Category: Accounts and Audit

Amazon Inc. Paid Zero in Federal Taxes in 2017, Gets $789 Million Windfall from New Tax Law

From a decades-long strategy of exploiting state sales tax loopholes to its ongoing “HQ2” sweepstakes, Amazon’s leaders have rarely turned down a chance to use the tax system as the source of their competitive advantage. The online retail giant has built its business model on tax avoidance, and its latest… – Continue reading

Offshore wealth investigation

ONCE again reports are appearing in the media about the billions of dollars stashed by Pakistanis in foreign accounts or the investments they have made especially in property market abroad. National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Finance was informed on Friday that seven thousand Pakistanis have invested a whopping Rs 800… – Continue reading

Vizor Software Launches CbC Reporting Solution for Tax Authorities

Tax Authorities in jurisdictions who have joined the OECD/G20’s Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) inclusive framework can now avail of Vizor’s new Country-by-Country (CbC) Reporting module to fully meet their obligations set out under Action 13. DUBLIN (PRWEB) FEBRUARY 11, 2018 Today, Vizor Software announced the launch of its… – Continue reading

FDI enterprises pay lowest taxes despite high profits

HÀ NỘI– Foreign direct investment (FDI) enterprises, which have enjoyed multiple tax incentives, pay the lowest State taxes despite reporting high profits, statistics show. FDI enterprises have achieved the highest profit growth among the economic sectors, generating VNĐ327.4 trillion (US$14.4 billion) in pre-tax profits in 2016, an increase of 17.3… – Continue reading

US tax overhaul could see $2 trillion repatriated: UN

The recent U.S. tax overhaul could prompt U.S. multinationals to repatriate around $2 trillion (1.6 trillion euros), making a significant impact on global foreign direct investment, the U.N. said on Feb. 5. The forecast from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) came just over a month after… – Continue reading

Nigerians React On Compulsory Tax Initiative

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

Malta makes 518 mln euros from its citizenship by investment scheme

VALLETTA, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) — Malta has generated 518 million euros since it started its citizenship by investment scheme, according to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. Replying to a parliamentary question on Wednesday, Muscat said that of the total revenue generated, 363 million euros had entered in the country’s National Development… – Continue reading

Indian Tax Department Sends Notices to Cryptocurrency Investors

India’s tax dept. orders investors to pay up after national survey reveals $3.5 billion worth of transactions during a 17-month period. Indian cryptocurrency investors have been issued notices by the income tax department, after a national survey revealed that cryptocurrency transactions during a 17-month period amounted to more than $3.5… – Continue reading

Italy’s non-domiciled tax regime to profit from UK’s changing stance

In 2017, the UK scrapped its non-dom tax regime. Consequently, an increasing number of individuals are instead relocating their tax domicile to Italy At the start of 2017, in a bid to attract more wealthy citizens and capital to Italy, Rome introduced a non-domiciled tax regime. Now, citizens can move… – Continue reading

Tax evasion: Spanish taxmen comb Messi’s accounts again

Lionel Messi’s problems with the Spanish tax authorities are far from being over as the accounts of his foundation come under scrutiny. The tax authorities are investigating whether payments from FC Barcelona to Lionel Messi’s foundation were used to help the player evade taxes, Spanish daily El Mundo reported on… – Continue reading

Govt to announce amnesty for undeclared foreign assets ahead of OECD’s treaty

KARACHI: Government on Saturday said it may roll out an amnesty to allow offshore bank account holders to declare their wealth against nominal tax rates ahead of the implementation of OECD’s treaty to exchange financial details with foreign countries in September. Miftah Ismail, adviser to the Prime Minister for finance,… – Continue reading

Apple Could Get a $4 Billion Boost From Tax-Law Quirk

Microsoft, Cisco might also benefit from GOP bill ‘loophole’ Law gives some firms edge in paring offshore cash tax tab Companies that stockpiled trillions of dollars offshore free of U.S. income tax may get one last break before paying up — provided their fiscal years don’t follow the calendar year…. – Continue reading

Singapore Urged To Enhance Tax Offering

Ernst and Young Solutions LLP, Singapore, has released its wish list for the Singapore Budget 2018, calling for reforms to sharpen the territory’s competitiveness. The firm said that Singapore should maintain its 17 percent corporate income tax (CIT) rate, which is one of the lowest in the world, but recommended… – Continue reading

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

State aid: Commission approves the Maltese tonnage tax scheme subject to commitments

Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said “Tonnage tax systems are meant to promote the competitiveness of the EU shipping industry in a global market without unduly distorting competition. I am pleased that Malta committed to adapt its tonnage tax system to achieve this. Moreover, by encouraging the… – Continue reading

Top 10 tax developments 2017

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

Amazon Agrees To A $118 Million Tax Settlement With Italy

Amazon reached a major tax settlement with Italy by agreeing to pay €100 million ($118 million) to the European country in order to put an end to an investigation of potential back taxes it owes that spanned the majority of this year. According to initial reports on the matter, Italian… – 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

