Category: Revenue

EU and OECD Transfer Pricing Documentation Procedures after Brexit

Transfer pricing documentation rules have come to the fore with the United Kingdom’s Brexit. The European Union and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development appear to apply similar transfer pricing documentation rules to multinational companies, but differences nevertheless abound. Some multinational enterprises may view these differences as nuances, but… – Continue reading

OECD Advises Finland On Growth-Friendly Tax Reforms

A revenue-neutral modification of Finland’s tax structure could boost the nation’s economic growth, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said in a recently released report. Finland has already adopted some measures to make the tax structure more growth friendly in recent years, the report, Boosting Productivity in Finland, said…. – Continue reading

Kenya Treasury to create international center to curb tax evasion

Kenya will create an international taxation center to help in the global crackdown against tax avoidance, a senior official said on Wednesday. John Njiraini, the Commissioner General of the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), said the formation of the international tax office would enable Kenya to curb tax evasion. The office… – Continue reading

RI highlights fair, transparent tax practices at G20 forum

Indonesia is demanding healthy, fair and transparent taxation practices at the recent G20 meeting in Chengdu, China, as the country struggles to widen its stubbornly narrow tax base. Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro intervened in the G20 High Level Tax Symposium by stating that the Indonesian government wanted fair and transparent… – Continue reading

Oxfam in call for crackdown to combat money launderers using Scottish shell firms

OXFAM has called for action to close a legal loophole that has seen a booming number of Scottish shell firms used for tax dodging and money laundering. The global charity warned that the country was becoming one of the world’s “secret tax havens where the privileged minority hide billions from… – Continue reading

Banks to hand over offshore tax files

The Trudeau government has won a round in its battle against offshore tax cheats. Two banks have agreed to give the federal revenue minister information from the accounts of a Caribbean financial institution to help the government crack down on Canadian tax evaders. The Federal Court of Canada has approved… – Continue reading

Tax lawyers to grapple with new changes

With elements of the Liberal government’s 2016-17 budget coming to fruition, tax lawyers must stay up to date with the changes as their workload increases, according to a global firm partner. Speaking with Lawyers Weekly, DLA Piper tax partner Jock McCormack (pictured) said tax lawyers can expect to be busy… – Continue reading

Becoming a Tax Haven Is Harder Than It Looks

Slashing rates probably won’t be the U.K.’s magic bullet. As Britain plans its way out of the European Union, politicians have been looking for ways for the country to maintain its dominance as a center for global capital. One idea: turning the post-Brexit U.K. into a tax haven. In the… – Continue reading

HMRC explores tougher methods for publicising tax fraud by the wealthy

Public Accounts committee criticised HMRC’s lack of strategy HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is exploring how it can better publicise fraud investigation outcomes and increase the impact of the sanctions it uses, in order to dispel the myth “people are getting away with tax evasion”. The department said it wants… – Continue reading

Tax avoidance: how it works and how to stop it

The Panama Papers have put the spotlight on tax avoidance once again. This is, of course, not a new issue. Before that, we had Swiss Leaks and BVI Leaks. You may be asking: how does tax avoidance work and why have policymakers struggled to rein it in? Firstly, it is… – Continue reading

IRS Proposes New QI Agreement for Foreign Banks to Comply with FATCA

The Internal Revenue Service has released new guidance on how foreign financial institutions can enter into a Qualified Intermediary agreement with the U.S. under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA. Notice 2016-42, released earlier this month, outlines the proposed QI agreement, which revises and updates the current agreement… – Continue reading

IMF call for ‘comprehensive reform’ of US tax system

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) review has called for a comprehensive reform of the US tax system, with the aim of removing exemptions, simplifying the system, rebalancing from direct to indirect taxes, and reducing statutory rates for individual and corporate income taxes According to its annual Article IV consultation report… – Continue reading

U.S. Corporate Tax Directors Have a Hard Time Adjusting to BEPS

Tax executives at U.S.-based multinational companies are having a hard time adjusting to the new rules demanded by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Base Erosion and Profit Shifting plan, also known as OECD BEPS, according to a new survey. While OECD BEPS is not a requirement in the… – Continue reading

Germany Adopts Law On CbC Reporting And Tax Rulings

The German Federal Cabinet has adopted a bill to implement key aspects of the OECD’s base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) recommendations and the European Union’s administrative cooperation directive. The Act Concerning the Implementation of Changes to the EU Administrative Cooperation Directive and of Additional Measures against Base Erosion and… – Continue reading

