banking Web sites, saying such transactions do not enjoy the protection of Taiwanese laws. The warning came after Lufax.com, a peer-to-peer lending platform under China’s Ping An Group (中國平安), reportedly attracted more than NT$1.2 billion… – Continue reading
Switzerland and Iceland have signed a new double taxation agreement (DTA) which lowers withholding tax rates and provides for the exchange of information in line with international standards. It will replace the existing DTA, signed in 1998. The treaty sets a withholding tax exemption for dividend payments from significant holdings… – Continue reading
For those living in America who have pensions saved from their time in the UK, the complexity surrounding the tax viability of transferring into a potentially highly beneficial QROPS can be slightly off-putting. Many will search the HMRC QROPS list and see 14 schemes listed in the USA. Schemes such as Kraft… – Continue reading
WASHINGTON — From abortion to electronic privacy to background checks for gun purchases, a strange thing has been happening on the floor of the House as it debates its spending bills for the coming fiscal year: the stirrings of liberalism. The House on Thursday voted 221 to 200 to approve… – Continue reading
According to recent Home Office statistics, 10,000 British pensioners a year wave goodbye to the UK and set off to take retirement abroad. Yet the vast majority of retired expats find that they are still paying tax as they draw their UK pension. The exception comes when the pensioner resides… – Continue reading
The BVI Government has signed a Model 1B (non-reciprocal) Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) in relation to the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), it was announced on 30 June 2014. The IGA can be accessed here. As expected the final IGA is in substantially the same form as the model agreement. There… – Continue reading
As per the estimates, in last six months Rs.150 crore of value added tax was evaded by giving wrong declaration in imports only on JNPT port Trade circles have alleged a surge in tax evasion by importers of vegetable oils. According to an official from the Solvent Extractors’ Association (SEA),… – Continue reading
U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew is urging Congress to act to prevent U.S. companies shifting their headquarters abroad to benefit from a lower tax rate. “Congress should enact legislation immediately — and make it retroactive to May 2014 — to shut down this abuse of our tax system,” Lew wrote… – Continue reading
Investors in India are nervous as it looks like the government aims to go ahead with plans to close more tax loopholes through a new set of General Anti-Avoidance Rules, or GAAR. While the new rules were slated to come into effect in April, many investors and executives had expected the… – Continue reading
New Delhi: India on Tuesday said negotiations are going on for signing new Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements (DTAAs) with Hong Kong, Iran, Nigeria and three other nations. The three other countries are Azerbaijan, Chile and Venezuela, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley informed Rajya Sabha in in a written reply . Besides,… – Continue reading
The Obama administration called for immediate congressional action to stop U.S. companies from using cross-border mergers to escape the country’s tax system, the latest trend in corporate deal-making. In a letter calling for a “new sense of economic patriotism,” Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew said Congress should pass tax changes… – Continue reading
Net-A-Porter have apparently been a little naughty with their tax returns. Uh oh, have Net-A-Porter taking a naughty book-keeping tip or two from Dolce & Gabbana? After the famous designer duo got done for tax evasion, the online designer handbag retailer has been accused of the same thing. According to… – Continue reading
The owner of an office supply business in Tralee, Co Kerry, and a “generous” charity worker, was found to have almost €800,000 in Swiss and other foreign bank accounts uncovered on foot of a revenue investigation and a European tip-off. John Cashell, aged 59, of Stacks Mountain, Kilflynn, Co Kerry,… – Continue reading
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has yet to adopt a view on proposed rules to tighten policy on tax avoidance by foreign investors, a senior finance ministry official said on Monday. The general anti-avoidance rules (GAAR) announced by the previous government had sparked alarm among foreign investors because of provisions… – Continue reading
FIRMS STILL HAVE to report transactions with US citizens to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) despite registering with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), a government official said. BIR Commissioner Kim S. Jacinto-Henares said that while many local firms had committed to supply data to the IRS to comply with… – Continue reading
Following last week’s announcement about HMRC’s plans to impose £1m fines on promoters of tax avoidance schemes and revelations about the Liberty tax strategy, the PCG has issued a warning to all independent professionals in the UK’s contracting community to steer clear of such tax planning schemes. A secret database… – Continue reading
Back in 2012, the Puerto Rican government signed a law that created a nice tax haven of U.S. citizens. Tax attorney Rob Wood comments on the Puerto Rican option, which was also the subject of his Forbes article “Hate Taxes? Move To Tax-Free Puerto Rico, Stay American, Avoid IRS.” Wood… – Continue reading
British expats living in Spain will have to be on their toes to keep up with the new Spanish tax rules There are a number of changes afoot which could trip you up faster than a flamenco dance. These include: · A new double tax treaty · New disclosure rules… – Continue reading
The start of tax information reporting between the US and foreign governments and financial institutions under Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) from July 1, 2014 triggered a rush of nations joining the network at the eleventh hour. The major surprise for FATCA watchers was China agreeing ‘in substance’ to… – Continue reading
