Category: Regulatory

Ghana Revenue Authority to fix a 7% VAT withholding tax

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) would, this year, start charging seven per cent VAT Withholding Tax on individuals and entities that transact business with the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). “What we are seeking to do is that as a person is charging the 17.5 VAT on build-up cost of… – Continue reading

Hong Kong Account Holders: Prepare for AEOI Reporting

Those who hold an account (or are a controlling person) with Hong Kong Financial Institutions – both individuals and entities – must prepare to report their tax residency information to the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) by May 2018 for exchange with 75 reportable jurisdictions under the AEOI standard. In September… – Continue reading

US And Liechtenstein To Negotiate Double Tax Treaty

The governments of Liechtenstein and the United States have recently discussed the possibility of beginning negotiations for a bilateral double tax avoidance treaty. According to a Liechtenstein Government statement issued on March 15, “the fight against financial and tax crime” was the main focus of recent talks between Liechtenstein Foreign… – 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

Indian Master File, First CbC Report Due March 31

The deadline for multinationals to submit a master file and CbC report in India is March 31, 2018, in respect of the 2016-17 financial year. A “master file” must be furnished by multinationals if the total consolidated group revenue exceeds INR5bn and either the aggregate value of international transactions as… – Continue reading

EU states agree on transparency rules to curb tax avoidance

European Union countries have agreed on new rules to crack down on cross-border schemes that help companies evade taxes. Tax professionals who fail to inform authorities about these ploys will be hit with penalties. European Union finance ministers on Tuesday backed transparency measures requiring financial advisors, accountants, lawyers and banks… – Continue reading

Bahamas ‘Failed To Read Tea Leaves’ On Corporate Tax

THE Bahamas’ failure “to read the tea leaves” and introduce a corporate income tax “for ourselves” has contributed to Europe’s planned ‘blacklisting’, a financial executive argued yesterday. Paul Moss, Dominion Management Services’ president, told Tribune Business that implementing such a tax would mean the European Union (EU) “cannot accuse us… – Continue reading

Luxembourg Says EU’s Digital Tax Must Be Lawful

Luxembourg Finance Minister Pierre Gramegna has said that any special tax measures against large digital companies should respect European Union law. Gramegna made the comments during an official visit to Paris earlier this month where he held a series of working meetings with French government counterparts. “Pierre Gramegna stressed that… – Continue reading

Last-Ditch Bid To Halt Eu Blacklist

The Deputy Prime Minister and minister of financial services were yesterday travelling to Europe in a last-ditch bid to plead the Bahamas’ case against being ‘backlisted’. Carl Bethel QC, the Attorney General, confirmed to Tribune Business that both K P Turnquest and Brent Symonette are leading a government delegation that… – Continue reading

Revealed: not a single person has been prosecuted under the Tories’ offshore tax evasion laws

While more and more people who can’t afford to pay council tax are being prosecuted and jailed. Not a single person has been jailed or even prosecuted for tax evasion since the Tories brought in what they claimed were “tough” new measures against tax dodgers, it was shown today. Two… – Continue reading

Indonesian Government Issues Long-Awaited Decree On Beneficial Ownership

On March 1st, President Joko Widodo signed the Presidential Decree No. 13/2018 on beneficial ownership, which enables authorities to identify the beneficial owners of firms and cooperatives, among other institutions. The decree will help to curb money laundering and terrorism funding practices. Experts have said it will also provide a… – Continue reading

Egypt To Receive Tax Information Exchange Support

Egypt is to receive international support to implement new measures in the area of tax transparency and information exchange. Unveiled at a meeting on international tax reform in Cairo on March 7, the OECD and Egypt agreed a new project entitled “Enhancing Domestic Resource Mobilization in Egypt through a better… – Continue reading

Mauritius Finalizes CbC Reporting Regulations

Mauritius last month released the Income Tax (Country-by-Country Reporting) Regulations 2018, setting out the jurisdiction’s rules concerning the filing by multinational groups of transfer pricing documentation. The CbC report is one element of a new three-tiered standardized approach to transfer pricing documentation proposed under BEPS Action 13. Under the framework,… – Continue reading

