HSBC bank has been based in UK ever since it took over Midland Bank in 1993 but the bank was born in Hong Kong and it looks like its headquarters is headed back East. The bank has traditionally reviewed its head office location every three years, this morning the bank… – Continue reading
Documents exposed secret deals to slash global tax bills of multinational companies A French journalist has been criminally charged in Luxembourg for his role in exposing how hundreds of multinational companies used secret deals with the European duchy’s government to slash their global tax bills — a scheme that CBC… – Continue reading
MUMBAI: In a bid to attract investments into Luxembourg, once seen as a “tax haven”, its ambassador today assured industrialists and investors that his government “does not encourage money laundering.” “We do not encourage dirty money. It is a misconception that the Luxembourg is a tax haven,” the alpine nation’s… – Continue reading
FATCA 1. New FATCA IGA guidance notes On 3 February 2015, the Jersey Chief Minister’s Department published the latest version of the Guidance Notes on the Taxation (International Tax Compliance) (Jersey) Regulations 2014 in relation to the implementation of obligations arising under the intergovernmental agreements (IGAs) with the US and… – Continue reading
1 General news 1.1 HMRC organisation chart HMRC has published its latest organisation chart showing the names of senior management. One point to note is the number of senior people now in roles such as change management as opposed to being in pure technical roles. This clearly demonstrates the direction… – Continue reading
The arrival of Netflix in Australia has brought into sharp relief the GST base erosion problem caused by global digital commerce. Along with the non-taxation of low-value imported goods, the absence of GST on services and digital products imported by consumers represents an omission from the tax base that is… – Continue reading
1. NON-TAX ISSUES 1.1 Domestic law 1.1.1 Briefly describe your legal system and its origins The legal system of the Republic of Ireland is a common law system. In order to ensure consistency, a legal principle developed whereby courts were generally required to follow earlier relevant decisions. This doctrine of… – Continue reading
TL: What are the main considerations and advantages for doing business in Malta? AB: Malta’s positive approach to business promotion, development and standard of living within the EU makes the island a destination of choice for relocation of business purposes. Malta offers noteworthy benefits to individuals and investors who are… – Continue reading
An inflow of bank deposits to Luxembourg from Asia and the Gulf have replaced reductions from European countries such as France and Germany following an overhaul of the Grand Duchy’s tax secrecy regime, reports the Financial Times. Pierre Gramegna told the Financial Times in an interview that “bank secrecy had… – Continue reading
The European Investment Bank (EIB) must tighten up its lending rules to prevent its money being funnelled through tax havens, NGOs have warned in a new report, reports EU Observer. The report ‘Towards a Responsible Taxation Policy for the EIB’, published on Tuesday (21 April) by transparency NGOs Re-Common and… – Continue reading
Like many other public banks, the European Investment Bank (EIB) leverages its own means by acting as a catalyst for private investment through various financial mechanisms. Too often, though, attempts to attract private capital result in unpredictable risks and higher-than projected costs for the public coffer, write Xavier Sol and… – Continue reading
PRAGUE – The world’s latest contender for statehood, Liberland, is a tiny new, self-proclaimed country sandwiched between Croatia and Serbia that lives up to its “live and let live” motto by offering optional taxes, its president said Monday. “The key idea is voluntary taxes, creating a state so small that… – Continue reading
The Council of the European Union on April 20, 2015, endorsed proposals to require member states to maintain a central register of information on the beneficial ownership of corporate and other legal entities. It would be at the discretion of member states as to whether such information would be publicized…. – Continue reading
HM Revenue and Customs has amended its list of registered pension schemes in what appears to be a bid for clarity in light of the new pension freedoms, toughening risk warnings and modifying language to emphasise that appearing on the list does not confer authorisation, reports the FT Adviser. The… – Continue reading
The internationally recognized handbook for legal experts Global Law Experts has distinguished GRP Rainer Lawyers and Tax Advisors as one of the leading law firms in the field of tax law. GRP Rainer Lawyers and Tax Advisors in Cologne, Berlin, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart and London has been… – Continue reading
Britain’s Conservative Party returned a donation of £50,000 from a wealthy businesswoman on Monday after it emerged she was once wanted on charges of tax fraud in the United States. Beatrice Tollman, founder of luxury hotel chain Red Carnation, made an election campaign donation to the Tories earlier this month…. – Continue reading
