The overwhelming majority of people in G-20 countries believe that cooperation between governments on tax policy is more important than competition to increase national tax revenue. According to a survey by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, the preference for cooperation over competition is strongest in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, France,… – Continue reading
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has signed an international tax agreement – Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters(MAC), which is now seen as the ‘gold standard’ for co-operation in tax administration. With this move, UAE has become the 109th jurisdiction to join the most powerful multilateral treaty… – Continue reading
Approximately 300 participants, representing over 100 delegations from countries, jurisdictions, and international organizations gathered in Paris for the fourth meeting of the OECD Global Forum on VAT on April 12-14, 2017. The keynote address was delivered by Wang Jun, China’s Minister of Taxation, who discussed the implementation of value-added tax… – Continue reading
As a rule and according to Article 33 of the Cyprus Income Tax Law, which introduces the arm’s length principle (using wording similar to that of article 9 of the OECD Model Tax Convention), all transactions between companies, including loan agreements/transactions by Cyprus companies, must be undertaken at arm’s length… – Continue reading
Citizens in G20 countries would prefer their government engage in international efforts to improve the functioning of international tax rules than compete for tax receipts, says a new survey. G20 public trust in tax, a report compiled by the ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), IFAC (the International Federation… – Continue reading
Preventing tax fraud and stopping multinationals from seeking out tax havens are important issues for Poland and will be discussed at a G20 summit later this week, Polish Finance Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has said. “We want medium-sized countries as well as smaller countries, which we represent … not to be… – Continue reading
The Netherlands is slowly but surely steering away from facilitating the use of its corporate income tax system by companies that are set up merely to obtain tax benefits. These companies, which often do not actually carry out activities in the Netherlands, have contributed to the perception among policy makers… – Continue reading
President of Panama Juan Carlos Varela signed into law today the implementation of the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters (MAC), which allows for sharing tax information multilaterally on request with the 107 jurisdictions that are part of the convention and provides a common legal basis for cooperation… – Continue reading
As part of the global transparency push, the G20 has committed to implement rules requiring the disclosure of beneficial ownership of legal entities (in addition to automatic exchange of financial account information and the BEPS related transparency measures). On 13 February 2017, Treasury released a consultation paper dealing with part… – Continue reading
The State Administration of Taxation (SAT) is about to hold Chinese citizens’ foreign account information in 101 countries and regions, as the regulation on the localization of the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) in China was put into effect on January 1, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday. Under the… – Continue reading
The Government has introduced the Diverted Profits Tax Bill 2017 and the 35 page Treasury Laws Amendment (Combating Multinational Tax Avoidance) Bill 2017 into Parliament to implement the Diverted Profits Tax (DPT), as one of its first Parliamentary items of business in 2017, indicating the priority attached to this measure…. – Continue reading
The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) United States of America Implementation and Enforcement of the Inter-Governmental Agreement was passed in Parliament without opposition, making it mandatory for Antigua & Barbuda’s banks to provide the banking information of US citizens to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The Act requires local… – Continue reading
A key outcome of the Organisation for Economic Development and Co-operation’s (OECD’s) final Report on Action Plan 13 (Transfer Pricing Documentation and Country-by-Country reporting) is the commitment of OECD and G20 countries to introduce Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting along with the associated master file and local file documentation for large Multinational… – Continue reading
CROSS-border taxation in current times is poised for significant changes. Tax is key in foreign ventures. Absent tax strategies and foreign tax leakages would erode margins and return of investment. Although international tax-efficient strategies to mitigate capital gains tax (CGT), withholding tax (WHT) and the risk of creating a taxable… – Continue reading
A European leader in financial, tax and regulatory reporting for the banking and insurance sectors, Invoke is expanding its software range to meet CRS/AEoI cross-country tax reporting requirements. As part of the global fight against tax evasion, the G20 and OECD program for the exchange of tax payers’ financial information… – Continue reading
Nassau, The Bahamas – The Bahamas has taken many steps to comply with global standards in the financial services sector. One such step is the implementation of the Common Reporting Standard (CRS). The Common Reporting Standard (CRS), developed in response to the G20 request and approved by the OECD Council… – Continue reading