LUX RULES “MAY FACILITATE AGGRESSIVE TAX PLANNING”

The European Commission has criticised Luxembourg and six other EU member states for overly favourable tax treatment of multinational corporations. “The @EU_Commission is today stressing the issue of aggressive tax planning in seven EU countries: #Belgium, #Cyprus, #Hungary, #Ireland, #Luxembourg, #Malta and The #Netherlands. #FairTaxation,” Pierre Moscovici, the European finance… – Continue reading

India-Iran DTAA – A Step Forward in India’s Economic Engagement with Central Asia

India and Iran signed a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) in February, during Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s official visit to India. The ‘Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income’ aims to encourage the movement of investments and services… – Continue reading

Hong Kong Launches CbC Reporting Portal

Hong Kong’s Inland Revenue Department on March 5 launched its new Country-by-Country Reporting Portal. Groups can now register to file CbC reports for accounting periods beginning between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2017, using the online portal. The CbC report is one element of a new three-tiered standardized approach… – Continue reading

Foreign investors oppose tax amnesty scheme for offshore assets

KARACHI: Foreign investors expressed concern over a proposed tax amnesty scheme to bring back offshore investments, terming it as an injustice with compliant taxpayers, officials said on Monday. Overseas Investors’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI), representing major foreign companies in Pakistan recently shared its concerns, through a letter, with… – Continue reading

Hong Kong’s New Transfer Pricing Regime

On December 29, 2017, Hong Kong gazetted the Inland Revenue (Amendment) (No. 6) Bill 2017 (the Amendment Bill). The Amendment Bill, which was formally introduced into the Legislative Council on January 10, represents a crucial step in the development of Hong Kong’s transfer pricing regulatory and enforcement regime. The objectives… – Continue reading

Director General of Taxes Confirms Issues on Inheritance Tax

JAKARTA, NNC – Director General of Taxes of the Ministry of Finance Robert Pakpahan discloses the rules of reporting financial account of undivided inheritance of a deceased person is a derivative of Indonesia’s participation in Automatic Exchange Of Information (AEoI). According to him, the existence of this rule does not… – Continue reading

High net worth expats in UAE increasingly applying for second passport

High net worth residents in the UAE are increasingly applying for second passports to avail of maximum visa-free travel opportunities, expand businesses and avoid double taxation, experts have said. According to companies involved in citizenship programmes, most of the demand for second citizenship programmes is coming from Indians, Pakistanis, Syrians… – Continue reading

Gov’t agrees to meet international tax standards

THE GOVERNMENT recently held bilateral talks with the Code of Conduct Group (COCG) to discuss tax transparency and fair taxation in the territory. A press release from the Office of the Premier issued on Tuesday (February 27), said Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson and other TCI representatives met with the COCG… – Continue reading

MEPs Back Plans To Tighten Tax Planning Reporting Rules

EU MEPs have supported plans to require intermediaries promoting aggressive, cross-border tax schemes to report those plans to the authorities. Under the proposal, service providers who design or promote such plans would be required to provide details of their schemes in a central directory. The disclosed information would then be… – Continue reading

Belgian Tax Authority To Search For Taxpayers Using Foreign Crypto Exchanges

The Belgian Special Tax Inspectorate (STI) is looking for Belgian individuals who have invested in cryptocurrencies in foreign exchanges, local news outlet De Standaard reported Friday, March 2. After receiving information from Finnish authorities that several Belgian taxpayers had been trading on Finnish crypto exchanges, the STI started looking into… – Continue reading

Panel constituted by SC proposes amends to Income Tax laws

ISLAMABAD: A three-member committee, constituted by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, has proposed amendments to laws of Income Tax Ordinance (ITO), 2001 and Protection of Economic Reform Act, 1992, for removing legal lacunas as they consider it as pre-requisites for introducing yet another amnesty scheme to bring offshore assets into… – Continue reading