Luxembourg challenges EU order to recover tax from Amazon

Luxembourg is challenging a European Union order to recover about €250m in back taxes from Amazon, saying it disagreed with EU state aid regulators’ decision that the US online retailer had received special treatment. The appeal to the Luxembourg-based General Court, Europe’s second-highest, comes two months after the European Commission… – Continue reading

Transfer Pricing and BEPS to Increase Tax Revenues in Georgia

The FINANCIAL — Transfer Pricing Rules were implemented by the Government of Georgia in 2011, based on OECD guidelines. Since the number of international companies in Georgia is increasing steadily, Transfer Pricing Rules have become a point of obvious interest. However, multinational companies operating in Georgia are not sufficiently well-informed… – Continue reading

Daily Tax Update – December 11, 2017: Treasury Analysis Asserts Tax Cuts Will Pay for Themselves

Treasury Analysis Asserts Tax Cuts Will Pay for Themselves: Today, the Treasury Department’s Office of Tax Policy released its analysis of the Senate’s tax reform plan. The one-page report used the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget projections of a 2.9% real growth rate over 10 years. The analysis expects 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

Australian Tax and Cryptoassets

Australian tax rules relating to cryptoassets remain in their infancy, comprising largely of antiquated rules for fiat currency transactions, with impractical attempts at guidance from revenue authorities. This practical guide summarises the Australian tax issues for some typical cryptoasset transactions. In this innovative sector, no two transactions are the same…. – Continue reading

Poland’s PM designate says will continue fighting tax evasion

WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland will continue fighting tax evasion, allowing the government to keep public debt in check and finance its public spending agenda, Prime Minister-designate Mateusz Morawiecki said on Friday. He also told the Catholic Trwam television that value added tax revenue would most likely increase by 30 billion… – Continue reading

AmCham EU Speaks Out Against EU Digital Tax Proposals

The American Chamber of Commerce in the European Union has criticized the proposals put forward in the European Commission’s recent consultation on options for new tax rules or a new tax on digital firms. The aim of that consultation is to help the Commission to define an approach to the… – Continue reading

UK To Continue Pushing For Effective MNE Tax Rules

On November 22, the UK Government published for stakeholders’ comments a position paper setting out its views on the challenges posed by the digital economy for the corporate tax system and its preferred solutions. The paper, which was published alongside the 2017 Autumn Budget, states that “the Government believes in… – Continue reading

Irish Revenue Launches New Tax Evasion Inquiry

The Irish Revenue has announced that a new inquiry is underway to identify and pursue taxpayers engaged in offshore tax evasion and avoidance. Revenue said that the inquiry is being conducted in the context of increased and ongoing sharing of information between tax administrations, and of the changes to voluntary… – Continue reading

Ghana leveraging technology to enhance tax collection: VP

ACCRA, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) — Ghana’s Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia said on Friday Ghana was leveraging technology to broaden the tax base and enhance tax collection. He believes that Ghana has reached a stage in its development where it must adopt appropriate, current and improved technology to make tax administration convenient… – Continue reading

Govt. of India and Govt. of NZ signs Third Protocol to the Convention for avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion

The Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue) vide notification S.O. 3512(E) dated November 2, 2017 sets out the Third Protocol to the Convention between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of New Zealand for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with… – Continue reading

CCCTB FAQ

The European Union Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCCTB) has been talked about recently as a solution to the problem of an imperfect pan-EU corporate tax system, which allows large companies, particularly those with a digital presence, to detach profits from value-creation, and pay tax in low-tax jurisdictions. But what… – Continue reading

Paradise Papers: ICIJ releases another database revealing offshore companies

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has released a database of around 13.4 million documents revealing over 25,000 companies owned by the world’s rich and influential individuals. The ICIJ coordinated the Panama Papers investigation into offshore companies. The latest files have disclosed the financial details of politicians, corporations, and… – Continue reading

Cayman Budget Targets Budget Surpluses

The Cayman Islands’ Premier, Alden McLaughlin, recently delivered the territory’s first two-year budget, which was notable for the absence of new borrowing or revenue-raising measures. McLaughlin said his administration will continue to pay down debt and deliver operational budget surpluses to fund capital investment plans and provide for contingency against… – Continue reading

Vietnam should cut down FDI incentives in favor of local companies: MP

Lawmakers warn against preferential treatment for foreign invested companies, half of which declared losses from 2007-2015. Vietnam offers many land and tax incentives to attract foreign direct investment (FDI), but the sector’s contribution to the economy is still limited, said delegates of the legislative National Assembly (NA). Despite accounting for… – Continue reading

Switzerland agrees to share tax information on multinationals

ZURICH (Reuters) – Switzerland said on Wednesday it would start sharing information on the activities of multinationals in its territory with other countries in 2020, joining an international push to fight tax evasion. The new measures will force about 200 large companies in the low-tax haven to prepare country-by-country reports… – Continue reading

CbCR obligations for Italian entity members of US groups

Concerns have arisen over a temporary misalignment between the US country-by-country reporting regime and Italian legislation. Antonella Della Rovere and Federico Vincenti of Valente Associati GEB Partners explain. An agreement for the automatic exchange of country-by-country reports (CbCR) between Italy and the US (Agreement) came into effect on September 27… – Continue reading