Category: Income Tax

Duterte orders DOF to ensure TRAIN’s effective implementation

MANILA, Dec. 20 – President Duterte has instructed the Department of Finance (DOF) to ensure the effective implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act (TRAIN), and to immediately submit to Congress the Package Two of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP) in the early 2018, which aims… – Continue reading

CRA finalizes new Information Circular for income tax Voluntary Disclosures Program

On December 15, 2017, the CRA released the final version of Information Circular IC 00-1R6 – Voluntary Disclosures Program (“VDP”) for income tax, after receiving and considering community input on the June 2017 draft version. This article summarizes the important differences between the draft and the final ICs and discusses… – Continue reading

Thousand billions in lost tax from foreign enterprises

Vietnam has lost thousands of billions of dong in taxes as foreign enterprises, especially large-scale ones, refuse to pay based on the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement. Massive revenue without having to pay taxes The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Taxation has recently issued an ultimatum for Uber B.V Netherlands… – Continue reading

Bahamas Faces Major Tax, Exchange Control Shake-Up

The Bahamas may have to completely overhaul its corporate and taxation structure to escape European Union/OECD ‘blacklisting’ threats, the Attorney General revealed yesterday. Carl Bethel QC told Tribune Business that the Government was “looking very carefully” at whether compliance with European (EU) demands will require this nation to eliminate the… – Continue reading

UK Releases Guidance On Royalties WHT Proposal

The UK Government has released a consultation on the royalty withholding tax targeting digital firms announced in the UK’s most recent Budget. Under the proposal, the Government intends to introduce legislation in Finance Bill 2018-19 to broaden the circumstances in which certain payments made to non-UK residents have a liability… – Continue reading

A stark warning for participants of the ‘Alchemy’ tax scheme

On 11 September 2017, His Honour Judge Colin Bishopp handed down his judgement in the case of The Commissioners for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs –v- (1) Root2tax Limited (2) Root3tax Limited (in liquidation) [2017] UKFTT 0696 (TC). The Root2 judgement concerned HMRC’s application to the First Tier Tax Tribunal… – Continue reading

Bahamas ‘Done Everything Possible’ To Avoid Blacklist

THE Deputy Prime Minister believes the Bahamas has “done everything we could possibly do” to escape the European Union (EU) ‘tax haven’ blacklist that will be issued tomorrow. K P Turnquest told Tribune Business that the Minnis administration “has no reason to think” this nation will be deemed a ‘non-cooperative… – Continue reading

Proposed new UK royalty withholding tax will apply from April 2019

A new royalty withholding tax will apply from April 2019 where a non-UK resident entity making sales in the UK pays a royalty to a connected party in a low tax jurisdiction, according to a consultation document which sets out further details of the proposal, which was first announced in… – Continue reading

India to accept mutual agreement process in transfer pricing cases

NEW DELHI The Indian Income Tax Department will accept applications for Mutual Agreement Procedure (MAP) in transfer pricing disputes, as well as for bilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs), even for entities resident in countries with which India has double taxation avoidance agreements (DTAA), minus the provision to claim corresponding tax… – Continue reading

France Boasts Second-Highest Taxes In the World

A new study shows that France taxes its population the second-most among developed countries. Which country claimed the first place spot? Denmark. As research from the OECD economic think tank attests, the combination of France’s income and property taxes, social security payments, and goods and services makes up 45.3% of… – Continue reading

TOKYO PUSHES BACK ON ‘BIZARRE’ DEATH TAX THAT DETERS EXPATS

Considering a work stint in Japan? You’d better make it short, and you’d better stay alive. That’s because the government subjects long-term foreign residents to inheritance tax of up to 55 percent on their worldwide assets – meaning heirs could be forced to give up their family homes or businesses,… – Continue reading

Paradise Papers reveal unethical tax avoidance by tech companies

Under President Trump’s political and economic climate, stocks and the economy have been soaring. Trump constantly aims for three percent GDP growth as a result of cutting corporate income and individual income taxes, which aims to encourage spending across different family incomes. However, these corporations the tax cuts favor have… – Continue reading

US Senate Presents A Different Take On Tax Reform

The Senate Finance Committee released its tax reform plan on November 9, presenting a draft bill with marked differences to that agreed by the House Ways and Means Committee on the same day. The proposal was drafted by Finance Committee Republicans under the leadership of Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin… – Continue reading