A new legislative approach of the German tax authorities leaked last December 19 will have a significant impact on the tax deductibility of royalties owed to related persons being subject to a preferential back end tax regime for IP not being in compliance with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and… – Continue reading
Coalition’s proposed diverted profits tax could capture billions in revenue from multinationals using profit-shifting practices, says Tax Justice Network One of the biggest critics of multinational tax avoidance has welcomed the Coalition’s proposed “Google tax”, saying a similar tax in the UK looks likely to increase corporate tax payments by… – Continue reading
On 23 November 2016, the Swiss Federal Council adopted the dispatch on the Multilateral Agreement on the exchange of Country-by-Country Reports (CbCRs) and draft federal implementing legislation. The proposal is aimed at implementing the minimum standard of the G20 countries and the OECD to combat base erosion and profit shifting… – Continue reading
Monaco has ratified the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters. The ratification underlines Monaco’s commitment to fighting tax evasion and avoidance. It also means the principality has taken another important step in implementing the Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information in Tax Matters, developed by the… – Continue reading
Fast-food chain’s reorganisation means £800m from restaurants in Europe will flow through the UK instead McDonald’s is to scrap its controversial Luxembourg tax structure in a corporate shakeup that means $1bn (£800m) of income from fast-food restaurants across Europe will flow through the UK instead. The move comes 12 months… – Continue reading
The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) welcomes the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD)’s release last week of a multilateral convention which allows for swift implementation of a series of tax treaty measures encompassed in the OECD/G20 Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. The release follows the conclusion… – Continue reading
94 countries have committed to implement the joint disclosure system by 2017 and 2018 Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has announced that the UAE will begin implementing the standards of joint disclosures and the exchange of information for tax purposes set out by the G20 and Organisation for… – Continue reading
The United Arab Emirates’ tax-free perks could soon come to an end as the OECD group of wealthy nations lays down the pressure to tackle global tax-evaders. The Gulf state’s hesitation to sign up to a world treaty to assist in the exchange of information on tax evaders is a… – Continue reading
The Internal Revenue Service lacks a strong operation to audit a critical international tax compliance area, according to a watchdog report released Thursday. At issue is transfer pricing, a cost structure used by multinational companies to price goods and services they sell to subsidiaries in foreign locations. The IRS requires… – Continue reading
Historically, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been perceived as a region where taxation and transfer pricing initiatives are not high up on government agendas. Although this has been the case for a significant period of time, recent changes in the region such as decreases in global… – Continue reading
Panama will take a big step towards ending its status as an offshore tax haven on Thursday by signing a multilateral convention to share foreign taxpayer details with other governments, the OECD‘s head of tax said. Panama’s role as a major offshore tax haven came into the public spotlight earlier… – Continue reading
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), and the World Bank Group introduced a joint initiative, the Platform for Collaboration on Tax, to UN Member States. Marijn Verhoeven, World Bank Group, expressed excitement that the… – Continue reading
With the exception of British Antarctica, the U.K.’s overseas territories and offshore dependencies are all surrounded by sun-winking ocean water. But that’s not their only common feature—they are all under increasing political pressure to become more transparent with their financial information. In a parliamentary report on tackling overseas corruption, the… – Continue reading
The OECD has set the minimum standards it requires from countries submitting Mutual Agreement Procedure (MAP) profiles, with only 41 countries currently having a completed profile, which will be used as a tool for resolving cross-border tax disputes The MAP falls under Action 14 on the Base Erosion and Profit… – Continue reading
The OECD tax team is calling on tax professionals and multinationals to participate in an online survey on tax certainty, responding to widespread concerns about the increasing complexity of tax rules and lack of stability for companies and multinationals over tax regulations. This follows the detailed work on the OECD’s… – Continue reading
The Saudi Council of Ministers has authorized minister of finance or his deputy to discuss two draft uniform agreements on value added tax (VAT) and selective tax for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states. The agreements shall be discussed within the framework of the GCC financial and economic committee, and sign… – Continue reading
In July 2016 the then Indonesian finance minister Bambang Brodjonegoro, in conjunction with the launch of the widely publicized tax amnesty program (TAP) for undeclared offshore assets, also laid out less publicized plans for a new tax haven on the islands of Bintan and Rempang (Proposed Tax Haven). A key… – Continue reading