The European Court of Justice recently ruled that the Netherlands may restrict the 30% fixed tax-free allowance for expatriate costs to employees living more than 150 kilometres from the Dutch border. The 150-kilometre restriction does not restrict the free movement of employees within the European Union. Consequently, an employer and… – Continue reading
Last week some of Australia’s biggest and richest companies voluntarily fronted up to a senate inquiry on corporate tax avoidance. Bigwigs from big brands, including Apple, Google, Microsoft, Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton and Fortescue Metals, squirmed under the spotlight as they were grilled about how they (legally) shift profits offshore… – Continue reading
BEIJING: A total of 57 countries have been approved as founding members of a Chinese-led infrastructure bank, Beijing said on Wednesday, and Norway is included despite frosty relations over a Chinese dissident’s Nobel prize. No nations that formally sought to become founding members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)… – Continue reading
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
In October 2012 Portugal launched its Golden Visa Residence Programme with the aim to provide prospective Non-EU foreign investors with the opportunity to take up residency in Portugal through investment. Recently, the Portuguese Parliament promulgated a set of new rules pertaining to this particular programme. The said rules are still… – Continue reading
French President François Hollande said on Wednesday that a drawn-out tax evasion row with Switzerland “is behind us” as he launched a visit aimed at mending fences. The two-day trip is the first state visit to Switzerland by a French president since Jacques Chirac’s stopover 17 years ago. Paris is… – Continue reading
David Maclean, Baron Blencathra, wrote to Cayman Islands in 2014 that transparency push was to head off G8 pressure and EU’s financial transaction tax A Conservative peer has described David Cameron’s flagship G8 anti-tax avoidance initiative as a “purely political gesture” designed to head off European attempts to curb the… – Continue reading
The Italian Ministry of Finance has removed Guernsey from its revised tax blacklist. Amendments within the 2015 Finance Act mean that the anti-tax haven deduction blacklist has been revised to exclude all countries that have an adequate exchange of information with Italy. Sinéad Leddy, Head of Technical at Guernsey Finance,… – Continue reading
Enterprise minister Nick Boles says big corporations are ‘taking the mickey’ and Labour’s Chuka Umunna said the issue makes his constituents ‘very angry indeed’ A senior Conservative MP has advised businesses and accountants to check whether their tax policies are ethical by asking an NHS nurse. The enterprise minister Nick… – Continue reading
The Minister of Finance for Luxembourg says his country – labelled by critics as a tax haven for multinational corporations – is committed to sweeping international tax reforms being pushed by the G20 and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, as long as they create a “level playing field.”… – Continue reading
The SNP’s much-vaunted plan for full fiscal autonomy would land Scotland with more austerity, not less, writes Peter Jones More and more, the SNP’s plans for Scotland to achieve full fiscal autonomy are looking ridiculous (contradictions abound everywhere), dangerous(savage cuts in public spending would be inevitable) and unworkable (gaps cannot… – Continue reading
It has become increasingly fashionable to compare the results of Greece and the Baltic States’ response to the financial crisis of 2008, most recently last month with the Financial Times’ column with John Dizard. This, however, is a classic textbook case of comparing apples to oranges. Greece’s crisis was chiefly… – Continue reading
Belgium has not asked Russia to lift the embargo on its food products, and such issues should be discussed between the EU and Russia, says Belgian Foreign Minister and Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Chairman Didier Reynders. “Belgium pursues its policy in solidarity with the European Union, and therefore… – Continue reading
The present French Tax Update will focus on (i) several noteworthy French and European Union court decisions issued in the last months of 2014 and in the first months of 2015, and (ii) the recent presentation by the European Commission of a package of tax transparency measures. VALIDITY OF TAX… – Continue reading
Luxembourg has been accused of hypocrisy after announcing that it will contribute $87 million towards an EU investment fund, with tax campaigners instead calling for the country to scrap its special tax rules, which analysts say is costing the EU “hundreds of billions every year.” The small European Duchy has… – Continue reading
For British pension holders in the US, transferring into a Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme (QROPS) is now commonplace. These pension solutions are widely accessible to all US residents or nationals who have accrued pensions from their time working in the UK, and are an invaluable aspect of financial planning… – Continue reading
(Reuters) – European Union regulators are scrutinizing four EU countries’ treatment of banks’ deferred tax assets (DTAs) to see if they constitute potentially illegal state aid, the European Commission said on Tuesday. The EU executive said it had contacted authorities in Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece following requests from some… – Continue reading
