HM Revenue and Customs, the UK tax agency, has lauded a ruling in its favor secured before the courts that will save the UK exchequer tens of millions of pounds in related tax-avoidance cases. The Upper Tribunal upheld an earlier ruling against Cyclops Electronics and Graceland Fixing on appeal, concerning… – Continue reading
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
The Swiss Government is to ease the requirements on banks affected by the Too Big To Fail (TBTF) regime to ensure that they are not subject to an additional tax burden as a result of the legislation. The TBTF regime requires systematically important banks to have sufficient capital so that… – Continue reading
The European Central Bank on February 14 published an opinion (CON/2018/8) on a proposal from lawmakers in Slovenia on a draft law on the return of monetary funds to the country from designated “tax havens” and the imposition of a penalty tax, providing an outline of the proposed regime. Before… – Continue reading
Australia’s Board of Taxation has published the results of its review into the taxation of bare trusts. The Board considered whether, and how, to legislate in respect of what it said was the widespread practice of disregarding or looking through these trusts for income tax purposes. This practice is maintained… – Continue reading
The Russian Ministry of Finance is drafting a bill to allow the creation of offshore companies to trade cryptocurrencies. This follows the bill which the ministry recently published on the legal framework for cryptocurrencies. Crypto Trading Offshore “The Ministry of Finance proposed to create offshore companies in Russia for trading… – Continue reading
The Spanish tax authority has published its annual tax and customs control plan for 2018, which details the tax compliance and enforcement measures that it intends to undertake in the coming year. The plan, published by the tax authority on January 23, features four key pillars: preventative measures, including a… – Continue reading
Also, multinational companies with a physical presence in Israel will soon get their first tax bill Israel will need to amend its corporate tax policies to counter the effects of US President Donald Trump’s tax reform, the head of Israel’s Tax Authority head acknowledged — but only slightly. “There will… – Continue reading
The Federal Government on June 29, 2017 formally launched the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS), an initiative designed to encourage voluntary disclosure of previously undisclosed assets and income for the purpose of payment of all outstanding tax liabilities. As the window of opportunity for declaration draws near, OYENIRAN… – Continue reading
PARIS, France– Ministers and high-level officials from six countries, including two in the Caribbean, have signed the BEPS Multilateral Convention, the first multilateral treaty of its kind. The Convention will enable governments to swiftly update their networks of existing tax treaties and further reduce opportunities for tax avoidance. Barbados, Jamaica,… – Continue reading
On December 29, 2017, the Inland Revenue (Amendment) (No. 6) Bill 2017 (BEPS bill) was gazetted in Hong Kong. The BEPS bill introduces a transfer pricing regulatory regime and mandatory transfer pricing documentation requirement in Hong Kong as well as a variety of other anti-BEPS changes. The BEPS bill marks… – Continue reading
Viet Nam News HA NOI — In the latest draft of Law on Corporate Income Tax (CIT), the Ministry of Finance has raised a regulation aimed at preventing multinational companies with related-party transactions from evading taxes. According to the proposed regulation in the amended draft, the part of interest expense… – Continue reading
The head of the revenue agencies of Bulgaria and Greece have held talks on continuing and deepening co-operation on exchanging information and countering tax evasion, the National Revenue Agency in Sofia said on January 22. Bulgaria’s National Revenue Agency head, Galya Dimitrova, and her Greek counterpart Georgios Pitsilis discussed issues… – Continue reading
The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has stressed that it will enforce the implementation of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS 9) among banks in the country, this year. The IFRS is a tool which requires all financial institutions to comply with a common financial reporting standard which will among others… – Continue reading
The Income Tax Department recently released a clarification stating that it would accept requests for mutual agreement procedures (MAPs) and bilateral advance pricing agreements (BAPAs) in transfer pricing disputes with all countries regardless of the existence of specific provisions in the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements (DTAAs). A 2012 survey by… – Continue reading
The leaders of Hungary and Ireland have both expressed their opposition to the prospect of additional tax harmonization within the EU. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar was in Hungary to visit his counterpart, Viktor Orban. Reuters reported that, during a joint news conference following their meeting, Orban said that his… – Continue reading
The GOP tax bill that was signed into law by the white house late last year, significantly reduced corporate taxes which has piled pressure on other significant economies around the world to adjust so as not to lose investors to the United States. Just hours after President Trump signed the… – Continue reading
THE Cabinet yesterday approved a draft bill aimed at preventing the transfer of assets and profits for the purpose of avoiding tax liabilities. Also approved yesterday were proposals requiring that juristic persons with interconnected transactions of more than Bt30 million a year send the authorities a clarification report and a… – Continue reading
Manama : In a bid to curb tax evasion, the Government of Bahrain has decided to give cash rewards of up to BD10,000 to those who report such irregularities to the authorities here. “Those who report tax evasion will be paid 2.5 percent of the fine imposed or a maximum… – Continue reading
Hong Kong published two bills in its Official Gazette on December 29 to introduce provisions to counter base erosion and profit shifting and to alter its business tax regime. The bills are to be tabled before the Legislative Council on January 10, 2018, and must pass through three readings before… – Continue reading
‘Globes Israel’ claims that a secret department was set up in France’s tax authority specifically to investigate French Jews for tax evasion. The French have set up a secret department within their tax authority that employs 20 Hebrew speakers in order to find out if Jews are trying to evade… – Continue reading
BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) — China’s foreign exchange regulator on Saturday toughened the rules on overseas cash withdrawals from personal bank cards to curb money laundering, terrorist financing and tax evasion. The State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) said in a circular that the total amount of overseas cash withdrawals… – Continue reading
