Category: IMF

Tax avoidance drives nearly 40% of global FDI: IMF

Nearly 40% of worldwide foreign direct investment (FDI), amounting to $15trn, “passes through empty corporate shells” with “no real business activities”, a study by the IMF and the University of Copenhagen reveals. According to the report, ten economies including Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, BVI, Switzerland, Singapore, Ireland, the Cayman… – Continue reading

EU anti-money laundering blacklist to be revisited

Next month, the European Union will revamp its methodology for compiling its anti-money laundering blacklist, after a previous list was blocked by EU governments that objected to the listing of Saudi Arabia and four US overseas territories, EU Commissioner for Justice Vera Jourova told the Financial Times recently.“We have admitted… – Continue reading

Tax amnesty to regularize undeclared assets approved by Pakistan cabinet

Only a million people out of a population of more than 208 million pay income tax in Pakistan Recently signed IMF bailout plan requires government to squeeze around $5 billion in extra taxes ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government on Tuesday announced a new tax amnesty scheme aimed at broadening the government’s revenue… – Continue reading

Wolfsberg Group Publishes Guidance on Customer Tax Evasion

Financial institutions should be able to leverage existing financial crime compliance, conduct and tax (including tax transparency regimes) procedures and controls, to address the risks of customer tax evasion. The Wolfsberg Group has published new guidance on customer tax evasion, designed to help financial institutions in developing, implementing and maintaining… – Continue reading

Corporate Canada’s Pile of Cash in Offshore Tax Havens Has Hit $353 Billion For the First Time in History

Luxembourg, Barbados and Bermuda are three of Canada’s top five destinations in the world for corporate cash After exploding to record levels under Stephen Harper’s Conservative government, the amount of money Corporate Canada is funneling through offshore tax havens has hit a new all-time high. According to data newly released… – Continue reading

Mauritius: blue skies, sunshine – and these noteworthy changes to its domestic laws

Not just the ultimate holiday stop, Mauritius is also a preferred jurisdiction for fund managers looking to establish African-focused funds, say Michael Denenga and Nicole Paige, partners at Webber Wentzel. “A scenic island off the coast of Africa, Mauritius’ main competitive advantage is its proximity to the jurisdictions that African-focused… – Continue reading

Finance Ministry calls on parliament to adopt laws for cooperation with IMF, EU

The Ukrainian Finance Ministry has called on the Verkhovna Rada to approve a package of bills that will open access to further macro-financial assistance from the EU and help continue cooperation with the IMF, the ministry’s press service has reported on its Facebook page. “This week, the Verkhovna Rada will… – Continue reading

Pakistanis’ assets abroad: Government requests 10 more countries for info exchange

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has made formal requests to 10 more countries under the OECD mechanism as well as Switzerland separately for exchange of information about those Pakistanis who stashed their assets abroad to evade taxes. “We have made requests to 10 more countries for getting automatic exchange of information and so… – Continue reading

Nigeria seeks IMF’s support on tax collection

The Federal Government is seeking assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on modalities for improving tax collection, especially from the International Oil Companies (IOCs), Finance Minister Zainab Ahmed, has said. She told reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing 2018 International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank Group Meetings, in Bali,… – Continue reading

Has the New Inland Revenue Act paralysed the Double Tax Treaty Network of Sri Lanka? Part 1

1.Introduction Due to the influence of International Monetary Fund, the income tax law of Sri Lanka witnessed a near paradigm shift with the introduction of Inland Revenue Act No.24 of 2017 (new IRA) by repealing Inland Revenue Act No.10 of 2006 with effect from 1 April 2018. Unlike the Inland… – Continue reading

How Will the UK Deal With Crypto After Brexit: Expert Take

The United Kingdom and the European Union failed to reach an agreement on an orderly uncoupling, which is a major geopolitical and strategic event, with global implications. Uncertainty about the outcome of the Brexit referendum has already started to weaken growth in the U.K. — which is expected to get… – Continue reading

Angola’s General Tax Administration guarantees introduction of VAT in 2019

Value Added Tax (IVA) will replace the Consumer Tax in Angola in 2019, the coordinator of the Technical Group for the Implementation of IVA, Adilson Sequeira, said according to a report published on the website of the Angolan Ministry of Finance. “The introduction of IVA is the result of a… – Continue reading

Cabinet finalises income tax bill after ‘taking feedback into account’

AMMAN — The government on Monday endorsed the income tax draft law and said it will refer it to the Lower House on Tuesday to get it through constitutional channels towards enactment. Meanwhile, the government reasserted that it was earnestly carrying on with economic reforms according to schedule. During a… – Continue reading