The Markova Noga border crossing in Prespa could be the first project to be carried out of the series of trust-building measures between Macedonia and Greece, sources from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of both countries have told Dnevnik off the record. The opening of this border crossing, according to… – Continue reading
• Starbucks ran its European business – including UK – through Holland • But Dutch division paid just £1.9million tax on profits of £300million • Now details of UK company at heart of new probe have started to emerge • A Starbucks spokesman said it complies ‘with all relevant tax… – Continue reading
The EU is collecting evidence to determine if Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy should face an investigation into whether they are illegally underwriting banks, reports the Irish Times. The EU is collecting evidence to determine if Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy should face an investigation into whether they are illegally… – Continue reading
On April 3, 2015, as part of its Action Plan on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS), the OECD released a discussion draft entitled “BEPS Action 3: Strengthening CFC Rules” (the Draft) for comments. The Draft stresses the importance of CFC rules in countering base erosion and profit shifting, and… – Continue reading
Having failed to maintain its momentum of last year, and with its poll ratings falling, Ukip’s credibility is increasingly coming under fire. The latest problem to face party leader Nigel Farage is accusations of hypocrisy over tax avoidance. Some years ago, the former City trader attacked the EU for ‘creating… – Continue reading
Blackstone, the US private equity giant that until recently was locked in a dispute with Cork developer Michael O’Flynn, is willing to lend money to Irish SMEs. The firm hasn’t announced the plan publicly, but we are reliably informed that Blackstone will consider deals if approached by a borrower. The… – Continue reading
ATHENS: Greece may face European Economic Affairs Commission on 26% withholding tax plan. Bulgaria complained to the European Commission on 30 March about a new Greece law battling corporate tax avoidance that Sofia warns could undermine trade between the Balkan neighbors. In a letter to European Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre… – Continue reading
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
(Reuters) – Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday accused his political rivals of wanting to raise taxes and borrow more after coming under pressure from six party leaders over his plans to tackle Britain’s 1.5 trillion pound ($2.2 trillion) debt mountain. In the first and only full TV debate of… – Continue reading
Ireland has been targeted by a new Greek law that the country’s government says is aimed at combating the nation’s widespread corporate tax avoidance, reports the Irish Independent. However, critics say a new tax regime that explicitly targets companies doing business in Ireland, Cyprus and Bulgaria undermines Europe’s common market… – Continue reading
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
Greece submitted a list of economic reforms to the European Union (EU) in an effort to secure emergency financing. Greece submitted a list of economic reforms to the European Union (EU) in an effort to secure emergency financing. The reforms include proposals to raise revenue by curbing tax evasion and… – Continue reading
Bulgaria complained Monday to the European Commission about a new Greek law battling corporate tax avoidance that Sofia warns could undermine trade between the two Balkan neighbours. In a letter to European Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici, Bulgarian Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov took exception with Athens’ introduction of a 26… – Continue reading
New EU plans to force governments to send quarterly reports on tax rulings are a “revolutionary” step towards overcoming corporate secrecy, the bloc’s tax commissioner has said. The blueprint published two weeks ago by the Commission would establish a system of automatic exchange of information on tax rulings and require… – Continue reading
(Reuters) – European Union antitrust regulators have asked Luxembourg for more information on its tax rulings on McDonald’s after labour unions and a charity accused the U.S. fast food chain of avoiding taxes, a person involved in the issue said on Tuesday. Umbrella organisations for unions representing millions of workers… – Continue reading
The Netherlands’ tax regime is enabling a Canadian gold mining company to pay less tax in Greece, a report by a Dutch foundation concluded Monday (30 March). The Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations found that Greece has missed out on at least €1.7 million in tax revenues, because the… – Continue reading
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and EU Counter-terrorism Coordinator Gilles de Kerchove visit Parliament this week to discuss security challenges and the EU’s response to terrorist threats. In addition MEPs vote on legislation to increase transparency when setting key interest rates, while the new special committee on tax rulings will… – Continue reading