Goa emerging as a haven of tax evasion

The investigation wing of the income-tax department in Goa probing money laundering and black money has uncovered more than Rs 1,000 crore worth of tax evasion in recent months. The tax evasion cases came to light between April and October 2017 following the post-demonetisation crackdown on undisclosed income, a senior… – Continue reading

Republicans Reveal US Tax Reform Law

On October 2 the US Government released the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, setting out in legislation its plans for comprehensive reform of the US tax code. For businesses, the bill will bring about a landmark shift to a territorial corporate tax system, replacing the current worldwide tax basis regime… – Continue reading

‘Low Level’ Corporation Tax Studied

The Deputy Prime Minister yesterday revealed the Bahamas “may have to look at” implementing a low-rate corporate income tax, as global regulatory pressures force “hard decisions” upon it. K P Turnquest, while emphasising that such a move was a long way off, agreed that compliance with the OECD’s Base Erosion… – Continue reading

Shell transactions under vigil: Serial Income Tax raids on three businessmen

HYDERABAD: Income Tax sleuths on Wednesday conducted simultaneous searches in Hyderabad and Vijayawada on three top businessmen cum-realtors, who were allegedly evading tax, particularly in real estate transactions and unearthed documents pertaining to unaccounted investments running into hundreds of crores of rupees. These are the first big raids after shell… – Continue reading

French Lawmakers Adopt 2018 Finance Bill

French deputies have adopted at first reading the 2018 Finance Bill, which includes several of the Government’s key tax measures. The bill, adopted by the National Assembly on October 24, will reduce compulsory levies by EUR10.3bn (USD12.1bn) by the end of 2018. The bill includes the abolition of the wealth… – Continue reading

Bangladesh Cracking Down On Tax-Evading Foreign Workers

Bangladesh’s National Board of Revenue (NBR) is clamping down on foreign workers failing to declare their earnings in the country. Earlier companies were encouraged to report details of foreigners they have on their payroll to the Bangladesh Investment Developments Authority (BIDA), as currently required by law. Foreign individuals should pay… – Continue reading

Australians ‘wising up’ to use of tax havens, says Andrew Leigh

Shadow assistant treasurer suggests companies consider the image their tax minimisation methods project Andrew Leigh, the shadow assistant federal treasurer, has said companies using offshore tax havens to “get around corporate tax” in Australia risk losing what they save in tax via damage to their reputation. Speaking to Guardian Australia… – Continue reading

Singapore Legislates For Income Tax Change

Singaporean lawmakers approved the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill 2017 on October 2, 2017, which provides for numerous changes to income tax policy. Discussing the bill in parliament, Indranee Rajah, Senior Minister of State for Finance, confirmed that the existing corporate income tax rebate for 2017 will be enhanced by raising… – Continue reading

Government Collects Rs 3.86 Lakh Crore as Direct Tax Till September

New Delhi, October 11: The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on Wednesday revealed that the net direct tax collection up to September 2017 is Rs. 3.86 lakh crore. The amount is 15.8% higher than the net collection for a corresponding period of last year. The CBDT informed that the… – Continue reading

Business owners believe Irish tax code ‘is barrier’ to growth

Survey respondents cite high marginal rates and lack of staff reward schemes as negatives More than half of Irish business owners view the State’s tax code as a barrier to growth rather than a support, according to a survey by accounting and professional services firm Deloitte. Respondents cited Ireland’s high… – Continue reading

CBDT seeks suggestions on framing of rules on country-by-country reporting

New Delhi [India], Oct.6 (ANI): In keeping with India’s commitment to implement recommendations of 2015 Final Report on Action 13, titled “Transfer Pricing Documentation and Country-by-Country Reporting”, the Department of Income Tax has invited comments from stakeholders and the general public. It has said that these comments and suggestions on… – Continue reading

Concealment of offshore companies intended at hiding wealth: Justice Bandial

ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court Justice Umar Ata Bandial remarked on Wednesday that the motive behind hiding an offshore company is to hide wealth. He made the observation while hearing a disqualification petition against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Jehangir Tareen. A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar and… – Continue reading

Property tax law amended to boost Smart Nation move

Parliament yesterday passed changes to the law to allow more people to get property tax notices digitally. This is part of Singapore’s move to becoming a Smart Nation, Senior Minister of State for Finance and Law Indranee Rajah told MPs. Existing regulations require taxpayers to explicitly consent before the Comptroller… – Continue reading