Foreign entities use this to document their status On June 25, 2014, the Internal Revenue Service released long-awaited instructions to Form W-8BEN-E, used by foreign entities to document their status under both chapter 3 and chapter 4 (the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA)) of the Internal Revenue Code. The… – Continue reading
28 suspects of evading taxes on fruit and vegetable products are under questioning by prosecutors of the DIICOT. These include two officials from the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (NAFA). Prosecutors of the DIICOT Bucharest, along with officers from the Bucharest Organised Crime Squad, conducted 46 searches on Wednesday in… – Continue reading
The UK and India are determined to lead international efforts to tackle tax evasion, according to a joint press statement issued by UK Chancellor George Osborne and India’s new Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. On July 8, 2014, the two governments met in New Delhi at the seventh round of the… – Continue reading
The finance ministry will soon consider tax expert Parthasarathi Shome’s suggestions on possible instances where offshore sale of Indian assets need not be taxed here, said a finance ministry official. The Shome Committee had in its 2012 ‘Report on Retrospective Amendments Relating to Indirect Transfer of Indian assets’ suggested that… – Continue reading
MOSCOW, July 14 (RAPSI) – An Uzbek court has handed down prison sentences to Rustam Madumarov and Gayane Avakyan, close acquaintances of the Uzbek president’s daughter, Gulnara Karimova, the Uzbek language service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty announced on Monday. Radio Ozodlik cited sources as saying that Madumarov and Avakyan were… – Continue reading
GUWAHATI, July 14 – Evasion of tax and forest royalty has become a major cause of concern for Assam. Though the Bureau of Investigation of Economic Offences (BIEO) of the Assam Police managed to detect some such evasions, those were tips of the iceberg and it is up to the concerned departments to be more vigilant… – Continue reading
Gary Barlow, his manager and fellow Take That stars Mark Owen and Howard Donald ploughed £66million into the programme called Icebreaker Gary Barlow is thinking of suing experts who advised him to invest millions in a tax avoidance scheme after telling a pal: “I’m not evil.” The Sunday People reports,… – Continue reading
The latest proposed tax inversion deal just got even bigger. U.S. bidder AbbVie hiked its offer for Dublin-based Shire PLC Sunday after four days of talks in a deal that could now reach $31.35 billion, underscoring what it sees as the benefits of a tie-up that will also give it… – Continue reading
The use of ‘inefficient’ branch networks for fundraising goes against international practice, but mainland banks gain marketing benefits When it comes to their offshore debt programmes, mainland banks embrace the mantra of thinking globally and acting locally. Looking at all offshore debt issued by the five biggest mainland banks since… – Continue reading
KENYA Revenue Authority is currently recovering Sh25 billion outstanding tax from international companies that a recent audit showed were involved in transfer pricing, it announced on Friday. Commissioner general John Njiraini said the authority has recently conducted transfer pricing audits involving over 50 cases which have so far yielded tax… – Continue reading
Andrea Leadsom, a high-flying Treasury minister, received more than £70,000 from a family business, the parent company of which is controlled out of the Virgin Islands tax haven. The payments, which appear to be within the letter of the rules for political donations, have been criticised because of the contrast… – Continue reading
The Guardian explains why opposition to Juncker as EU President is somewhat misguided. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg’s Ruritanian title carries a whiff of archaic glamour. But it is nothing more than a piratical state. The only difference between pirates old and new is that instead of using muskets and… – Continue reading
India’s government challenged the merger of Vedanta Resources Plc (VED)’s local units in court on the grounds the deal by the flagship company of billionaire Anil Agarwal was aimed at avoiding taxes. The merger is a “device” for tax evasion, according to the petition filed today by the Ministry of… – Continue reading
The bank accounts of retired Egyptian football player Mohamed Abu Trika were frozen due to failure to pay dues to the Egyptian Tax Authority (ETA), an official at the Ministry of Finance’s fight against tax evasion department confirmed to the Daily News Egypt. The official said that the “this is… – Continue reading
Millionaire investors in a £5billion alleged tax avoidance scheme run by financier Patrick McKenna’s investment firm Ingenious are preparing to settle with the taxman rather than face a court battle with the authorities. The Ingenious scheme, revealed by The Mail on Sunday four years ago, is one of the biggest… – Continue reading
Recently announced proposals by the Italian government to abolish withholding tax on loan interest payments and lift restrictions on direct lending to Italian companies are expected to give a major boost to the country’s loan market. The moves should make it much easier and cheaper for foreign banks and other… – Continue reading
ISLAMABAD: The US authorities have made direct contacts with Pakistani commercial banks to seek data of account holders of their nationals in a bid to comply with their law known as the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (Fatca), The News has learnt. However, the Nawaz Sharif government has taken a… – Continue reading
Taipei, July 11 (CNA) An agreement signed by Taiwan and Luxembourg on avoiding double taxation and preventing tax evasion was approved by Luxembourg’s parliament Wednesday and will take effect on Jan. 1, 2015, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Friday.The agreement was signed by the Taxation Agency… – Continue reading
Houston: Preparer Diane Caldwell Larry has pleaded guilty to falsifying client returns. During her plea hearing, she admitted that while operating Paradise South Tax Services she prepared 33 materially false client returns for tax years 2007 through 2010. Those returns generated excessive refunds and cost the IRS some $168,792. Larry… – Continue reading