Pravin Gordhan’s 10-point solution to tax evasion

Tax and prosecution bodies must build the capacity to curb illicit activities that rob countries of tax revenues, said Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan on Thursday, speaking at the High Level Conference on Illicit Financial Flows at the University of Pretoria. Illicit money leaving Africa reduces the amount of resources available… – Continue reading

How to get ready for BEPS tax reporting rule changes

Multinational companies are making strides in preparing for radically changed cross-border tax and transfer-pricing reporting rules as compliance deadlines near, research by Thomson Reuters suggests, but uneasiness remains amongst tax executives about their readiness. The new rules will require multinational enterprises with annual revenues of €750 million ($830 million) or… – Continue reading

Ireland Details Framework On Exchange Of Tax Rulings

The Irish Revenue has released guidance on how it will exchange information on the tax rulings it grants. Revenue eBrief No.65/16, which was released on July 5, 2016, sets out Revenue’s arrangements for implementing Council Directive (EU) 2015/2376; and the OECD’s framework for the compulsory spontaneous exchange of information in… – Continue reading

US Consumption Taxes Low In Global Comparison

A recent paper from the Tax Foundation (TF) pointed out that, while most Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries lean more on tax revenue from consumption taxes, the United States relies more on individual income tax, while raising relatively little from consumption taxes. The TF noted that “this… – Continue reading

APAs in fashion as Swedish retailer H&M inks four-year Australian tax deal

Fast-fashion retailer H&M is one of a growing number of multinationals locking in their Australian tax, as debate continues about whether Australia has stopped corporate tax leakage. H&M’s strongly performing Australian subsidiary has entered into a four-year Advanced Pricing Agreement (APA) with the tax office that expires on November 30,… – Continue reading

Ghana losing tax revenue to extractive sector over lack of data

The absence of adequate data on the operations of businesses in the extractive sector continues to impede the GRA’s ability to fully implement Ghana’s transfer pricing policy. According to the Deputy Commissioner in charge of Policy Programs at the GRA, Edward Gyamerah, the issue makes it difficult to fully assess… – Continue reading

India Revamps Its Treaty Provisions With Mauritius

The Government seeks to curb revenue loss, prevent double non-taxation, streamline the flow of investment, and stimulate the flow of exchange of information between India and Mauritius The India – Mauritius double taxation treaty was under negotiation for the last 4 years. The Treaty has now been amended by way… – Continue reading

Tax haven route won’t work for post-Brexit UK, OECD says

The United Kingdom is unlikely to try to lure international investment by becoming a tax haven after it leaves the European Union, according to an internal memo prepared by the body responsible for the drafting international tax rules. The head of tax at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development,… – Continue reading

Brexit – The UK and International Tax Consequences

The political, economic and constitutional fallout of the UK’s referendum decision to leave the European Union (Brexit) will continue for some time. In addition to considering some of the possible domestic UK tax implications of Brexit, this OnPoint also considers some of the potential tax implications from the perspective of… – Continue reading

Asian amnesties point to wealth of tax worries

Indonesia and India are both doubling down on efforts to lure back funds that citizens have parked overseas Indonesia and India are both doubling down on efforts to lure back funds that citizens have parked overseas in places like Singapore. The stash, from the two countries combined, could amount to… – Continue reading

Google’s offices in Spain raided by tax authorities

Tax authorities in Spain have raided Google’s offices in Madrid as part of an investigation into tax evasion and fraud, TechCrunch understands. Local press and the Reuters news agency are also reporting the raids. The raid on Google’s Madrid headquarters and its Google Campus workspace are related to VAT payments… – Continue reading

Nations discuss corporate tax avoidance at OECD meeting in Kyoto

Representatives of more than 80 countries and jurisdictions met in Kyoto on Thursday for a two-day conference aimed at going after corporate tax avoidance in the first-ever effort of its kind to include developed and developing countries. The meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Committee on Fiscal… – Continue reading

IRS inversion rules face blowback

A regulatory effort by the Obama administration to crack down on tax deals is facing backlash from business groups and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. While the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules were intended to combat inversions — transactions in which a U.S. company combines with a foreign… – Continue reading

U.S. Treasury, IRS Move Quickly to Implement OECD BEPS Agreement, Finalizing Rule Requiring Country-by-Country Reporting by Multinationals

U.S. Companies Will Be Required to Disclose Relevant Financial Data on Country-by-Country Basis to Tax Authorities but not to Public WASHINGTON, DC – Today the U.S. Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published a rule, which will become final tomorrow, requiring the U.S. parent company of large, public and… – Continue reading