Remittance tax on agenda – Fee in exchange for providing services to Expats

IMF Section 2 – Article 8 “No member may impose restrictions without the approval of the International Monetary Fund on payments and remittances in respect of current international transactions” KUWAIT CITY, April 15: The thirty-first report of the National Assembly’s Finance and Economic Committee on bills on taxation of expatriate… – Continue reading

Luxembourg Vulnerable To International Tax Developments, Says IMF

International tax developments could have a negative impact on Luxembourg’s tax revenues and economy, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said in its latest Luxembourg country report. The report, published on April 3, warns Luxembourg that a number of external tax events are likely to have “important implications” for Luxembourg,… – Continue reading

The ‘Peril And Promise’ Of Blockchain

“The important thing to remember here is this is a brand-new, very complicated space,” warned John Oliver on last weekend’s episode of “Last Week Tonight.” “Literally nobody knows how it’s going to develop, so you need to be careful.” Oliver was discussing cryptocurrencies and blockchain on his show, highlighting the… – Continue reading

Tax exemptions are narrowing Zambia’s tax base, says IMF Country Rep

THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) has observed that certain tax exemptions are narrowing Zambia’s tax base which urgently needs to be broadened to allow Government collect more revenue for development. IMF Zambia country representative, Alfredo Baldini, observed that tax exemptions on certain areas which had special treatment were narrowing the… – Continue reading

Nigeria is getting more people to pay taxes by not punishing them for tax evasion

For a nation of nearly 200 million people, not many Nigerians pay taxes. Indeed, as of May 2017, only 14 million—or one in five—of Nigeria’s estimated 70 million economically active citizens were paying taxes. As such, Nigeria’s government has typically earned much less than it could have from taxes. Back… – Continue reading

IMF praises Philippines for placing casinos under AML act

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has commended the Philippines for legal changes that brought the nation’s casinos within the scope of the country’s Anti-Money Laundering Act. “[The IMF] welcomes the recent amendment… to include casinos” under the act, the IMF executive board said in a press release issued on Monday,… – Continue reading

Income Tax Jitters in The Bahamas Following IMF Recommendation

NASSAU, The Bahamas, Friday September 22, 2017 – An International Monetary Fund (IMF) proposal for The Bahamas to implement a low rate income tax has drawn a mixture of skepticism, approval and downright rejection. Following its Article IV consultation with the Hubert Minnis administration, the Washington-based financial body urged the… – Continue reading

Tax evasion burns a hole in state budget

Instead of raising state revenues, as was intended, the increased demands on self-employed professionals in terms of taxes and social security contributions have resulted in increased tax evasion, confirming the Finance Ministry’s worst fears. Data show that incomes declared earlier this year by self-employed professionals in their 2016 tax statements… – Continue reading

Mauritius ‘Reinventing Itself,’ With Refocused Tax Breaks

Prospects for Mauritius’s economy remain “robust,” with the Government undertaking a number of initiatives to improve the attractiveness of the domestic tax regime for businesses, the International Monetary Fund said. Amadou Sy, who led an IMF mission to the territory, said that the economy remains “robust” but that “Mauritius is… – Continue reading

$1.5 trillion of assets move through the British Virgin Islands — twice as much as previously thought

A new report shows the offshore jurisdiction is home to assets of $1.5tn, double an estimate by the International Monetary Fund in 2010. Assets held offshore in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) are worth $1.5 trillion (£1.19 trillion), double the International Monetary Fund’s 2010 estimate. That’s according to a new… – Continue reading

Japan Urged To Adopt 15 Percent VAT Rate

Japan should commit to new gradual increases to its consumption tax rate, beyond 10 percent, to help rein in its substantial deficit, a new report from the International Monetary Fund says. It said the Government should “place emphasis on a gradual, pre-announced schedule of consumption tax rate hikes, of 0.5… – Continue reading

IMF Recommends Lower, Broader Corporate Tax For Luxembourg

Further corporate tax reforms may be needed to Luxembourg’s tax regime for foreign companies if it is to maintain its appeal while responding to international tax initiatives, the International Monetary Fund has said. The IMF said that evolving international tax transparency and anti-tax avoidance rules at OECD/G20 and EU levels,… – Continue reading

IMF Says African Countries Need To Tap New Revenue Streams

Sub-Saharan African countries should look to tap tax revenues outside natural resources, to finance stimulus measures that could reinvigorate their ailing economies, a new report from the International Monetary Fund says. The IMF’s Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa report, released on May 9, notes that growth in the Sub-Saharan… – Continue reading