Ireland, accused of being a tax haven for multinationals such as Apple to pay nearly zero tax on the bulk of its profits earned outside the United States, finds itself with a new adversary in the global fight against unfair tax practices — Brazil. As of October 1, Brazil will… – Continue reading
A report by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) has criticised the Department for International Development’s (DfiD) approach to tackling tax avoidance and its alleged failure to achieve value for money on HMRC collaboration DfiD has failed in its efforts to fully include developing countries so that they benefit… – Continue reading
The Director of the OECD’s tax policy and administration unit has said there is no pressure on Ireland to change its 12.5% tax rate. “There is no question about the 12.5% rate, even the French have understood that Ireland will not change the rate,” Pascal Saint-Amans said. He said the… – Continue reading
OECD Secretary General Angel Gurría has stressed the need for policy makers to provide a certain tax environment for businesses, to maintain trade and investment. Discussing the tax challenges facing EU countries at the informal meeting of EU finance ministers, held in Bratislava, Slovakia, on September 10, 2016, Gurría said:… – Continue reading
The Australian government shouldn’t rely on leaks like that of the Panama Papers to pick up on tax evasion, it should consider stronger action. The federal government showed some leadership earlier this year by announcing the establishment of a public register of beneficial ownership of companies, with the aim of… – Continue reading
Potential slice of the Apple pie stems from Commission’s invitation to EU tax authorities. BRATISLAVA — The €13 billion clawback of unpaid taxes from U.S. tech giant Apple has piqued the interests of EU finance ministers, who have today asked the European Commission for more details on the potential share… – Continue reading
President Joko Widodo remarked that Indonesia supports the implementation of automatic exchange of financial information in tax matters between countries. This, he said, would lead to enhanced income for the developing countries. “Indonesia encourages an international tax system that is fair and transparent,” President Joko Widodo said in his speech… – Continue reading
The G20 summit in China has stressed the need for international tax cooperation to achieve ‘a globally fair and modern international tax system’, after US President Obama warned of the risks if countries ‘race to the bottom’ in tax policies At a press conference at the conclusion of the summit,… – Continue reading
Malcolm Turnbull will push for a crackdown on multinational tax avoidance when he meets with world leaders at the G20 summit in China. But Labor have accused Mr Turnbull of not having a strong plan for confronting corporate tax avoidance at home, let alone abroad. The prime minister will arrive… – Continue reading
Five more governments have signed up to an international convention on cooperating with tax authorities around the world, bringing the number of participating jurisdictions to 103. The OECD’s Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters is a wide-reaching agreement to exchange information about taxpayers between authorities either on request… – Continue reading
As Brussels is slated to deliver a verdict next month on Apple and other US companies for evading billions of pounds in taxes, the US Treasury Department has warned the European Commission (EU) about taking such action. In a white paper commissioned by US Treasury secretary Jack Lew, the Obama… – Continue reading
THE OECD/G-20 Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Project is designed to provide solutions for governments to close the gaps in existing international rules that allow corporate profits to “disappear” or be artificially shifted to low or no tax environments, where companies have little or no economic activity. In February… – Continue reading
The State of Kuwait has joined the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement for swapping taxation information according to criteria of the Development and Economic Cooperation Organization (OECD), becoming the first Arab country to ink the relevant international treaty. Kuwait Finance Undersecretary Khalifa Hamada said in a statement that he led the… – Continue reading
ISLAMABAD: In a major development, Pakistan has been formally offered to sign and ratify a 98-countries’ convention — “Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters” — to check tax evasion and tax avoidance by any of its nationals living in any of the member countries. Signing the convention… – Continue reading
Despite Western opposition, the 134-member Group of 77 is continuing to pursue a longstanding proposal for an inter-governmental UN-affiliated tax body aimed at combating corporate tax dodging and curbing illicit financial flows, including money laundering and off-shore banking. The proposal has already been shot down twice by Western nations, first,… – Continue reading
There is little that can be done about FATCA and the change has to come from within the U.S. Death and taxes, life’s two certainties according to Keynes, sometimes have a causal relationship. One dies and some taxes are often associated with that event. Alternatively, one encounters so much regulation… – Continue reading
Indonesia will be among the first to join the group of countries adopting the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) in 2018. AEOI would provide automatic exchange of tax information among the members of the group. All bank accounts in the world would be accessible for taxable assets. Dishonest and greedy… – Continue reading