Gov’t policies offer incentives for tax dodging

Tax dodgers in Greece enjoy multiple benefits: They pay less tax, they avoid social security contributions, they can protect their main residence from confiscation and have access to a number of social benefits, ranging from free nursery places for their children to various allowances. The temptation to declare an income… – Continue reading

Assets agreement with US not quite ‘reciprocal’

Government most likely not to access bank data of Argentines in States despite deal As the whitewash bill is set to be approved this week, the government seeks to sign an assets deal with the United States to have access to data of the bank accounts of Argentines in the… – Continue reading

CRA has double standard for tax cheats

The CRA won’t divulge the identities of people convicted for stashing millions offshore, but it names and shames those caught owing small amounts of tax. The Canada Revenue Agency claims at least nine people have been convicted of offshore tax evasion over the last two years, receiving $4 million in… – Continue reading

CRA has double standard for tax cheats

The CRA won’t divulge the identities of people convicted for stashing millions offshore, but it names and shames those caught owing small amounts of tax. The Canada Revenue Agency claims at least nine people have been convicted of offshore tax evasion over the last two years, receiving $4 million in… – Continue reading

UK Must Comply With EU Privacy Law, Watchdog Argues

But Brexit May Upend Data Protection and Notification Rules Lawmakers and legal analysts are still struggling to analyze the impact of the June 23 referendum on Britain’s membership in the European Union (see Brexit: What’s Next for Privacy, Policing, Surveillance?). In the wake of a majority of U.K. voters opting… – Continue reading

IRS Overlooks Noncompliance in Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program

The Internal Revenue Service is missing out on imposing approximately $21.6 million in penalties on taxpayers who are denied entry or withdraw from its Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program, according to a new report The report, from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, found the IRS needs to improve its… – Continue reading

EU agrees anti-tax evasion deal

Brussels (AFP) – The European Union agreed a raft of anti-tax evasion measures Tuesday that would make it harder for multinationals to shift profits to countries with lower taxes, but critics said they were too watered down. The proposals were agreed on provisionally by the EU’s 28 finance ministers on… – Continue reading

Canada willingly makes tax deals with tax havens

The seeds of Canadian corporations hiding billions of dollars in offshore tax havens were sown more than 40 years ago, after the Canadian government pursued a series of tax treaties with tiny Caribbean and European nations. The 92 tax treaties now signed with countries such as Barbados, Jamaica and Malta… – Continue reading

Australia to gain from Singapore joining OECD fight against multinational tax avoidance

Multinationals suspected of routing Australian profits via Singapore will be outed to tax authorities, with the low-tax nation this week signing up to the global plan to fight tax evasion. Companies including big miners BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto as well as technology giants Apple and Google, have admitted using… – Continue reading

Double Taxation Avoidance Bill passes second reading at House of Reps

The quest by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to improve the ease of doing business in Nigeria and diversify the nation’s economy on Wednesday received a boost. This followed the passage of “a Bill for an Act to Provide for the Domestication and Enforcement in Nigeria of the Avoidance of… – Continue reading

Singapore joins tax framework led by OECD and G20

Under the new tax framework, Singapore will implement minimum standards aimed at preventing “aggressive tax planning” by multinationals. Locally headquartered multinationals will soon have to file reports broken down by country as well as income and taxes to the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS). In a statement on Thursday… – Continue reading

Exchange of data critical to addressing tax issues – GRA

Tax authorities and African governments have been urged to adopt effective information exchange systems based on proper implementation of international standards of transparency. This is necessary because exchange of information among member countries ensure that corporate bodies and individual taxpayers would have no safe haven to hide their income and… – Continue reading

BEPS Takes Center Stage At US OECD Tax Conference

Hundreds of policymakers, business executives, and senior tax officials met at the OECD International Tax Conference to discuss the recommendations proposed under the base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) project and their impact on trade and investment. The conference, which was held in Washington DC on June 6-7, 2016, was… – Continue reading

Mauritius pact: A laudable reform

Last month the government announced an amendment to the Double Tax Avoidance Agreement between India and Mauritius. The DTAA was signed between the two countries in August 1982 and notified in December 1983. For the past thirty-three years it has been a key factor affecting foreign investment flows into India…. – Continue reading

Report: Multinational Tax Avoidance Cost Australia $5bn in One Year

Sydney-A new report by Oxfam said Australia’s federal government lost an estimated 5 billion US dollars in revenue in 2014 as a consequence of tax avoidance by multinational corporations with Australian operations. The non-governmental organization said in its report that investments from Australian-based big companies in tax havens globally grew… – Continue reading