As part of the Cayman Islands’ ongoing commitment to international tax transparency, the Tax Information Authority (International Tax Compliance) (Country-By-Country Reporting) Regulations, 2017 (the “CBCR Regulations“) were issued on 15 December 2017. The CBCR Regulations essentially implement in the Cayman Islands the model legislation published pursuant to the OECD’s Base… – Continue reading
Calendar 2017 saw significant advances in the Australian Tax Office armoury, both through Court wins and new or pending legislation. The Tax Commissioner openly now claims the upper hand in corporate and multi-national tax compliance. The Senate seems almost becalmed!? This note outlines our selection of 10 key things that… – Continue reading
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have approved the recommendations made by the European Parliament’s special committee on tax avoidance and evasion, calling for open registers of beneficial owners, effective protections for whistleblowers, and new rules for intermediaries. On December 13, MEPs approved the recommendations made by Parliament’s Special Inquiry… – Continue reading
Ahead of the CRS agreement, the procedure enables Israelis to disclose unreported income without facing criminal proceedings. As reported last month by “Globes,” ahead of the anticipated implementation of the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) agreement for automatic exchanges of information between tax authorities, and given the Israel Tax Authority’s stepped… – Continue reading
Laws regulating digital currency exchanges for the first time have been approved by Parliament in a major milestone for the burgeoning local sector. The amendments to the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act easily passed through Parliament at the end of last week thanks to bipartisan support, despite the Opposition… – Continue reading
Tax residence gets new rules, support for R&D will increase and the spa industry gets new support instruments. The law on income tax is changing again. The Slovak parliament adopted extensive revisions on December 7, bringing changes in the definition of tax residence, new measures to support the spa industry… – Continue reading
The Lagos State Internal Revenue Service ( LIRS ) on Thursday shut 11 hotels, restaurants and event centres over alleged failures to remit their taxes under the Hotel Occupancy and Restaurant Consumption Laws of Lagos State 2009. Mr Seyi Alade, Director, Legal Services of the LIRS, said this after a… – Continue reading
A tax bill to counter base erosion and profit shifting by multinational companies was introduced into Parliament on December 6. The Taxation (Neutralising Base Erosion and Profit Shifting) Bill contains measures to prevent multinationals from using: Artificially high interest rates on loans from related parties to shift profits out of… – Continue reading
EU ministers have issued the bloc’s “list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes”. The blacklist was created following a November 2016 European Council decision–in the wake of the Panama Papers, Luxleaks and other revelations of multinational tax avoidance–to evaluate jurisdictions outside the EU. Territories were judged on “tax transparency”, “fair… – Continue reading
[Updated] The Government of Bermuda said they note that the Economic and Financial Affairs Council [ECOFIN] has “reaffirmed Bermuda’s status as a cooperative tax jurisdiction.” Premier David Burt said, “Once again the EU has recognized Bermuda’s status as a cooperative jurisdiction, despite the interest surrounding a hack on a global… – Continue reading
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 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
(Washington, D.C., Wednesday, November 29, 2017) – Senator Rand Paul is prepared to offer his FATCA repeal legislation, S. 869, as an amendment to the Senate’s tax reform bill. The Center for Freedom and Prosperity applauds this news and urges full-fledged support from his colleagues. The Foreign Account Tax Compliance… – Continue reading
In this Update On June 7, 2017, Canada signed the OECD’s Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (the MLI) The MLI will modify up to 75 of Canada’s bilateral tax treaties, including adding a broad anti-avoidance rule to these treaties (the… – Continue reading
On November 21, 2017, the OECD Council approved the contents of the 2017 Update to the OECD Model Tax Convention. The 2017 Update primarily comprises changes to the OECD Model Tax Convention and related commentary that were developed through the OECD/G20 Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Project including changes… – Continue reading
The Davis Tax Committee (the Committee) released a further report on “Tax Administration” on 13 November 2017 as part of the final six reports that were deliverable by the Committee. The report has five chapters covering: Governance of the South African Revenue Service Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Treatment… – Continue reading
The Italian government has introduced a “temporary web tax” which will be in force until the long-awaited OECD/EU strategy for the reshaping of traditional taxation systems based on the residence of companies (or on the location of permanent establishments) has been defined. Said reshaping is aimed at introducing taxation principles… – Continue reading
UK Offshore tax evaders face much higher penalties for non-compliance under new HM Revenue and Customs rules. The legislation requires those with undeclared offshore tax liabilities to disclose them to HMRC before the 30th of September next year. When the Right to Correct rules come into force, offenders can expect… – Continue reading
New Zealand’s new Revenue Minister, Stuart Nash, has said that the country will reduce or eliminate the goods and services tax exemption for low-value imports. Presently goods worth no more than either NZD226 (USD155.6) or NZD400 (depending on if they are subject to duty) are not subject to goods and… – Continue reading
Plan proposes 12.5% tax rate on intellectual-property income Bills ‘upend decades of U.S. tax policy’ on tight deadline U.S. companies that make billions of dollars from patents and other intellectual property held offshore would be eligible for a special 12.5 percent tax rate on those earnings under the Senate tax… – Continue reading
THE Government has been urged to “get across the line before year-end” on global tax information exchange standards, amid hope the relevant legislation will reach Parliament tomorrow. Michael Paton, a former Bahamas Financial Services Board (BFSB) chairman, told Tribune Business that the Bahamas needed to upgrade its existing legislation to… – Continue reading
Bulgaria has said that multinationals covered by the country’s new transfer pricing country-by-country reporting regime should submit their first report by December 31, 2017. Through Order 3LIY-1410, Bulgaria’s National Revenue Agency has newly set out the rules concerning country-by-country documentation, including who the reporting obligations apply to and how to… – Continue reading