FG to Name, Shame, Prosecute Tax Evaders From March 31 ― Adeosun

The Federal Government is ready to prosecute, name and shame tax evaders that fail to utilise the tax amnesty programme, the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS), to regularise their tax profiles, Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, declared on Thursday. She also disclosed that the Federal Government would… – Continue reading

BUSINESSES MUST NOW REPORT CROSS-BORDER TAX AVOIDANCE UNDER NEW EU RULE

Businesses must report to a central EU database which will pass information onto their respective national tax authority THE EU has dealt a blow to businesses contributing to cross-border tax avoidance. MEPs overwhelmingly voted to back a new proposal which states that companies must now report their plans for any… – Continue reading

China’s Police Force Reveals Offshore Exchange Surveillance

According to regional reports, China’s police agency is allegedly monitoring cryptocurrency exchanges based outside of the country. An informant details that China’s Public Information Network Security Supervision task-force is closely watching both domestic and foreign trading platforms involved with cryptocurrencies to prevent fraud, pyramid schemes, and money laundering. China’s Regulators… – Continue reading

Bangladesh, Morocco sign deal on avoidance of double taxation

In a meeting, both sides agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the areas of economic development, trade and investment, agriculture and tourism cooperation Bangladesh and Morocco have signed an agreement on avoidance of double taxation and a protocol on Foreign Office Consultations. The two instruments were signed by Foreign Minister… – Continue reading

OECD Consults On Tackling Common Reporting Standard Circumvention

The OECD has recently launched a consultation on tackling the circumvention of its latest international tax transparency standard, the Common Reporting Standard, through the use by individuals of residency by investment (RBI), or citizenship by investment (CBI) schemes. These schemes typically entitle individuals to reside or gain citizenship through making… – Continue reading

Australia Announces Upcoming Guidance On Int’l Tax Matters

The Australian Tax Office has updated and added to its list of the guidance on international tax matters it intends to release this year. This month, the ATO intends to release a guide on corporate residency – central management and control in Australia [reference code 3838], to provide the ATO’s… – Continue reading

Dutch Cabinet Approves Anti-Evasion Measures

The Government of the Netherlands has announced a comprehensive package of tax anti-avoidance proposals designed to bring the jurisdiction’s rules into line with new European Union anti-avoidance laws and fulfill its obligations under the international BEPS agenda. The plans were detailed in a parliamentary paper sent by State Secretary for… – Continue reading

Singapore Updates Guidance On Transfer Pricing Regime

The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) on February 23, 2018, released the fifth edition of its Transfer Pricing Guidelines for income tax. During a public consultation held in June 2017, stakeholders asked the Ministry of Finance to provide more clarity and guidance on transfer pricing documentation (TPD) requirements, specifically… – Continue reading

OECD Urges Countries Not To Go It Alone On Digital Tax

The problems posed by the digitalization of the economy should be addressed collectively and any interim measures taken by countries unilaterally should be “as little damaging as possible,” the OECD’s Director of Taxation has said. Pascal Saint-Amans told the Irish Independent that to “find a long-term solution, you need to… – Continue reading

GRA staff interdicted for allegedly aiding tax evasion reinstated

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has reinstated some of its personnel who had been interdicted for alleged acts of misconduct. About 21 members of staff of the GRA were interdicted in January 2017 for allegedly aiding some private companies to evade duties and taxes. Those interdicted were mostly from the… – Continue reading

Tax chief: Israel has become world’s laxest tax haven

Moshe Asher: Exempting immigrants and returning residents from reporting is unjustifiable as a matter of principle. The “Milchan Law,” which grants tax and reporting benefits to new immigrants and returning residents and is the subject of the suspicions against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the gifts case (Case 1000), was… – Continue reading

New regulation supports AEOI implementation, analysts say

Analysts are pointing to Finance Ministerial Regulation No. 19/2018, which was recently issued by Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, as technical guidance to support global transparency in taxation. Economist Bawono Kristiaji said the regulation supported the implementation of the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) agreement, which was signed by 100… – Continue reading