United States: California Expands Voluntary Disclosure Program for Out‑of‑State Trusts

At a Glance… On September 25, Governor Brown signed into law Senate Bill No. 813, which updated the California Voluntary Disclosure Program (VDP) to include out-of-state trusts with California beneficiaries and non-resident partners of out-of-state partnerships, and to allow the Franchise Tax Board (FTB) to waive the S Corporation or… – Continue reading

Tax expert says amendment to new tax law likely before implementation next year

Removal of withholding tax on G-Sec income effectively frees foreign investors paying any taxes New tax law proposes to remove 10% withholding tax on G-Secs but makes such income liable for income tax up to 24% This likely to result in sizeable leakage of tax revenue to govt. as G-Secs… – Continue reading

Foreigners in Sri Lanka Treasury bonds may not have to pay tax

ECONOMYNEXT – Foreign investors in Sri Lanka’s rupee bonds may not have to pay taxes after April 2018, Deputy Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said, amid some uncertainty in markets how a new Inland Revenue law will be interpreted. Sri Lanka lifted a 10 percent withholding tax government bonds from… – 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

Ghana-Morocco double tax agreement to come into force in 2018 – (Part 2)

In our last publication, we discussed the signing of the Ghana-Morocco Double Tax Agreement (“DTA”) and the provisions of the DTA in relation to the taxation of permanent establishments and business income. In the concluding part of the article, we will discuss the taxation of investment, employment and service incomes… – Continue reading

Interpreting double tax treaties in light of the BEPS multilateral instrument

Some double tax treaties are being amended by a multilateral instrument Establishing how a particular treaty is affected can be a complicated process The UK intends to publish amended DTTs and this will help, but the MLI has added an additional layer of complexity 18 Sep 2017 Speed Read LEGAL… – Continue reading

Econ experts laud tax reform plan

MANILA, Philippines — The Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF) has expressed support for the tax reform program being pushed by the Department of Finance, saying this will lead to better lives for Filipinos. “The comprehensive tax reform program lays a solid foundation for the government’s vision of inclusive growth, improved… – Continue reading

Tax Reform Advocacy Group Outlines Pro-Growth Plan

With corporate tax reform still very much on the table, advocacy group Alliance for Competitive Taxation (ACT) has weighed in with a reform plan that it deems internationally competitive and pro-growth, and capable of driving transformational change in the U.S. economy. ACT doesn’t define its member businesses but says it… – Continue reading

Greece raising taxes when other countries slashing them

    Greece is defying the prevalent trend among the world’s industrialized nations for reducing tax rates in order to boost investment and competitiveness, a report published on Wednesday by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has shown. According to the report, in contrast to the majority of… – Continue reading

Tax evaders set to face action: CBDT chairman Sushil Chandra

CBDT chairman Sushil Chandra says income tax dept will soon conclude probe into financial dealings of about 100,000 individuals suspected of tax evasion New Delhi: The income tax department will conclude its investigations into the financial dealings of about 100,000 individuals suspected of tax evasion and persuade many other assessees… – Continue reading

Partnership tax rules overhaul by 2018

Changes to partnership taxation are to go ahead with draft legislation now published, effectively clarifying the tax treatment for partnerships to ensure that the principle of taxing the beneficiary of partnership profit applies and to prevent a double reporting burden on investment partnership This measure makes changes to the income… – Continue reading

OECD releases guidance to ensure BEPS country-by-country reports are used appropriately.

Canada has implemented the country-by-country reporting requirement for large multinational enterprises (MNEs) contained in the 2015 Final Report on Action 13 of the OECD’s Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Action Plan.  Canada’s legislation is found in s. 233.8 of the Income Tax Act (Canada), and is supported by the… – Continue reading

Panama probe: First prosecutions are taken to court for off-shore tax evasion

While at the beginning of the year (The Indian Express, March 16, 2017) the number of requests sent by India stood at 283 cases, it has now crossed 300. And while the number of replies received from among these 13 jurisdictions stood at 165, that figure has now crossed 240…. – Continue reading

I-T Department open to reducing withholding tax for foreign companies: Official

NEW DELHI: The Income Tax department is open to lowering the withholding tax rate for foreign companies which have income in India, a senior official said today. Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Chairman Sushil Chandra also urged firms and MNCs operating in India to pay their due share of… – Continue reading